Johnny Depp Recalls His Near-Death Experience With A Horse On 'The Lone Ranger' Shoot (VIDEO)

Johnny Depp dropped by "Late Show" to talk up his new film, "The Lone Ranger." In the film, Depp plays Tonto, which meant a lot of time on horseback during the shoot. Depp learned firsthand just how dangerous it can be to work around these animals.

During one shoot, his saddle came loose while his horse was jumping over some small obstacles and he found himself hanging onto the mane for dear life as the horse continued to run. In the moment, Depp had a decision to make, as E! Online detailed. He could either drop off the horse and hope for the best, or stay clinging to it until someone wrangled it.

He dropped. "Landed on my back, hit the deck pretty hard," Depp said. "The one thing that saved me was the horse’s instinct to lift his front legs."

Depp was certain he could have died had the horse's hooves come down on his head.

Luckily, there's far less danger in music. Depp is taking a break from action movies to focus on his first love. He's collaborating on a pirate-themed album featuring the likes of Iggy Pop, Macy Gray and Courtney Love.

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