Terri Farley

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Horse reveals the truth of Johnny Depp's Tonto


Tonto, played by Johnny Depp, with the Lone Ranger's Silver

The revived legend of the Lone Ranger is tracked by controversy. Is it another movie depiction of a patriarchal white man one-upping a Native American? Is it a response to the child that was Johnny Depp musing Wait, Tonto 's the sidekick? He'd know the land, have a better handle on Nature and...

Caught between what Sherman Alexie might say and Depp being ceremonially adopted into the Cherokee nation, I don't know how I'll perceive Depp-the-actor, but my feelings about Depp-th -guy changed when I read Michael Ordona's San Francisco Chronicle interview. It it, Depp talks about an unplanned dismount from his movie horse.

"I was hanging off the side of the horse, looking at the wonderful, beautiful striations of muscle in his front legs. And all I could think about was 'Hooves. How do I avoid the hooves?' So I just held on until I thought, 'Well, you know, now's as good a time as any.'"
Depp let go.
"Luckily, amazingly, the horse saved my life-- put his front legs over me, jumped me -- then I stood up...It was weird."

There's so much to like about Depp's reaction.

Even as he's falling, he appreciates the essence of the running horse. Instead of blaming his mount for the predicament, Depp credits the horse for his jump. And seeing the belly of a horse sailing above you and standing up unharmed -- you bet it's weird.

Open. Humble. Humorous.

The movie doesn't premiere until tomorrow, and this interview could be Hollywood hype, but the incident happened. I have the scars and bone bumps to empathize with Depp's tumble and I like his attitude.

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Turns out that movie-Scout's saddle slipped. So happy I wasn't the one charged with tightening that cinch.
See film of Depp's fall

Labels: fall from horse, Johnny Depp, Lone Ranger, Michael Ordona, Scout, Sherman Alexie, Silver