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Stuntman explains how they made iconic Johnny Depp Orlando Bloom sword fight scene so realistic
Featured Image Credit: PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo

Stuntman explains how they made iconic Johnny Depp Orlando Bloom sword fight scene so realistic

A Pirates of the Caribbean stuntman has revealed how one of the fights between Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom was made to look so realistic.

A Pirates of the Caribbean stuntman has revealed how one of the fight scenes between Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom was made to look so realistic.

As much as you think you're accurately replicating a movie fight scene as you prance around your living room brandishing your foam swords - or using a lightsaber if you don't quite have enough to go around - you're normally pretty far off.

You're even further off if you decide to try and replicate one of the fight scenes which takes place during the first of the family-favourite franchise, 2003 movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl between Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom).

Stuntman for Bloom, Mark Wagner, has since opened up about the behind-the-scenes of the shoot and how one of the action-adventure's scenes ended up looking quite so realistic as it did.

Shortly after Captain Jack arrives in Port Royal, chaos ensues as he is quickly identified as a pirate by Captain James Norrington of HMS Dauntless - who has just proposed to Elizabeth (Kiera Knightly).

Jack quickly scurries off to hide, only to find himself in the blacksmiths and who should be the creator of such fine swords, but former - and soon-to-be returned pirate - Will Turner.

An epic fight scene subsequently commences, the two dancing around the workspace with hot irons and chains, as well as battling away with some pretty witty one-liners.

If that wasn't impressive enough, there's one part of the scene which notably adds to the rising tension, highlights the impressive nature of the slickly executed choreography and makes the fight even more realistic: the sparking of the swords as metal hits metal.

On an episode of Stuntmen React by VFX company Corridor Crews, Wagner has revealed exactly how such realism was achieved.

If you thought the realistic flints of light from sword slamming sword were purely a result of special effects added in when editing the footage, then think again.

Wager - who worked on the scene with Bob Anderson who was the double for Darth Vader - explained: "So, what's really cool about this piece too is they actually hooked these swords up to cables so that when they touched they would spark.

"So I had these cables running down my leg and Johnny had these cables running down his leg, and it would be like sparks, sparks, sparks, every one of those hits."

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl has since gone on to achieve a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 86 percent, and tomatometer score of 80 percent.

So successful was the franchise, a female-led spin-off is now reported as being in the works, starring none other than Barbie actor Margot Robbie.

Topics: Johnny Depp, Film and TV, Entertainment, Celebrity