Luke's unbelievable jump instantly brought the entire movie's energy to its absolute peak.
The rest of the film was relatively straightforward: Will and Captain Jack team up to successfully break the curse and rescue Elizabeth. After all the excitement the audience had just been through, they actually enjoyed the more traditional storytelling that followed.
When the end credits began rolling on the big screen, not a single person in the theater got up to leave.
Watching the behind-the-scenes clips from a Luke movie has become a crucial part of the viewing experience. Many people even say that without the post-credit bloopers, you're missing half the fun.
After the names of all the cast, crew, producers, and various thank-yous finished scrolling, the screen lit up again.
The action choreographer, Meng Tao, appeared on screen with a sly, knowing grin.
"It's me again! Do you guys remember me?" he asked with a laugh.
"Of course we do! The guy who ate 'crap'!"
"The target with the apple on his head! That was nearly a heart attack last time!"
"That guy's pretty funny. I kinda like him," the shorter, strong man next to Luke commented.
"He's definitely charming. I wonder if he'd be interested in joining us," the taller, strong man agreed.
Unaware he was being eyed by a couple of moviegoers, Meng Tao continued on screen, "Filming this movie was very tough. We overcame a lot of difficulties and dangers."
The next scene cut to Depp, in his Captain Jack costume, plunging headfirst into the ocean and not resurfacing for a long time.
"He's gone so quietly... did something actually happen?"
"Look, the crew is panicking! A few staff members jumped in, but it's not working."
"It's so cold, and the water is freezing; he could be freezing up. It must be so hard to save him."
"Didn't the production have lifeguards?"
"I heard that due to a series of weird things that happened, they weren't able to be in position when he needed them."
Just then, the audience saw Luke dive into the water. Less than a minute later, he successfully swam back up to the surface with Depp. Depp was choking on water and looked disoriented. Any more delay and it could have been a serious issue.
"Thank goodness Luke was there! He is so reliable; he makes you feel completely safe."
"No wonder Depp is always praising Luke everywhere he goes. He saved his life!"
"Everyone else who went in was freezing, but Luke looked completely fine. His body must be incredible!"
"Duh! Did you not see him smash people around on the football field?"
---
### The Luke Effect
After that scene, the video continued. Depp was wrapped in a blanket on the side, absolutely refusing to get back into the water to shoot that part of the scene.
So, Luke voluntarily stepped in, calmed Anne down, and acted as a stand-in for Depp to finish shooting the sequence.
Watching this clip, the audience buzzed again.
"I don't blame Depp. If I almost died, I'd probably be the same way for a while."
"Luke really steps up when things get tough. I like him more and more. I have to come back and see this movie a few more times."
"I knew it wasn't Depp! My instincts were right!" the pair of strong men next to Luke exclaimed loudly.
Luke could only shake his head and smile at that one.
As the clips continued, the audience chatter kept going:
"Having Luke around must give you a huge sense of security. No wonder Anne wasn't scared."
"I bet Anne was faking being scared just to get Luke to shoot that scene with her."
"Really? I'd be scared too, though."
"Look! She hugged and kissed Luke! Ugh, that's unfair!"
"Wait, I didn't see that clearly! Why did they cut away? If they didn't want us to see it, why put it in at all? What was the point of just a glimpse?"
"Isn't it obvious? They're trying to create mystery and boost the chatter! The director is such a sneaky guy!"
Luke was also surprised that Director Verbinski decided to include that bit. Clearly, he'd stop at nothing for better box office numbers.
He felt Taylor lean in and whisper in his ear, "Does a kiss that tastes like seawater feel different?"
"I wouldn't know. My mouth was frozen numb."
"Ha."
---
### The Mast Stunt Revelation
When the next segment of the behind-the-scenes footage appeared on the big screen, the entire audience gasped.
"Oh my God, how high is that?"
"Looking down from the mast to the deck is even more terrifying."
"If you fell from that, you wouldn't even need an ambulance."
Meng Tao was shown sitting atop the mast, smiling at the camera: "That mast fight scene you just watched was me, dressed as Captain Barbossa. I practiced in this terrifying spot for hundreds of hours for that scene. At first, my legs would shake just standing here, but I slowly got used to it."
The audience members nodded frantically after hearing Meng Tao's confession.
"Geoffrey Rush, who plays Captain Barbossa, is over 50. There's no way he could have done that kind of high-risk, difficult stunt."
"I actually respect Meng Tao now. He's not a wimp at all; that takes real guts!"
"Yeah, not just guts, but a lot of hard work, too. Spending a hundred hours up that high to train for one scene."
"He's a professional action coordinator, after all. Luke couldn't have pulled off that scene without him."
Through this clip, the audience gained a clear appreciation for just how difficult that mast fight was to shoot. The Pirates of the Caribbean team truly gave their all to create spectacular visual effects. And Luke and the stunt performers from his studio were absolutely incredible.
Meng Tao continued on the big screen, "I really admire Luke now. I felt uneasy even with a safety harness on, but he did it with absolutely no protection. He's got amazing skill and a huge amount of courage."
Luke, on screen, smiled and said, "It looks dangerous, but once you get used to it, it's fine. Look at monkeys in the forest—they swing from treetop to treetop all day. It's about the same level of danger, right?"
"You're comparing yourself to monkeys? They have tails for balance! Do you have a tail?"
"What do you think?" Luke answered with a knowing smile.
Hearing that response, all the men in the theater burst into the kind of laughter that only men understand, making the atmosphere instantly lighter.
"Monkey tails are long for that effect. How long could yours possibly be?" Meng Tao scoffed.
"38 centimeters!"
"What? Is that a water pipe? Do you strap it around your waist?"
"What are you thinking? I'm talking about my Achilles tendon length! Leg muscles help with balance!"