Diving into the sea, Luke immediately felt the chill of the water, but it wasn't unbearable.
Even though his physical stats were the lowest among his three main attributes, they were still at 15 points—way higher than an average person's.
His strong physique helped him shrug off the cold water's negative effects with ease.
It was a sunny day, with sunlight providing plenty of light and visibility.
The part of the sea they were filming in wasn't too deep—probably only about 60 to 100 feet.
In the crystal-clear blue water, Luke quickly spotted Depp's position below.
Kicking his legs, he swam toward him fast.
At that moment, Depp, after choking on a few mouthfuls of water, was starting to lose clarity.
His bleary eyes caught the sunlight streaming through the water, creating a dreamy, rippling effect.
"Is this what dying feels like? Man, if I'd known this was coming, I would've written a will and split my money between my girlfriends. What a waste!"
"If they don't fish my body out and just leave it here to feed the fish, that might not be so bad."
"Though, I heard fish go for the… protruding parts first when they eat a body. That doesn't sound too great."
"What does it matter when I'm gone? Is this the fish doing me a favor in some weird way…?"
In his final moments, his mind was racing with these random, chaotic thoughts.
"What's this hallucination? Those are some gorgeous muscle lines!"
Johnny Depp caught sight of a strong, athletic man swimming toward him quickly.
In that moment, he felt like some kind of divine savior was coming to his rescue.
Depp couldn't help but wave his arms.
As the man got closer, Depp recognized him.
It was Luke?
Luke swiftly swam behind him, slipping an arm under Depp's armpit and pulling him upward.
They ascended quickly, breaking the surface in no time.
Seeing them emerge, the nearby crew rushed over, shoving a flotation board into their arms.
At this sight, Director Verbinski let out a long sigh of relief.
The crisis was over. Luke was just so reliable, so reassuring.
With that thought, he couldn't help but shout, "Luke! Way to go!"
The crew on the boat erupted into applause and cheers:
"Luke, you're amazing! You're our hero!"
"I'm gonna be your fan forever! Never jumping ship!"
"I just noticed—Luke's got some gorgeous muscle definition. That chest! Those powerful, long legs! Like a marble statue in a museum!" one female crew member gushed.
"It's beautiful—like a work of art. I'm snapping a pic to keep forever," another female crew member chimed in.
"Take a few more and send me one!"
"Me too!"
"You're a guy—what do you need the photo for?"
"I may be a man on the outside, but I've got a woman's heart!"
"…"
When Luke and Depp made it back to the filming boat, they were greeted like triumphant heroes.
The crew hoisted Luke up, cheering and tossing him into the air.
It took a while for Director Verbinski to signal them to put him down.
"Thank you, Luke," the director said sincerely.
"No big deal, just lending a hand," Luke replied.
"You saved my life. It might be no big deal to you, but it's a huge deal to me," Johnny Depp said, soaked to the bone, opening his arms for a hug.
Luke took a quiet step back, keeping his distance. "i am not big on that kind of thing, but I appreciate the gesture."
No way was he hugging another drenched guy while he was still shirtless.
"Alright, fine. But you've gotta let me treat you to dinner tonight," Johnny Depp said, not pushing it.
Luke didn't refuse this time. He nodded in agreement.
"Director, let's move past this and get back to shooting. Otherwise, we're gonna lose a lot of time," Luke said to Verbinski.
The next few days were supposed to get cloudy.
Without clear weather for a while, they wouldn't get the visuals they needed.
So, they had to wrap these scenes today.
"Newest novel updates released first!"
Hearing Luke, Director Verbinski nodded. "Everyone, back to your stations! Prep to resume shooting!"
The underwater cinematographer started suiting up in diving gear. The next scene was Captain Jack rescuing Elizabeth from the ocean floor.
Just like what Luke had done for Johnny Depp.
At the director's words, Depp's face turned pale. He said nervously, "Can't we shoot this later? I've got a bit of a mental block right now."
No one could blame him. He'd nearly drowned, and now they wanted him back in the water…
Anyone would be rattled.
Director Verbinski frowned, clearly torn.
He got where Depp was coming from. Forcing him back into the sea right now would be pretty harsh.
But if they didn't shoot today, it'd push things back days.
What could they do?
"I'm a little scared too. I don't think I can pull off the effect you're looking for, Director," Anne Hathaway piped up, raising her hand.
In the next scene, she had to relax her body and let herself sink slowly into the water.
But the water was freezing, and she was terrified. There was no way she could look relaxed—it'd probably come off stiff. How could she nail that?
Seeing this dilemma, Luke was worried too.
May 2002 was his ideal release window.
If they could hit that, they'd have a better shot at beating The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
But if delays like this pushed back the release, it'd be bad news.
"Come on, let's give it a try. Don't worry, we'll have the underwater cinematographer right there. No more accidents," Director Verbinski said, trying to coax them.
"Maybe tomorrow? I'm definitely not up for it today," Johnny Depp said, shaking his head.
"I'm still kinda scared…" Anne trailed off, but her stance was clear.
And who could blame her? Anne wasn't a strong swimmer, so she was naturally more nervous about filming in the water.
The cold weather, icy water, and Depp's near-drowning had spooked her. Her reaction was totally understandable.
"If that's the case, then we'll just have to—" the director started, ready to compromise.
"I'll stand in for Depp in this scene!" Luke suddenly cut in, raising his hand.
He didn't have a choice—he was more worried about the filming schedule than anyone.
"Anne, I'll go in the water with you for this scene. With me there, you willing to give it a shot?" Luke asked.