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PIC: Johnny Depp Transforms Into Tonto on The Lone Ranger Set

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Johnny Depp filming "The Lone Ranger" on September 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.

Action!

Johnny Depp was hard at work on the set of The Lone Ranger — and completely in character.

Related: PHOTOS: Johnny's movie makeovers

Depp shot an action scene Thursday in full makeup and wardrobe as his character Tonto, the Lone Ranger's (Armie Hammer) Native American companion. The 49-year-old actor, looking unrecognizable in white and black face paint, and a black crow on his head, scowled at the camera while pulling a chain.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star is known for his movie transformations and took his role in The Lone Ranger very seriously.

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The actor, 48, told Entertainment Weekly he was actually inspired to update Native American Tonto's look after seeing a painting by the artist Kirby Sattler. 

"It just so happened Sattler had painted a bird flying directly behind the warrior's head. It looked to me like it was sitting on top," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I thought: Tonto's got a bird on his head. It's his spirit guide in a way. It's dead to others, but it's not dead to him. It's very much alive."

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"The whole reason I wanted to play Tonto is to try to [mess] around with the stereotype of the American Indian that has been laid out through history, or the history of cinema at the very least — especially Tonto as the sidekick, The Lone Ranger's assistant," Depp explained. "As you'll see, it's most definitely not that."

The Lone Ranger is set to hit theaters July 3, 2013.

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