Climber Andy Kirkpatrick on El Capitan
CHOCOLATE safety diver to Johnny Depp was not a job choice Andy Kirkpatrick ever imagined aspiring to in school careers advice lessons.
Yet he spent two months on the set of Tim Burton’s 2005 film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, protecting the cast and crew from potentially slippery situations.
What looks like a delicious stream of melted Dairy Milk to us watching the movie was a foul-smelling, viscous brown substance Kirkpatrick was forced to spend hours standing in.
The rest of the time he was assessing the set and tying ropes around Depp to prevent him sliding into the sludge.
“There was a stunt woman who had to dress up as Augustus Gloop, and she had to do the stunt of falling in three times,” he recalls
“I think she got £3,000 every time, which you would think is a lot of money, but if you’d been there . . . I would have asked for more.”
Depp was pleasant to work with, adds Kirkpatrick.
“He was completely normal. He’s not a prima donna. He seems very English for some reason.
“But there is that certain quality about him. You can see why he’s a star.
