Actor Johnny Depp turned real-life action hero on the set of his latest crime drama Public Enemies, after saving a group of extras from being struck down by an out-of-control car.

Depp, 44, was shooting a scene as bank robber John Dillinger when a stuntdriver in a 1933 Ford car sped onto a patch of ice and skidded towards six extras, who were standing with their backs turned, oblivious to the danger.

But the Hollywood hunk spotted the potentially fatal incident and leaped into action. An eyewitness tells British newspaper News Of The World, "Johnny slammed into the group with arms outspread, shoving them all back."