diff --git a/decompiler/config/jak3/ntsc_v1/stack_structures.jsonc b/decompiler/config/jak3/ntsc_v1/stack_structures.jsonc
index 4138d2091e..ba504a0210 100644
--- a/decompiler/config/jak3/ntsc_v1/stack_structures.jsonc
+++ b/decompiler/config/jak3/ntsc_v1/stack_structures.jsonc
@@ -195,8 +195,9 @@
   "(code target-hit)": [[16, "vector"]],
   "apply-pos-from-entity": [[208, "collide-query"]],
   "target-death-main": [
-    [16, "event-message-block"],
-    [96, ["array", "level", 1]]
+    [16, "event-message-block"]
+    // this wrong stack cast was the reason Daxter's death quotes scenes didn't work
+    //[96, ["array", "level", 1]]
   ],
   "find-nearest-focusable": [[48, "vector"]],
   "target-gun-joint-pre0": [
diff --git a/goal_src/jak3/engine/target/target-death.gc b/goal_src/jak3/engine/target/target-death.gc
index b563614365..75ea4f5d5f 100644
--- a/goal_src/jak3/engine/target/target-death.gc
+++ b/goal_src/jak3/engine/target/target-death.gc
@@ -1906,7 +1906,7 @@
         (apply-settings *setting-control*)
         (flag-setup)
         (let ((sv-96 (the-as level #f)))
-          (art-group-get-by-name *level* "daxter-highres" (new 'stack-no-clear 'array 'level 1))
+          (art-group-get-by-name *level* "daxter-highres" (& sv-96))
           (let ((s4-1 (if (and sv-96 (nonzero? (-> sv-96 entity)) (> (-> sv-96 entity length) 0))
                           (-> sv-96 entity data 0 entity)
                           )
diff --git a/test/decompiler/reference/jak3/engine/target/target-death_REF.gc b/test/decompiler/reference/jak3/engine/target/target-death_REF.gc
index bf42a7d7bc..264a66cff6 100644
--- a/test/decompiler/reference/jak3/engine/target/target-death_REF.gc
+++ b/test/decompiler/reference/jak3/engine/target/target-death_REF.gc
@@ -1949,7 +1949,7 @@
         (apply-settings *setting-control*)
         (flag-setup)
         (let ((sv-96 (the-as level #f)))
-          (art-group-get-by-name *level* "daxter-highres" (new 'stack-no-clear 'array 'level 1))
+          (art-group-get-by-name *level* "daxter-highres" (& sv-96))
           (let ((s4-1 (if (and sv-96 (nonzero? (-> sv-96 entity)) (> (-> sv-96 entity length) 0))
                           (-> sv-96 entity data 0 entity)
                           )