diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline-actions/test/test.pipeline.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline-actions/test/test.pipeline.ts
index 5bb4fafc565c6..bc679d1747da0 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline-actions/test/test.pipeline.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline-actions/test/test.pipeline.ts
@@ -959,5 +959,168 @@ export = {
 
       test.done();
     },
+
+    'adds a dependency on the Stack containing a new action Role'(test: Test) {
+      const region = 'us-west-2';
+      const pipelineAccount = '123456789012';
+      const buildAccount = '901234567890';
+      const app = new App();
+
+      const buildStack = new Stack(app, 'BuildStack', {
+        env: { account: buildAccount, region },
+      });
+      const actionRolePhysicalName = 'ProjectRolePhysicalName';
+      const actionRoleInOtherAccount = new iam.Role(buildStack, 'ProjectRole', {
+        assumedBy: new iam.AccountPrincipal(pipelineAccount),
+        roleName: actionRolePhysicalName,
+      });
+      const projectPhysicalName = 'ProjectPhysicalName';
+      const project = codebuild.Project.fromProjectName(buildStack, 'Project',
+        projectPhysicalName);
+
+      const pipelineStack = new Stack(app, 'PipelineStack', {
+        env: { account: pipelineAccount, region },
+      });
+      const bucket = new s3.Bucket(pipelineStack, 'ArtifactBucket', {
+        bucketName: 'source-bucket',
+        encryption: s3.BucketEncryption.KMS,
+      });
+      const sourceOutput = new codepipeline.Artifact();
+      new codepipeline.Pipeline(pipelineStack, 'Pipeline', {
+        artifactBucket: bucket,
+        stages: [
+          {
+            stageName: 'Source',
+            actions: [
+              new cpactions.S3SourceAction({
+                actionName: 'S3',
+                bucket,
+                bucketKey: 'path/to/file.zip',
+                output: sourceOutput,
+              }),
+            ],
+          },
+          {
+            stageName: 'Build',
+            actions: [
+              new cpactions.CodeBuildAction({
+                actionName: 'CodeBuild',
+                project,
+                input: sourceOutput,
+                role: actionRoleInOtherAccount,
+              }),
+            ],
+          },
+        ],
+      });
+
+      expect(pipelineStack).to(haveResourceLike('AWS::CodePipeline::Pipeline', {
+        "Stages": [
+          {
+            "Name": "Source",
+          },
+          {
+            "Name": "Build",
+            "Actions": [
+              {
+                "Name": "CodeBuild",
+                "Configuration": {
+                  "ProjectName": projectPhysicalName,
+                },
+                "RoleArn": {
+                  "Fn::Join": ["", [
+                    "arn:",
+                    { "Ref": "AWS::Partition" },
+                    `:iam::${buildAccount}:role/${actionRolePhysicalName}`,
+                  ]],
+                },
+              },
+            ],
+          },
+        ],
+      }));
+
+      test.equal(pipelineStack.dependencies.length, 1);
+
+      test.done();
+    },
+
+    'does not add a dependency on the Stack containing an imported action Role'(test: Test) {
+      const region = 'us-west-2';
+      const pipelineAccount = '123456789012';
+      const buildAccount = '901234567890';
+      const app = new App();
+
+      const buildStack = new Stack(app, 'BuildStack', {
+        env: { account: buildAccount, region },
+      });
+      const actionRolePhysicalName = 'ProjectRolePhysicalName';
+      const actionRoleInOtherAccount = iam.Role.fromRoleArn(buildStack, 'ProjectRole',
+        `arn:aws:iam::${buildAccount}:role/${actionRolePhysicalName}`);
+      const projectPhysicalName = 'ProjectPhysicalName';
+      const project = new codebuild.PipelineProject(buildStack, 'Project', {
+        projectName: projectPhysicalName,
+      });
+
+      const pipelineStack = new Stack(app, 'PipelineStack', {
+        env: { account: pipelineAccount, region },
+      });
+      const bucket = new s3.Bucket(pipelineStack, 'ArtifactBucket', {
+        bucketName: 'source-bucket',
+        encryption: s3.BucketEncryption.KMS,
+      });
+      const sourceOutput = new codepipeline.Artifact();
+      new codepipeline.Pipeline(pipelineStack, 'Pipeline', {
+        artifactBucket: bucket,
+        stages: [
+          {
+            stageName: 'Source',
+            actions: [
+              new cpactions.S3SourceAction({
+                actionName: 'S3',
+                bucket,
+                bucketKey: 'path/to/file.zip',
+                output: sourceOutput,
+              }),
+            ],
+          },
+          {
+            stageName: 'Build',
+            actions: [
+              new cpactions.CodeBuildAction({
+                actionName: 'CodeBuild',
+                project,
+                input: sourceOutput,
+                role: actionRoleInOtherAccount,
+              }),
+            ],
+          },
+        ],
+      });
+
+      expect(pipelineStack).to(haveResourceLike('AWS::CodePipeline::Pipeline', {
+        "Stages": [
+          {
+            "Name": "Source",
+          },
+          {
+            "Name": "Build",
+            "Actions": [
+              {
+                "Name": "CodeBuild",
+                "Configuration": {
+                  "ProjectName": projectPhysicalName,
+                },
+                "RoleArn": `arn:aws:iam::${buildAccount}:role/${actionRolePhysicalName}`,
+              },
+            ],
+          },
+        ],
+      }));
+
+      test.equal(pipelineStack.dependencies.length, 0);
+
+      test.done();
+    },
   },
 };
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline/lib/pipeline.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline/lib/pipeline.ts
index e8b7831d29a51..9250def339fbb 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline/lib/pipeline.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline/lib/pipeline.ts
@@ -541,8 +541,14 @@ export class Pipeline extends PipelineBase {
     if (action.actionProperties.role) {
       if (this.isAwsOwned(action)) {
         // the role has to be deployed before the pipeline
-        const roleStack = Stack.of(action.actionProperties.role);
-        pipelineStack.addDependency(roleStack);
+        // (our magical cross-stack dependencies will not work,
+        // because the role might be from a different environment),
+        // but _only_ if it's a new Role -
+        // an imported Role should not add the dependency
+        if (action.actionProperties.role instanceof iam.Role) {
+          const roleStack = Stack.of(action.actionProperties.role);
+          pipelineStack.addDependency(roleStack);
+        }
 
         return action.actionProperties.role;
       } else {