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BLIK 2003

'Fatherhood made me loose my last wild hairs.' We can admire Johnny Depp in the theatre again, and how! As the strange pirate Jack Sparrow in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' ('Pirates') he gives an incredible performance. A role that makes his star shine even brighter in Hollywood. He doesn't care about all of that. "The whole Hollywood-thing doesn't interest me anymore," he says. "I'm perfectly happy with the peaceful life on my mountain in the South of France."

Jack Sparrow is probably the strangest pirate to ever appear on the screen. You yourself are responsible for his highly original look.
Yes. When I read the script of 'Pirates', I asked myself what Jack Sparrow would look like. I think of pirates like the rock stars of the 18th century. They life a live just as dangerous and adventurous as the rock stars of today. Jack had to look incredibly cool. So I copied his looks a bit from the coolest rock star that I can imagine: Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones. I combined his style with accessories that were available for pirate: golden teeth, ear rings… That kind of thing. The producer and the director weren't over-enthusiastic right away, were they?
No. They were afraid that I was going a bit too far. They thought Sparrow, the way I saw him, was a bit strange. But I didn't give in. I wanted to play the pirate the way I saw him. I asked them to trust me and let me do it my way. If they hadn't, they could have gone looking for another actor.
Which highlights your image as the most eccentric and stubborn Hollywood star once again.
I think that image is highly exaggerated, you know. I'm not worried about it either. I'm really not staring out of the window for hours, trying to think of how I can be eccentric again. I just do what I like. I always try to be myself, do the things like I think is right. If others think that's eccentric, let them.
What did you like about 'Pirates'?
Like every men, I'm still a little boy deep inside. And boys like to play pirates. I really like crawling into the ship, swing my sword and talk that silly talk. (he starts to curse like a pirate) I reminds me a bit about the way my son Jack (5 months old) talks.
'Pirates' is already one of the block busters of the year. Your star in Hollywood will shine even brighter now. I don't really care. Don't get me wrong, when people like my work, I'm flattered. And I also want that as many people as possible go and see my work. That is after all the essence of my job. But I couldn't care less what the whole Hollywood world thinks of me. I'm not interested in the whole thing anymore. I don't want to know how much a particular actor gets for a movie. I no longer worry about which actor, director or studio is hip at the moment, to which parties I have to go to stay popular, or which clubs or restaurants I have to visit to be part of it all. I don't have to go from disco to disco all night anymore, just to be sure I don't miss anything. Those days are definitely over. The wild Johnny Depp has grown old?
I don't think it has anything to do with age. I know guys of 50 and 60 that still go wild every night. I think, most of all, it has to do with fatherhood. Since I have an offspring to take care off, I've changed. The arrival of Lily-Rose and Jack made me more calm. My last wild hairs fell out the moment Lily-Rose come into the world, screaming. You can believe me or not, but I really love my quiet life on my mountain in the South of France (Johnny Depp has been living together with Vanessa Paradis and their children for five years now, in Plan-de-la-Tour, a mountain village near Saint-Tropez). The people there leave us in peace. To be honest, half of the locals don't even know me. The French, and especially the ones in the south, are more interested in their own cinema. Gérard Depardieu is a star, I'm just an American actor. Most of my neighbors don't even know that I'm an actor. They suspect that I'm a gypsy or something like that. (laughs) I can't read the newspaper on a terrace without a problem. If I get interrupted, it's by a tourist. Don't you miss the US?
No. To me, the States are like a kind of Disneyland. It's fun to visit and to enjoy all the attractions, but you can't live there. You go crazy. At least, I would.
Do your children know that you are a big star?
Jack obviously not and for Lily-Rose it isn't easy either to understand what I do for a living. The other day I heard her say to a neighbor: "My mummy is a singer and my daddy is a pirate." (laughs) I think the man even believed her. You know, it's partially for her and Jack that I made 'Pirates'. All my other movies are rather difficult and not very interesting for children. This will probably the first movie ever that they will see their dad working in. Although I doubt that Lily-Rose will like it. She mostly likes princess movies. I have spend hours with her in front of the television to watch that kind of movies. Not really something you would expect from an eccentric Hollywood star, is it?