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Instyle (German) interview September 2003

My cool country life in South France
10 moved moments

What makes the cinema star at least happy, what makes him hopping mad and what makes him laugh hearty

If you don't know, who he is, you wouldn't hardly recognize him: Johnny Depp sprawls into a armchair with a black woollen cap wearing a slashed jeans, his shirt opened, playing with his dozen of bracelets (friendship bands) on his wrist and smokes self made cigarettes. He is big in Hollywood, but he won't be remembered of it. He doesn't want to be treated like a super star, but simply as one, who is an actor by accident. (At the moment he can be watched in cinema in an adventure movie POTC) As one who has a woman (actress and singer Vanessa Paradis) who is living with her and their two children on a farm somewhere in the south of France and who carries his croissants by him self in the morning. If you do an interview with Johnny Depp it is a little bit like sitting comfortably together with a good friend, drinking one or two bottles of wine, philosophising about life. Or something about you have experienced the last time. And there he would telling a few anecdotes and telling us a few little weak points.

The last time, as a Rolling Stone give me inspiration…

I loved the ideato play a pirate from the very first moment. Keith gives me the inspiration for that. There are a few advantages of being a celebrity, for example to meet your own idols. Mine is Keith Richards and in my opinion, pirates are the rock 'n 'roll stars of the 18.th century. So I get influenced by his reckless outfit and his swaying body language. I would like to play a pirate who always seems to be a little bit drunken. Therefore I get help from my children, if babies begins to bubbling and shaking the arms they look like mini drunks.

The last time as I was drunken…

Since I get a family, the bad times, in which I would knocked out my dissatisfaction with the whole world with anything you can push into your body, are gone. Sometimes I share a bottle of wine with my friends. Or two or three. (laughing) It was the same thing as I flew with Orlando Bloom to the filming of POTC to the Caribbean. At the end of the journey I staggered well drunken out of the plane. Immediately they introduce me to a completely unknown gentleman. I gave him a big hug like an old mate. He turned out to be the premier minister of this Caribbean Island.

The last time I gave a good advice…

My mother always told me, that I should never get fresh with anybody - that's working well until now! That advice I will give to my kids too. If younger actors ask me for advice, I am totally lost, normally I could give the advice, not to follow my advices, because I've done more shit than most of the people. It is always important to me, that I don't make compromises as an actor. Who ever tries this is getting a view of my middle finger. Dustin Hoffmann recently told me, that's an excellent advice.

The last time I doubt of myself…

Until a few years ago, I am getting embarrassing being an actor. If they asked me in forms to tell my job, I rather write roofer. But now I am making it up with my job and I enjoy creating figures, That's like working with loam and I catch myself having fun as much as my children have in the sandpit. As long as I don't watch my own movies I don't quarrel with me. I only try to avoid the business side of Hollywood, because that brings me to the point, where I have to beg the producer for money.

The last time I've worried about my age…

I have celebrated my 40.th birthday with Vanessa, my sister and a few friends wonderful unspectacularly with a dinner in Portugal, I am our of the age in which it is interesting to know how old you are. Age doesn't matter to me. I think in the middle of the thirties you say: Fuck it, folds are cool and you can't stop them. Anyway my life began with 35 years as I found a family. Before the time, the idea of becoming an adult and taking the responsibility for more than the own shoelaces seems to be as far away as the Mars.

The last time I saw the world through the eyes of a child…

My daughter Lily Rose is four years old and she still doesn't know what actors are. At the moment she is firmly convinced of her daddy being a pirate. But a kindly one, mind you! I am not trying to steal her illusion, on contrary, I let her infecting me , I would rather have been so innocent like her and astonished about life. What we are learning from our children is at least as important for Vanessa and me as the thing we could give them as education.

The last time I was happy…

There isn't one single second as father I don't enjoy! Now I haven't seen my kids for one day and I already miss them terribly! It is incomprehensible to me how people can connect such nonsense like defect of sleep or renunciation of parties with the miracle of a child. If I had my way, we still could get a few dozens. Boys or girls, both would be great. My daughter is a little princess, an angle on earth. And my son is like a little energy machine, he only stops running when he is cracking against a wall and then he laughs.

The last time I've read newspaper…

The best of France as a living place is that it is far away from Hollywood. I am nor only meaning this spatial! On the day I moved to France I stop reading magazines about the entertainment business and watching such TV programmes. I keep doing this until today by consequent! I'm not knowing who's in and who's not. I have no idea if boulevard mags say I have intercourse with a goat or if I slaughter virgins. It doesn't matter! This unsuspecting makes me much more free than I've ever dreamt and it turns me into a much better actor.

The last time I have a good time…

The rage of the Americans against France during the Iran crisis was so ridiculous. I have had to laugh specially as the idiots of the congress would have renamed the French Fries - in all seriousness- into Freedom Fries. They are adults and chosen representatives of the people and they are doing such a nonsense. I rather would have liked to write a letter in which I say thank you to them because they have demonstrated their stupidity so wonderful! Although for American in France it wasn't easy during the Iran crisis, the people in that French village where I live were very relaxed about me. They know I hadn't a direct line to Bush.

The last time I hopped mad…

It was so disgusting to notice how they put Wionna Ryder (his ex friend) on the trial. The public falls upon her like she is not only stealing some damned clothes but would have killed grandmothers with their walking sticks. It's exactly this hypocrisy why I don't want to live in America, raising my children there. It's good that Wionna is an extremely strong and wonderful woman who would outlast all her critiques.