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Mail on Sunday 'You' magazine
September 28, 2003
by Gabrielle Donnelly

Paradis Found

Johnny Depp, 40, has made more than 30 films including Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Chocolat and Pirates of the Caribbean. He lives in the French countryside with his partner, singer Vanessa Paradis and their children, Lily-Rose, four, and Jack, two.

Q. Tell me about your new film.
J. It's called Once Upon a Time in Mexico and it's a second part to a trilogy by Robert Rodriguez - the first was Desperado - which is a salute to the Spaghetti westerns made by the director Sergio Leone. I was very pleased to be in it because I'm a huge fan of Leone. I think he made amazing films. They are as close as a film can get to art.

Q. You don't exactly play the hero do you?
J. Not exactly. I play a CIA agent who's an unhappy person, really not a nice guy. In fact, he's very bad, nasty. Ugly guy, very damaged.

Q. How do you choose your roles?
J. Well, I haven't been working for the money, that's for sure! Most of the films I've been involved with have been outside the Hollywood structure. I haven't done many films with lots of action and explosions and people in jeopardy - except for Pirates of the Caribbean, of course. Usually, I just make films that I think are right for me and that I hope the audience will find interesting. So far it seems to be working.

Q. Do you worry about being "in" or "out" in Hollywood terms?
J. I'm happy to say that I know nothing at all about who's in or out, or anything about the Hollywood scene. I don't watch contemporary films. I watch animated Disney films - which I adore - which I watch with my daughter, and Humphrey Bogart or old French films, and I don't read trade magazines, I just don't know who's doing what, or who's a failure and who's a success. And that's fine - ignorance is bliss.

Q. Who is you role model?
J. Marlon Brando. He has been a great hero, mentor, friend and teacher as well as one of the funniest people I've ever met.

Q. Describe a normal day in your life when you are not making films.
J. It's amazing. I get up and make a bottle of milk up for my son and then breakfast for my girls. Then we wander out into the countryside - we live in the middle of nowhere. We might come back to the house and paint and play in the sand box or on the swings. And in the evening I drink wine, drink coffee and go to sleep. That's my day and I love it.

Q. How has family life changed you?
J. It's given me a life. I feel better about everything. For many years I was confused about all sorts of things: life, growing up, not knowing what was right or wrong. Now I know because Vanessa and my children have taught me, that the only thing that matters in life is being a good parent. I can't say the darkness has completely gone. It's still there, but I've never been closer to the light then I am these days.

Q. What was your childhood like?
J. Not very secure. My parents were not very happily married, and they split up when I was about 15. It was something I'd seen coming for years. As young as seven or eight. I remember looking at them and thinking, "Come on, this is torture. Just split up." When they finally did, I thought it was the right thing for them to do. Then my mother became ill and the focus was on getting her better. It wasn't till later that I realised, I'd never mourned the loss of my family.

Q. When did you come to terms with it?
J. When I met Vanessa. She's been a kind of miracle in my life. I feel very blessed to have her beside me.

Q. What is your favourite song?
J. "Keep your lamp trimmed and burning." It's a spiritual, sung by a guy called Billie Willie Johnson. Who was a blues singer with an amazing talent. He was also a preacher and this is a religious song. It's completely pure and raw and honest and true. It makes me cry. Mind you - I cry at the drop of a hat - I'm a real sap.

Q. What message would you like to leave behind through your work?
J. I'm not sure I'm capable of leaving behind a message. But if I did, I hope it would be that it's OK to be different from the crowd. In fact it's really good to be different from the crowd, and that we should really question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who is different to us. And if I could I would like to continue on even the minute level - John Lennon's message that we should try not to hate each other. That would be a real biggie.