Johnny Depp Shares His Thoughts on Fatherhood with Lily-Rose and Jack
Johnny Depp has opened up about his experiences raising his children, Lily-Rose, 26, and Jack, 23, in a revealing new interview.
The actor, 62, discussed the passage of time and the fleeting nature of fatherhood in an interview with the Times of London on Saturday, June 21, reflecting, “Years slip away from us, don’t they?”
“Oh man, my kids growing up in the south of France during their early years? I was Papa. I can’t express how much I loved being Papa,” Depp recalled, referring to the residence he shared with Lily-Rose and Jack’s mother, ex-partner Vanessa Paradis. After their move to Los Angeles, he mentioned he transitioned to being “Dad.”
“Then, all of a sudden, Papa was out of the picture. I became Dad,” he elaborated. “But Papa was fantastic, and I’m reaching an age where Papa might make a comeback. Someone better start calling me Papa!”
Depp is eagerly anticipating the day he becomes a grandfather, expressing envy toward those who still have small children at home. “I’m experiencing empty-nest syndrome,” he admitted.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor also showcased a portrait he created of Lily-Rose when she was a child. (She is now an actress herself.) “I never finished it,” Depp noted. “She was 10 then, and now she’s 25.”
As he reflects on his parenting journey, he recalls the sense of security and comfort he experienced during his 14-year relationship with Paradis, 52, from whom he separated in 2012.
“Honestly, the first time I felt I had a home was at the place in the south of France where Vanessa and I raised the kids. That’s the only place that ever truly felt like home,” he shared. (He currently divides his time between the Bahamas and London.)
Depp also discussed the repercussions of his legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard, who filed for divorce in 2016 and later obtained a temporary restraining order, alleging domestic violence.
Depp denied Heard’s claims and subsequently sued the U.K. newspaper The Sun for referring to him as a “wife beater” in a 2018 article. Although he lost that case two years later, a separate trial in the U.S. found in Depp’s favor regarding Heard’s op-ed in The Washington Post that critiqued domestic abuse. A jury awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages in June 2022, while Heard received $2 million for her counterclaim.
Paradis stood by Depp throughout the legal challenges, stating in a 2020 message, “I have known Johnny Depp for over 25 years. We’ve been partners for 14 years and have raised our two children together. Over the years, I’ve seen Johnny as kind, caring, generous, and non-violent as a person and father. I am aware of the allegations made publicly by Amber Heard for more than four years now. This is nothing like the true Johnny I’ve known, and from my experience, I can confidently say he was never violent or abusive to me.”
Depp told the Times that he lost several close friends through the turmoil of the legal disputes, noting it “hurts.”
“There are people, and I’m thinking of three, who did me dirty,” he alleged, without naming anyone. “Those individuals were at my kids’ parties, throwing them in the air. And, quite honestly, I understand why some people couldn’t stand up for me; the most terrifying choice for them was making the right one. I was pre-MeToo. I was like a crash test dummy for MeToo. It happened before Harvey Weinstein.”
In 2023, Lily-Rose celebrated her father’s return to the Cannes Film Festival, where he earned a standing ovation for his biographical film, Jeanne du Barry.
“I’m super happy for him,” she told Entertainment Tonight at that time. “I’m super excited, and it’s incredible that we get to work on projects we’re truly proud of.”
Regarding advice for his daughter, Depp told the Times, “Sometimes kids ask me, ‘I want to be an actor, what should I do?’ And I advise, ‘Don’t!’ I know what lies ahead for them. I was cast onto that path without warning, and the only guidance I can offer is, ‘Don’t let anyone turn you into something you’re not.’ They’ll try to mold you into a poster boy, and while that’s enticing – a lot of money at stake – if that’s the route you want? Go for it. But ensure no one else decides for you.”
