Johnny Depp lives an idyllic life in southern France with his family and instead of envying him for it, I am happy for him. Unlike some movie stars who seem to be nothing more than gluttons with a cute smile, Depp appears to be a true artist.
He morphs into the roles he plays and he’s always terrific. He just seems like a decent, wonderful man who has his priorities straight. And the south of France – ahhhhh. How I loved France! OK, maybe I am a little bit jealous. Here’s the story, via People Magazine.
He’s been The Mad Hatter, Edward Scissorhands and Captain Jack Sparrow — and yet he dreams of cultivating a premium vino.
In a cover interview with the French magazine VSD, on newsstands Thursday, Johnny Depp opens up in a rare discussion of his personal life, including a secret desire “to make wine. But I’ll keep it for myself before daring to sell it commercially.”
A longtime resident of Plan-de-la-Tour in southern France, Depp says, “in the Var where I live, it’s very interesting. The region is notable for rosé and it’s very good, though I prefer red myself.”
Currently filming “The Tourist” in Venice with Angelina Jolie, Depp says living in France with longtime partner Vanessa Paradis and their two children, Lily-Rose, 10, and Jack, 7, “has given me everything. A marvelous family and also an equilibrium which I missed enormously.”
“With Vanessa and the kids, we live in a sort of little village in the south and I have the impression of being in paradise,” he continues. “It’s a property of about 30 acres and you know what I do there — absolutely nothing.”
Depp says his lifestyle is a “truly simple existence” that’s like “being on another planet. When I wake up I go look at my garden. I go see if my vegetables are growing, if certain flowers have started to bloom.”
He also confesses that “everything revolves around” his children. “Where will we go for a walk? Should we eat at the house with them or maybe go for a picnic? These are the problems we face there,” he says.
Another secret Depp shares is his “great yearning” to share the screen with Paradis. The couple’s first attempt to appear together on screen failed when Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” project faltered in 1999.
Depp’s dream, however, may soon become reality.
Asked about reports the couple will appear next year in “American Dream,” the story of French feminist Simone de Beauvoir and her love affair with Nelson Algren, Depp replies: “Nothing has been officially signed but it’s progressing well. I’ve great desire to work with her on a film. Vanessa is not only a terrific singer but a wonderful actress.”