Like it or not, Johnny Depp will have marked the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. At the royal casting of Jeanne du Barry, the American actor played the game by giving a few interviews - sometimes in the language of Molière. We first learn that slipping into the skin of Louis XV will have been a major challenge for him. "It took me out of my comfort zone," he told Madame Figaro. I speak French pretty much like a 3-year-old so imagine for the old French of the eighteenth century... (Laughter.) For this role, I wanted to be comfortable enough with the language of the time to be able to improvise. So I worked and rehearsed with a teacher, Mathilde Bertrand."
This role in Maïwenn's period film will have in any case sealed the close link between Tim Burton's favorite actor and the France. He spent so much time in his house in the Var (he spent the first confinement there during the Covid-19 pandemic). "I have always been interested in French culture," he confides to Madame Figaro. The France has given me a lot of things and it continues. Fifteen years with a sublime wife, two children... It was a miracle!"
The physical evolution of Johnny Depp
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"My perfect day? My children with Vanessa»
Usually discreet about his private life (to say the least sulphurous in recent years), Johnny Depp did not hesitate to evoke his family, but also his ex-companion, the singer and actress Vanessa Paradis, to whom he remains close. When asked for an idea of his perfect day, the 59-year-old American replies: "For me, it's simple: my children gathered around me, with Vanessa and family. Yes, the children and the family, that's all."
As a couple from 1998 to 2012, Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis gave birth to two children: Lily-Rose (23) and Jack (21). Their eldest daughter has followed in the footsteps of her famous parents in recent years. This Monday, May 22, she also climbed the steps of Cannes, on the occasion of the screening of The Idol, series in which she plays the main role. Asked about his daughter's career, Johnny Depp does not hide his admiration. "For a father, it's great to see his daughter, who is now a young woman for sure, take charge of herself with grace, dignity, elegance and kindness. She has something special, talent. She's just her. She does not rest on her achievements, she knows that her work is important and she works, "he insists, brushing aside criticism of the one who is often accused of "nepo baby" (understand, these "sons and daughters of" who invest the cultural industry). "Doing interviews, having a discussion, blabbering ... Anyone can do it. She does more than that. She has something to say. A brilliant child. Same for my boy Jack. I'm really lucky. And one day they will be my parents and they can change my diapers."
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His children, his battle
A proud and fulfilled father, Johnny Depp then opens up about the education he gave to his offspring. "With Vanessa, we raised them with the assurance that they could come and talk to us, confide in us and ask us for help with absolutely everything. But, personally, I don't like to give too much advice, unless I perceive something murky... in which case I try to intervene." Before bouncing back on the fate of her eldest, rising star in Hollywood: "Lily-Rose is very smart, she has always been one of those people who observe with finesse and lucidity what surrounds her, who work with application without saying a word. She is incredibly beautiful, intelligent, attentive to others. It's a bright star. And I'm objective, of course! My two children are my pride."
