Johnny Depp Opens Up About His Struggle With Empty-Nest Syndrome—as He Reveals the Only Place That’s Ever ‘Felt Like Home’

Johnny Depp has candidly laid bare his struggle with empty-nest syndrome—while admitting that the only place he has ever felt at “home” was the French property where he and ex-partner Vanessa Paradis raised their two children.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Sunday Times, Depp, 62, shed some light on what his life has been like since his highly publicized defamation lawsuit against his former wife, Amber Heard, came to a dramatic end in 2022.

The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star took his ex to court in Virginia over accusations she made in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. She claimed that the actor had been physically abusive to her during their relationship—allegations that he vehemently denied.

His courtroom victory against Heard was widely seen as the spark of a career “comeback” for Depp, who many believed had been intentionally sidelined from projects after Heard’s claims were brought to light.

However, he insists that wasn’t the case, telling the Times that he “didn’t go anywhere,” and adding that—had he left the industry—he would “never” have come back to it.

While Depp is eager to look ahead in his career, he admitted to feeling somewhat nostalgic about his personal life—specifically the time that he spent living in the South of France with Paradis and their kids, Lily-Rose and Jack.

Describing himself as being “of the empty-nest syndrome” now that his children have grown up and found homes of their own, Depp recalled a portrait that he began painting of his daughter when she was just 10.

“I never finished it. She was 10 then and 25 now. Years get away from us, don’t they? I’m of the empty-nest syndrome,” he confessed.

Depp said he missed having his children at home with him, revealing that they referred to him as “Papa” when they were being raised in France.

“Oh man, my kids growing up in the South of France in their youth? I was ‘Papa.’ I cannot tell you how much I loved being Papa,” he said.

However, he revealed that things changed when the family packed up and relocated to Los Angeles.

“Then, suddenly, ‘Papa’ was out the window. I was ‘Dad.’ But ‘Papa’ was awesome and I’m getting old enough for ‘Papa’ to possibly come back,” he added.

Although their move helped Depp’s career blossom, the Hollywood heavyweight confessed that Europe is the only place he has ever considered “home.”

“Truly, the first time I felt I had a home was the place in the South of France where Vanessa and I raised the kiddies. That’s the only place that ever felt like home,” he confessed.

He noted that he doesn’t spend much time in the U.S., before revealing that he usually lives out his days in his “Bahamas joint.”

It is a far cry from his childhood, which began in Owensboro, KY, where Depp was born.

However, Depp and his family—mom Betty Sue, father John, brother Daniel, and sisters Debbie and Christi—moved around plenty before putting down roots in Florida.

He admits that his childhood was not always easy, particularly because of family tensions.

“My brother had his problems with the parents. There were many episodes of conflict—he and my father would duke it out—and Debbie had her problems with them, too.

“Then Danny got married. Soon Debbie got married, too, so it was only me and Christi. Then Christi got married, so it was only me. And dynamics changed. It was almost as if I was used to conflict. It was not abnormal. I did my best to just step in and out,” Depp recalled.

He noted that his vision for his own children is much different from what people had of him when he was growing up.

Lily-Rose is following in her father’s footsteps by showcasing her acting chops on “The Idol” and “Nosferatu.” However, Depp confessed that he didn’t want her to head down the same path as him.

“Sometimes kids say to me, ‘I want to be an actor, what’s your advice?’” Depp revealed. “And I say, ‘Don’t be!’

“I know what’s coming for them. I was chucked on that road, and the only advice that I can give is, ‘Don’t allow anyone to make you something you are not.’ They’ll want you to be a poster boy, and it’s tempting—a lot of money. And if that’s the direction you want? Go for it. But don’t let anybody choose for you.”

Depp holds the keys to a number of opulent pads across the globe, including an 850-acre estate in England, which he snapped up for $17.5 million in 2014. It comes with 12 bedrooms and eight bathrooms, and it is believed to be his primary residence.

He also owns a cluster of abodes in the Hollywood Hills, including a Sweetzer Castle and a Gothic Revival mansion, which he purchased in 1995 for $2.15 million.

In France, Depp owns a chic village near St. Tropez, and it holds multiple cottages, a chapel, and a restaurant.

Although he attempted to offload the residence in the past, he still owns it.

Lastly, the actor owns a home in the Bahamas, which he snapped up for $3.6 million in 2004.