It has been a rough few years for Johnny Depp, between his contentious divorce from Amber Heard, his mother's death and multiple multimillion lawsuits, not to mention a barrage of unflattering reports about his wild lifestyle and spendy ways.
The 55-year-old sat down with The Rolling Stone to give his side of the story, though he kept mostly mum regarding Heard because of an NDA they signed as part of their divorce settlement.
Over a three-course wine-and-hash-fueled meal of pad Thai, Peking duck and gingerbread with berries, Depp spilled his guts to the Rolling Stone. (The reporter camped out with Depp for three days to get the full scoop).
ON FINANCES: Of the $650 million he has made on films almost all of it is gone, he reveals. He is suing The Management Group, run by his former manager Joel Mandel and his brother Robert. Among the allegations Depp floated: $7 million was given without his knowledge to his sister Christi, his assistant Nathan Holmes was given $750,000 without his approval and handed the IRS $5.6 million in late fees. He has filed a $25 million suit against them. TMG is countersuing, alleging Depp spent $2 million per month.
ON HIS EMOTIONAL STATE: “I was as low as I believe I could have gotten,” Depp says in the profile of losing his mother and going through a divorce at the same time. “The next step was, ‘You’re going to arrive somewhere with your eyes open and you’re going to leave there with your eyes closed.’ I couldn’t take the pain every day.”
ON HIS UPBRINGING: After describing his mother as “on phenobarbital at 12,” he said, "Yeah, there were irrational beatings. Maybe it's an ashtray coming your way. Maybe you're gonna get clunked with the phone." Depp pauses. "It was a ghost house – no one talked. I don't think there ever was a way I thought about people, especially women, other than 'I can fix them.' "
ON HIS ANGER MANAGEMENT: “I poured myself a vodka in the morning and started writing until the tears filled my eyes and I couldn’t see the page anymore,” he recalls of the terrible post-death-and-divorce period. “I kept trying to figure out what I’d done to deserve this. I’d tried being kind to everyone, helping everyone, being truthful to everyone. The truth is most important to me. And all this still happened.”
FAST FACTS:
Heard filed for divorce from Depp in 2016 after 15 months of marriage. She was awarded $7 million in the divorce settlement, which she donated to charity.
SOME OF THE THINGS DEPP ALLEGEDLY OWNS PER TMG:
The RS reports: “There was $75 million for 14 residences. He spent $3 million to shoot his pal Hunter S. Thompson's ashes into the sky from a cannon. A mere $7,000 to buy his daughter a couch from the set of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. He bought some 70 guitars and 200 pieces of art, including Basquiats and Warhols, owned 45 luxury vehicles and spent $200,000 a month on private air travel.”