It was in the lobby of this restaurant. I just saw this back, across the room. Suddenly the back turned and looked at me. And then the eyes that were attached to the back walked towards me, and just walked right up to me and said, “Hi, do you remember me?” And I went, “Yes.” I didn’t remember - it came to me a few seconds later - but I was just like, “uh, uh, uh…” [It was] love at first sight in a strange way, because I had actually met her a number of years before.

Johnny Depp

“I won’t last in film much after I turn 50. People go on about how well I look for my age, but what happens when it all drops?”

Johnny Depp

«  It took me a very long time to get used to being a public figure - or maybe not used to it exactly, but to accept it and recognize that it wasn’t such a bad thing. I needed some years to grow up and not take it all so seriously. Let’s face it. I wasted a lot of years being dumb! It was only getting together with Vanessa and having the kiddies that gave me a sense of perspective. These days… well, there are probably still shades of ignorance in there, but I’m not being dumb 24 hours a day anymore. »

Johnny Depp

Interviewer: You had another run-in with the police, in London, this time directly related to a clash with paparazzi.

Johnny Depp: We were at a restaurant, and Vanessa was extremely pregnant. All they wanted were photographs of me and Vanessa and the belly. At that point I thought, Man, I’m not one of those whiny actors who says, “Oh, the paparazzi, they won’t leave me alone.” I could give a fuck about it. However, on this particular night I just decided, “Look, this is my girl. This is our first baby. I’m not going to let you fucking people turn this into a circus. You ain’t turning this deeply, profoundly beautiful, spiritual, life-changing experience into a novelty. Not without a fight.” I went out and talked to them. I said, “Look, guys, I know what you’re after. I understand you have a job to do. But you’re just not going to turn this into a circus. Just give us a break. You’re not going to get what you want tonight. I’ll see you another time.”

I: To which they of course said, “We’re sorry. We’ll leave.”

Johnny Depp: Right. They were very aggressive: “Fuck you, Johnny.” That kind of shit. I swung around and told Vanessa, “Go out the front door, get in the car so they don’t get us together or get your belly.” She did. She was in the car, so everything was going to be cool, but they were so shitty. One guy was trying to hold the door open. He had his hand wedged in there. I looked down at the ground, and there was a 17-inch wooden plank, a two-by-two or something. Instinct took over. I picked it up and whacked the guy’s hand. I went outside and said, “Now I want you to take my picture, because the first fucking guy who hits a flash, I’m going to kick his skull in. Let’s go. Take my picture.” They didn’t take my picture. I was livid. They walked backward down the street. I walked them away from Vanessa in the car and down this other street. It was beautiful. It was well worth it. It was kind of poetic. The next thing I knew, I saw flashing lights on the buildings around me. And a paddy wagon.

I: How long were you in jail?

Johnny Depp: It was brief. It was around 11:30 or midnight, and I was out by five or six the next morning. No one filed charges against me, because they didn’t want their names exposed. Had they filed charges they would have had to give their names and would have lost their anonymity. The cops were actually terrific, real sweet. As I said, I didn’t mind as much before I had kids. Everything changes when it comes to my children.