Johnny Depp shuns LA for quieter life in Somerset at his £13m estate which allows him to ‘just be me’

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 59, bought the 850-acre West Country estate in 2014
Lisa McLoughlin 24 March 2023
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Johnny Depp has said living in the UK has allowed him to “just be me” as he swapped Los Angeles for a quieter life in Somerset.

The 59-year-old actor bought his West Country 850-acre estate for £13million in 2014, weeks after proposing to his now ex-wife Amber Heard.

The sprawling country pile features a 19th century mansion equipped with 12 bedrooms and eight bathrooms as well as walled gardens.

Despite his well-documented life on and off the camera, the Edward Scissorhands star admitted he isn’t “the great extrovert that people think” in a new interview with Somerset Life.

Depp told the outlet: “I just love places with character. British people are cool and will greet you as if you are a neighbour – without going over the top. I like going to places, seeing things and meeting people – but I’m not the great extrovert that people think.

“In truth, I’m quite a shy person. That’s one of the great things about Britain, and especially Somerset. I can just be me – and that’s nice.

Depp bought the property back in 2014
Getty Images for SiriusXM

“I can go into shops without being surrounded by people wanting selfies. I don’t mind that up to a point, but sometimes it gets a little too crowded.”

The actor allegedly had not yet bought a property but is flitting between hotels and staying with friends, a source told the Sunday Times.

Depp owns a sprawling property in West Hollywood that is a gothic replica of a Bavarian castle complete with turrets, towers and battlements.

He had previously been staying with his friend Jeff Beck the guitarist in Sussex. But when Beck died last month at the age of 78 Depp moved to London for a time.

Last year, Depp managed to successfully sue Amber Heard for libel over an article in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. Heard has sought to appeal against the verdict, stating it will have a “chilling” effect on other women.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in