Lily-Rose Depp Finally Divulged The Truth About Her Famous Parents

As you’d expect, Lily-Rose has had a spotlight on her ever since she was born back in 1999. That was a big year in her father’s career as well. The Johnny Depp-starring movie Sleepy Hollow, directed by the actor’s longtime collaborator Tim Burton, came out just a few months after Lily-Rose was born. And even though her parents had only been together for a year, things looked promising for the long term.

Before long, Lily-Rose was joined by a little brother, John Christopher “Jack” Depp III, in 2002. Lily-Rose’s early years weren’t all plain sailing, though. Just a few years after welcoming her baby brother into the world, she unexpectedly made headlines after being whisked off to hospital. And much to everyone’s dismay, things seemed to be serious.

Vanessa and Johnny didn’t reveal to the media what had happened to their daughter, but reports suggested she had been suffering from an undisclosed illness. Her worried parents were, of course, at her side throughout her hospital stay. British newspaper the Daily Mirror said that Lily-Rose had been in hospital for nine days, but wouldn’t report more “out of respect for family privacy.” Apparently not following the same respectful line, magazine In Touch claimed to know the details.

According to In Touch, Lily-Rose had contracted blood poisoning after stepping on a nail — ouch. Whether or not her illness was caused by an unfortunate misstep, we do know that eight-year-old Lily-Rose was in Britain while her dad was filming Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the time. And fans had to wait a whole nine days after she first fell ill for news of Johnny and Vanessa’s precious daughter.

Luckily, a publicist for the couple had news to share. They reported, “We are happy to report that their daughter is doing much better. The family greatly appreciates the continued support and respect of their privacy.” The incident clearly touched a nerve with Johnny, though. And in November that year, he spoke to Entertainment Weekly magazine about the relief he felt when his daughter came out unscathed.

An emotional Johnny said, “Now every single millisecond is a mini-celebration. Every time we get to breathe in and exhale is a huge victory. [Lily-Rose] pulled through beautifully, perfectly, with no lasting anything.” He added, “To say it was the darkest moment, that’s nothing.” The strain of coping with an unwell child is enough to test even the strongest person. And clearly, it was a lot for Johnny. But what about the toll it took on his and Vanessa’s relationship?

Unfortunately, although the couple had endured a lot together, their relationship didn’t last. In 2012, with their kids growing up fast, the two actors split after 14 years together. Luckily, it was by all accounts a friendly separation. And only a couple of months after the split, Vanessa was ready to open up. She told Harper’s Bazaar magazine, “Sometimes you could be in an unhappy relationship; you are very much in love with someone, but it’s making you unhappy, and you think things can change and you can work it out.” Did Johnny feel the same way?

Well, it took Johnny a little longer to publicly speak out. But in 2013 he talked to Rolling Stone magazine and said, “Relationships are very difficult. Especially in the racket that I’m in because you’re constantly away or they’re away and so it’s hard. It wasn’t easy on her. It wasn’t easy on me. It wasn’t easy on the kids.”

The actor went on, “The trajectory of that relationship — you play it out until it goes, one thing leads to another. So for whatever reason that ceases, it doesn’t stop the fact that you care for that person, and they’re the mother of your kids, and you’ll always know each other, and you’re always gonna be in each other’s lives because of those kids. You might as well make the best of it.” He opened up about becoming a parent, too.

In the same interview, Johnny remembered when Lily-Rose was born, saying, “It really was as if a veil was lifted, and things became clearer, and I went, ‘Oh, I... get it now! That’s what it’s for! That’s what it’s for, this beautiful little creature that I took part in creating, making.’ As long as you have the opportunity to make your kid smile and laugh and move it forward.” So what about Lily-Rose herself?

Those itching to know Lily-Rose’s stance on her famous parents will be pleased to learn that as she grew up, she too began talking about her mum and dad’s relationship. She also managed to get her career off the ground. In 2014 she had a cameo role in the movie Tusk, directed by Kevin Smith. She appeared alongside her famous father and also one of her best friends, the director’s daughter Harley Quinn Smith. What a debut!

And it seems the budding starlet was just getting started. Yup, in 2015 Lily-Rose took part in a campaign about sexual fluidity, the Self Evident Truths Project. It featured 10,000 American people who “identify as anything other than 100 percent straight”, and Lily-Rose was one of them. A pretty meaty subject for a 16-year-old to tackle — and one which Johnny was asked about in an interview with the Daily Mail in November of that year.

Talking about his teenage daughter, the A-lister told the publication, “She’s got thousands of followers on social media, and they were all taken completely by surprise. But not me. I already knew because she tells me everything —she’s not afraid to say anything to me. We’re super-tight and I’m very proud of our relationship.”

Johnny also said, “What’s happening to Lily-Rose is something that I didn’t expect to happen this early, that’s for sure! She’s been snatched up by Karl Lagerfeld — which is a coincidence, as he spotted her mother when she was the same age, too — and when I see her with make-up and all that stuff, it’s really disturbing, because she’s a very beautiful girl, and it’s all happening so fast.” And according to Lily-Rose, her mom also had some pretty strong opinions on getting glammed up throughout her childhood, too.

Aside from beauty, the elder Depp seemed to be a little conflicted about his daughter finding fame for herself. He went on, “Her becoming an actress was never my dream or my desire for her, but that’s what she enjoys doing, and it’s her passion and it’s where she ended up. And she’s got the goods — she can certainly deliver.”

Johnny went on, “Lily’s really together — she’s a sharp kid and one of the smartest human beings I have ever met. She’s far surpassed myself there — and my friends, too!” He added, “And, whatever she is doing, if she needs any advice, I’m there for her. Kids are going to make their own decisions, but I guess that the only thing you can do as a parent is to offer support. And I do.”

Lily-Rose spoke about her sexuality to Nylon magazine the following year. In an interview she did alongside her friend Harley Quinn, she said, “That was really misconstrued, that whole thing. A lot of people took it as me coming out, but that’s not what I was trying to do. I was literally doing it just to say that you don’t have to label your sexuality; so many kids these days are not labeling their sexuality, and I think that’s so cool.”

The young actress went on, “They just wanted to say that I was something. And I’m just saying… It’s not anybody’s business, because I am going to date whoever I’m going to date. I was just saying, ‘kids don’t need to label their sexualities. It’s not that big of a deal.’” So Johnny seemed to be just as open-minded as his daughter when it came to love and dating, but Lily-Rose revealed that there was still one thing he simply couldn’t understand. 

When asked what her dad “didn’t get” about her, Lily-Rose said, “My dad doesn’t really understand Instagram, but it’s not really his time. Then again, a lot of people who didn’t grow up with it are into it now, but it’s just not really in his personality. He’s not really into it. I mean, he’s supportive, but it’s something that I do that he wouldn’t be interested in doing.” All that changed later, though.

And with Lily-Rose’s rising fame came a whole load more interviews! In 2017 Lily-Rose opened up to fellow actress Natalie Portman for CR Fashion Book magazine. Perhaps the fact that they’d co-starred as onscreen sisters in the French-Belgian indie movie Planetarium made way for their on-the-record chat to get a little more personal. Or maybe it was because Portman had also featured alongside Lily-Rose’s father in a 2012 Paul McCartney music video for “My Valentine.” Either way, Portman delved a little deeper into Depp’s family life with her questions. 

Kicking things off with a nod to their Gallic connection — Portman is married to a Frenchman, you see — she asked Lily-Rose, “Growing up, what was it like having both the French and the American sides to your family?” The young star answered, “Weirdly enough, I feel pretty connected to both cultures. I can seem fully French when I’m in France or totally like a Valley girl when I’m in L.A.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Lily-Rose mused, “A lot of people think I’m only acting because of my dad [and] that I have not had to work as hard to be seen or recognized in the industry, so I think because of that it makes me want to work twice as hard to prove to everyone that I’m not just doing this because it’s easy to do. I’m not just doing it because it runs in the family.” And in 2018 Lily-Rose made headlines all by herself.

This time, the media weren’t the least bit interested in her famous parents but her famous boyfriend. The King fans everywhere likely rejoiced when she began dating actor Timothée Chalamet, her co-star on the Netflix film. Like Lily-Rose, Chalamet has dual American and French heritage and speaks both languages. And their red-carpet appearance was just the start.

Although Lily-Rose and her co-star were spotted getting very close on several occasions, the actress decided she would keep quiet about the relationship. She spoke about how much she admired Chalamet’s acting talent but never actually confirmed she was involved with him. The fact she’d been seen kissing him made it rather obvious, though...

So what did her father make of his daughter’s first high-profile relationship? He didn’t speak to the media himself, but an anonymous source went to the website Hollywood Life in October 2018 and claimed he was delighted. They said, “Johnny gives Lily a lot of respect and freedom; he thinks she’s brilliant and totally trusts her choices.”

The anonymous insider went on, “She absolutely has his blessing when it comes to dating Timothée, especially because they both speak fluent French. Johnny is very proud that Lily’s bilingual, so the fact that she’s found a boyfriend in America that she can speak French with is a big deal — that makes Johnny extra happy.”

And they concluded, “It’s still a very new relationship, and Johnny isn’t one to push himself into Lily’s life, but when she’s ready to bring Timothée home, Johnny will welcome him with open arms.” It seemed that everything was good in the Depp household and Lily-Rose had very supportive parents. But what did she think?

Lily-Rose shed some light on her relationship with her mom and dad in a December 2019 interview with British newspaper The Sun. She first opened up about her childhood, saying, “My parents weren’t very strict. They’ve always trusted me to be independent and make my own decisions. There wasn’t really anything to rebel against.”

Talking about the career aspirations her parents might have had for her, Lily-Rose said, “They both left school when they were 15, so they can’t really say anything. I never thought of university as my goal. I’ve always just wanted to work. I didn’t have any incentive to keep doing all that work.”

Lily-Rose revealed that she grew up idolizing her mother, who had a career in singing as well as acting. She told The Sun, “When I was little, I wanted to be a singer, just because I wanted to be like mum. Every little girl wants to be like her mum. I would try on all of her dresses and shoes, even though I was in diapers at the time.”

As for Vanessa’s thoughts on the glitz and glamour, she didn’t like her young daughter dolling herself up or wearing too much makeup, Lily-Rose revealed. But, she said, “The first time that my mum gave me makeup that I was allowed to wear, I must have been 12 or 13. I still have it. It was a little orange makeup bag with all these products in it. It was very special — my favorite birthday present. And it’s also kind of symbolic, it’s like the turning of a page, becoming a young lady.”

The subject of the Johnny-Vanessa split came up in the interview, but Lily-Rose made it clear it hadn’t negatively affected her. She said, “I just think it’s really important to have a good ­support system around you and be grounded by those people. And to just kind of remember that; that’s the most important thing.”

The only negative thing Lily-Rose spoke about in the interview was that she had difficulty trusting people because of her family’s fame. She said, “You’re always kind of sharpening your radars about people and who is going to be a good influence in your life and who is not, and who is really there for the right reasons.” But she did add, “I think that’s universal.”

Lily-Rose discussed her privacy some more in a later interview that year — this time with The Face magazine. She said, “I grew up with a notion of privacy that was very particular, just because of the situation that I grew up in. But I’ve always been taught that privacy is something you should value and keep as much for yourself as possible.”

And the young star went on, “The more you talk about it, the more you invite people in. And so that’s why I don’t talk about anything because nothing is anybody’s business. I don’t talk about my family. I don’t talk about my friends. I don’t talk about what nail polish I have on my toes… I would rather people think I’m boring than people know too much about my life. I’ll be boring any day.”

Lily-Rose does, however, have an Instagram account, although it notably says at the top of the page, “This is my only form of social media.” She has a truly impressive 6.3 million followers on it, all of them seeking to learn more about this surprisingly private daughter of a massively famous actor, not to mention her inner circle.

Her Instagram doesn’t give away too much — Timothée Chalamet didn’t feature on it, for example. However, Lily-Rose does use it to keep in touch with her family members. In April 2020 she posted, “My little baby Jackie is 18. My baby bro my heart and soul happy birthday I love you SO MUCH!”

And now Lily-Rose has company on the social media site. And that’s because on April 17 2020, her famous father finally joined Instagram. Though, of course, Lily-Rose had previously said Johnny didn’t “understand” Instagram, he seemed to get the hang of it without too much hassle, as within just 24 hours, he’d racked up 1.5 million followers. Two years on, and Johnny is riding high with over 26 million virtual eyes watching his every move. 

Johnny Depp suddenly joining Instagram meant that fans everywhere have been given a sneak peek into his somewhat unconventional world. And who knows, we might get to see even more of his relationship with Lily-Rose in the future. There will probably still be one Depp family member who likes to keep things seriously secret, though. Jack Depp has just 12 photos on his Insta account, but it seems that was enough to send people into a frenzy when they spotted just how much he resembles his dad. 

As stories and updates about Johnny Depp continue to flood our news feeds, his son Jack seems to be trying hard to stay out of the limelight. And he’s doing a pretty good job of it so far. But there may come a time fairly soon when staying away from the prying eyes of the public becomes just too difficult. Now he’s all grown up, it’s plain as day that he’s inherited his dad’s looks. The resemblance is uncanny — even to the average Joe!

Fans first got the chance to see how much Jack Depp resembled his father with a sneaky family photo. His younger sibling, Lily-Rose, had taken a snap of her brother while he had been sunbathing at home. And she then quickly uploaded it to her Instagram for millions to see.

A shirtless Jack can be seen scribbling on a notepad in the pic. And he appears to be giving his best pout — just like Johnny did for many magazine cover shoots back in his heartthrob days. Despite the fact that he was sporting sunglasses, many people commented on the resemblance between the teen and his father.

And it turns out that the photo was taken on a very special occasion too. That’s right: Lily-Rose snapped her younger brother to commemorate his 18th birthday. She captioned the image, “My little baby Jackie is 18… My baby bro, my heart and soul. Happy Birthday. I love you so much!”

But Lily-Rose wasn’t done embarrassing her younger brother just yet. She also posted a monochrome snap of her and Jack as young children. The pair can be spotted pulling various funny faces in the strip of six pics taken in a photo booth.

Jack may look like his hugely famous father, but he doesn’t appear to share the actor’s fondness for fame. The youngster doesn’t regularly use Twitter, Instagram, or any other kind of social media platform. Plus, the lack of photos he posts online suggests he’s not particularly interested in building a high profile. And it seems as though Jack has always been a shy and retiring kind. 

In 2013, when the youngster was just 11, Johnny appeared on David Letterman’s late-night show. And when asked about his son, the Finding Neverland star replied, “My boy Jack is… Very simple, low-key, solid. You know, one-word texts, ‘Yep. Nope. Same.’”

So what was Johnny up to when he was his son’s age? Well, the multiple Academy Award nominee was still years off making his breakthrough playing Glen Lantz in 1984 iconic slasher A Nightmare on Elm Street. But signs had already been shown that a regular life just wasn’t for him.

Yes, by the age of 16 Johnny was already a high-school dropout. The star initially had ambitions of making it in the music industry and played in a garage band simply named The Kids. You may be surprised to learn that they went on to land support slots with 80s bands The B-52’s and Talking Heads.

But The Kids didn’t catch on, and at one point Johnny became so cash-strapped that he ended up living in a pal’s ’67 Chevy Impala. His fortunes changed when he moved to Los Angeles aged 20 in 1983. By this point he was also a married man, having walked down the aisle with Lorri Allison, a makeup artist.

Johnny had moved to the City of Angels in the hope that his band would hit the jackpot. Yet it was as an actor that he first tasted fame. And after starring opposite Robert Englund, a.k.a. iconic horror villain Freddy Krueger, Johnny began landing on-screen roles left, right, and center. This sort of life doesn’t seem to appeal to son Jack.

While Jack, who was actually born with the rather grand-sounding name of John Christopher Depp III, doesn’t appear to have any acting ambitions, he has inherited his famous dad’s love of music. In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Hollywood Vampires guitarist Johnny revealed that his son had his own curiously titled band.

And Johnny couldn’t be prouder that his son has chosen to explore his musical talents. The very distinctive name of Jack’s group also has his dad’s seal of approval too. Johnny remarked, “The kid says ‘Clown Boner.’ We don’t need a paternity test. That’s my kid.”

Jack’s creative endeavors don’t end there, either. In a 2014 chat with the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper, Johnny revealed that his son was also a dab hand at art. He said, “My boy, Jack, has always been a very talented draftsman. He draws really super well. He’s got a good feel for that.”

And believe it or not, this particular skill may well have come from Jack’s famous father as well. That’s right: Johnny is something of an artist, too, and in 2020 he opened up an Instagram account to display some of his most cherished paintings. The 21 Jump Street star even admitted that one of his works had taken 14 years to complete!

Funnily enough, Jack has followed in his father’s acting footsteps on one occasion. In 2016 he briefly popped up as a character credited as Peg’s Son in Yoga Hosers, Kevin Smith’s action-comedy about two evil-defeating yoga enthusiasts. The cult director also cast Jack’s older sister Lily-Rose as one of the two leads.

While her brother has been compared to dad Johnny, Lily-Rose has often drawn similarities with mom Vanessa Paradis. The pair look very similar, with both possessing the same killer cheekbones and plump lips. And when you see photos of Vanessa at the same age as her daughter, their near-identical features become even more apparent.

Vanessa and Lily-Rose’s attractive genes have helped them both to grace the front cover of Vogue magazine, too. The former was first given the honor way back in 1991 and then again two full decades later. Her daughter was asked to pose for the style bible in December 2016.

The glamorous mother and daughter pair also forged a strong connection with Chanel founder Karl Lagerfeld. Vanessa was appointed as an ambassador for his fashion brand in the early 1990s. And once again Lily-Rose followed in her footsteps at the age of 16. The pair would often grace the front row of the fashion house’s shows. Plus, when it comes to the red carpet, it’s unlikely you’ll find them sporting anything but Chanel.

Lily-Rose paid tribute to her mom for giving her the body confidence needed in the fashion world in a 2019 interview. She told fashion magazine The Face, “I grew up being, like, topless on the beach. I was raised by a French mother who taught me that there was nothing shameful about your body. My mom is a trailblazer, truly. She’s taught me a lot about self-confidence.”

And several years previously, Vanessa told InStyle magazine how proud she was of her daughter for following in her footsteps. The Parisian said, “[Lily-Rose] does what she wants to do. I was not surprised she has gone into this industry. I was surprised it happened so soon, but not surprised this is what she is doing. She’s made for it.”

And Vanessa also revealed that she and Lily-Rose still often count on each for support and advice. The mom said, “I ask for her opinion, and she asks for mine, of course. As mother and daughter, we talk, and we do talk about the business, but honestly, she’s got it so good, and I’m very happy.”

But the pair’s similarities aren’t just based on their looks. You could argue that Lily-Rose’s acting career has been inspired more by her mother’s than her father’s. Yes, while Johnny has largely courted the mainstream since his rise to fame, Vanessa has favored the arthouse over the blockbuster. In 1990 she was crowned Most Promising Actress at the prestigious César Awards for her turn in Noce Blanche.

But Lily-Rose hadn’t just had her parents’ support when starting her career. Her brother Jack has also been there for her. In 2015 he was seen watching his sister take to the runway at Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week show. And they appear to enjoy each other’s company, too. The pair have been snapped by the paparazzi walking side by side at numerous airports.

Lily-Rose’s closeness with Jack was also made clear by the way she celebrated his 18th birthday. The candid photo that the actress posted of her brother on Instagram was captioned with a loving message. Yet most of her followers were more interested in looking at how much Jack resembles his father.

Jack definitely appears to have inherited the kind of strong jawline that made Johnny such a pin-up back in his heyday. Then there’s the mouth shape and the moody expression, too. But while the pair look genetically alike, Jack also seems to be doing what he can to emulate his father’s cool look from back in the day.

Take those wavy locks, for instance, which fans got to see a second time in 2020 in Jack’s Facebook profile picture. Here, we also got a proper look at Jack’s eyes behind the shades. And they served as confirmation that the father-son duo are the spitting image of each other. The similarities can be seen in their clothing style, too.

Yep, in May 2019 Jack was pictured roaming the streets of Paris with then-girlfriend, model Camille Jansen (rumor has it they’re no longer together at the time of writing). Back then, he was wearing slouchy green trousers and a tie-dye T-shirt, and the whole look was rather in keeping with the bohemian chic look that his father has become renowned for.

Camille had also followed the lead of Lily-Rose the month previously by congratulating Jack for turning 18 on her Instagram account. The emerging model uploaded a sweet picture in which she can be seen hugging him. Camille, who is two years Jack’s senior, captioned the image, “Happy Birthday my love.”

Since then, very little has happened on Jack’s own social media accounts, so it seems he’s still keen to keep out of the spotlight. And it’s hardly surprising considering everything that’s happening with his dad’s court case. Depp has admitted that this isn’t the first time Jack has struggled as a result of his father’s relationships. But at least Depp and Vanessa appear to be on good terms!

Despite splitting in 2012 after 14 years together, Vanessa and Johnny remain firm friends, as the Donnie Brasco star told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. In 2014 Johnny said, “Vanessa and I get along wonderfully. There’s no weirdness at all, no hostility. Life happens.”

“We spent 14 great years together and have raised a couple of kids who we are both incredibly proud of,” Johnny continued. “We see each other all the time, giggle and hang out, just like we always did. There are no hassles. Thankfully because she is a wonderful woman. I love her, and she loves me. She’s a great woman and mom. I have nothing bad to say, ever.”

In that same interview, Johnny further explained just how delighted he was with how his two children have turned out. The Golden Globe winner added, “My kids – I am more and more proud [of them]. Because having lived alongside me in their formative years – most parents’ jobs don’t require that kind of weirdness… They are good, smart kids. They are polite and caring.”