Johnny Depp says becoming a father changed the way he saw his life. The actor welcomed his first child, Lily-Rose, with former partner Vanessa Paradis before they later welcomed their son, Jack. He says fatherhood gave him a new sense of purpose that he had never understood before. Depp recently looked back on that moment and explained how it changed his choices.
Johnny Depp shares what he felt after entering fatherhood
Depp’s upcoming appearance on CBS Mornings, set to air Friday, Nov. 13. During the interview, the 63-year-old actor recalled the arrival of his first child and said, “There was there was a great veil lifted.” He explained that he had not known the veil existed until Lily-Rose was born. “I literally felt like a veil had been lifted from my vision,” he added.
Depp said the change helped him understand the reason behind his decisions. Before becoming a parent, he often wondered why he acted in movies and chose certain projects. He also wondered if money had been too much a factor in those decisions. “I never knew the answer to those questions until that veil was lifted, and instantly I knew,” he said.
The actor then explained what fatherhood meant to him. “This is why you’ve made every single move in your life. This is what it’s all about,” he recalled thinking. He described the arrival of a child as “the first real, selfless moment” a person can experience. Depp added that when a child arrives, “there’s nothing else in the world that exists.”
When asked if he still holds on to that purpose now that his children are adults, Depp answered, “Oh, for sure.” He shares Lily-Rose and Jack with Paradis. Lily-Rose has also built an acting career, including roles in Robert Eggers’ 2025 film Nosferatu and his upcoming movie Werwulf. Depp’s comments show that becoming a father remains a defining moment in his life.
