Johnny Depp Traded Hollywood for the British Outback

Johnny Depp enjoys a quiet measured life. The 59-year-old actor told Somerset Life in an interview that he left Los Angeles and now lives in the rural British county of Somerset.

“I just love places with character. I have houses in different places, and each of them means something special to me. I can't just say that I own them, I use them and that's why they are special," Johnny emphasized. He also commended the region for avoiding undue attention. “The British are cool and greet you like a neighbor without going overboard. I don't mind if people want an autograph or a little chat, but not when I'm spending time with my family. I can walk into stores without being immediately surrounded and asked to take a selfie. To a certain extent, I don't mind it, but sometimes it gets too crowded."

The Pirates of the Caribbean star also admitted that the non-public lifestyle suits him more than anyone might think. “To tell the truth, I'm quite a modest person,” he says. “And that's one of the great things about Britain, and especially Somerset. I can just be myself, and that's wonderful."

According to another publication, the Evening Standard, Depp bought an estate in Somerset in 2014 for £13 million. The trip there from London takes three and a half hours by car. The property includes 12 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. Journalists call this Depp property "a magnificent estate", which covers an area of ​​850 acres and is surrounded by a garden that creates a natural barrier wall. The actor became the owner at the time when he was engaged to actress Amber Heard.

Earlier this month, Depp was spotted buying antiques during a private shopping spree in Lincolnshire, a county in the east of the country, the Guardian reported. “He bought a lot of very unusual items: a desk, three guitars, paint sets, easels, some paintings, posters – just a whole bunch of furnishings,” Robert Miller, owner of Hemswell Antiques Centers, told PA Media.

The purchases made by the actor indicate that he settled in Somerset for a long time. Hollywood producers do not call him to act in films after a high-profile divorce and subsequent litigation with Heard. But British art historians are very supportive of him as an artist. He recently sold through one of the London galleries a series of portraits of deceased friends - River Phoenix, Heath Ledger, Bob Marley and Hunter S. Thompson, raising $ 5.4 million.