Lily-Rose Depp: My parents ‘were in no position to tell me, ‘Get your diploma first”

lily rose VF

I’ve been somewhat wary of treating Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis’s 16-year-old daughter like a celebrity. She didn’t ask to be famous, and it feels ridiculous to treat a 16-year-old like she’s famous just because of her parents. But it’s like Willow and Jaden Smith – Lily-Rose Depp wants to be famous. She wants to be a star/celebrity/model/actor in her own right. She’s even regularly posing for magazine editorials these days too. This is Lily-Rose on the cover of the latest issue of Vanity Fair France. This follows an editorial she did with American VF a few months ago too. So, she wants you to pay attention, even if it’s because she has a shady 24-year-old boyfriend? Maybe. But mostly she just wants to be an actress/model.

Lily-Rose Depp isn’t your average 16-year-old. With a Chanel contract, a film selected for this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and 1.4 million (and growing) Instagram followers, the daughter of Johnny Depp and French star Vanessa Paradis has just added a Vanity Fair cover to her burgeoning résumé. Appearing in the latest issue of the glossy’s French edition, Depp says she’s plunged head-first into French cinema after tenuous steps in two Kevin Smith films

“For me, it’s simple: I like to act,” she tells the magazine. “It frees me. I want to make it my craft.”

Her immersion, she says, came with the territory: “I was backstage at my mother’s concerts; on [my father’s] films, as well as my mother’s. I loved the costumes and makeup. As a child I wanted to be a model or a singer.”

With two big movie roles (including one opposite Natalie Portman, Planetarium) filmed within the last few months, Depp isn’t wasting any time. Acting lessons, she concedes, “may come later.”

Her father, ever the protective but supportive parent, has said he was “quite worried” about her swift rise to fame – “especially not at this age.” But the budding actress, whom Planetarium director Rebeca Zlotowski raves is an “icon” in the making, seems keen on pursuing her passion. Noting that by her age, both her parents had already left school, Depp says with a laugh: “They were in no position to tell me, ‘Get your diploma first.’ ”

Still, she has had a chance to learn from her father firsthand: The actor had a small role in his daughter’s 2014 film Tusk. “It’s there that I really took a liking to filmmaking,” she says. “I loved getting under the character’s skin. I had fun. It vibrated inside me.”

[From People]

“They were in no position to tell me, ‘Get your diploma first.’ “ OUCH! That’s always rough, when the kids realize that their parents have zero authenticity when it comes to life-advice or education-advice or whatever. Of course, both my parents had college degrees, and I was raised with the knowledge that NOT getting a college degree was not an option for me. But Lily-Rose isn’t even talking about college, she’s taking about high school, or whatever the French equivalent is of a high school diploma. And while she’s a rebellious, insouciant French-American girl with a certain je ne sais quoi, her parents CAN AND SHOULD tell her to get her high school diploma at the very least. And then take acting classes. And then date boys your own age. Basically, Vanessa and Johnny need to figure out a way to be parents.

Here are some photos of Lily-Rose and her 24-year-old boyfriend Ash last month.

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Photos courtesy of Vanity Fair France, Fame/Flynet, WENN.

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101 Responses to “Lily-Rose Depp: My parents ‘were in no position to tell me, ‘Get your diploma first””

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  1. Shambles says:

    I guess that really rubs me the wrong way.

    My parents were absolutely in a position to tell me to get my (college) diploma first, and have helped me greatly on the path to doing so. So much so that I’m at the point of feeling like I’m doing this because I owe them something, and not because it’s what I love. But the reality is that I need to get my degree before persuing what I want to persue, and that’s what I’m doing.

    Even so, it really irritates me that this little girl is spouting off about not having to get any kind of diploma or degree, completely oblivious to the fact that it’s absolutely, without a doubt a privilege for her to be in that position. If we should all be so lucky. She’s a kid, so I’m not that mad at her personally, but my own experience makes this hard for me to swallow.

    Plus the fact that I’m still mad at her dad for what he’s done to that formerly gorgeous face of his. 😉

    • AmyB says:

      I agree with you Shambles: every parents has the “right” to tell their children what they expect of them. It’s called PARENTING for crying out loud! I expect my daughter to finish her high school education and then pursue college. Education is very important in my opinion. Yes, then go out and pursue your dreams, passions, etc. — you can make your education the stepping stone for that. And unfortunately, not everyone is financially able to do pursue further education; clearly Lily-Rose is. Finally, if my daughter (who is almost 16) said that to me, we would have a VERY big problem LOL
      😉

    • Als says:

      High school and college are also just great experiences to have in life, regardless of our parents’ expectations.
      These are places where you meet new people, make friends, define what you like and what you don’t like and just have fun.
      I don’t think her life is fun and she appears very mature and jaded for 16.
      Dating is a whole different experience and dating a 24 year old when you’re 16 means making your life a lot more complicated than it should be.

    • swak says:

      Just because a parent doesn’t get a diploma doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to tell their children to get one. My dad made it through 8th grade and was a self made man. He didn’t have a choice when it came to leaving school – his father left them and he had to go get work to help support the family. But he was one of the most intelligent men I know. It was his desire that not only did his children graduate from high school, but made it possible for all of us to go to college and graduate. She is spoiled and a brat in that respect.

      • ol cranky says:

        neither of my parents went to college but both my brother & I were raised with the expectation that we, most certainly, were expected to go to get an education that would help us be able to forge our path in this world (preferably with a major that would help us support ourselves as adults since we were not financially secure by any stretch of the imagination). My parents couldn’t afford to pay for college for us (they helped out where they could) so my brother and I had to opt for the good schools we could afford, get scholarships and be responsible to pay off our student loans. My parents were right in making us always assume we’d go to school and giving us the work ethic to pay our way. I have friends and, even some relatives, that had everything handed to them and they struggled as adults needing their parents to help them financially for extended periods of time.

    • Wren says:

      Yeah, except she’s incredibly wealthy and probably always will be. Her world is not our world. She has been and likely will continue to be able to do whatever she wants, regardless of her education status. We say “omg go back to school” but really, why should she? She’s been raised in a world where schooling means little and is treated as unimportant. Her lack of a diploma isn’t going to close any doors for her, and the only way it’s going to bite her in the butt is in interviews. And even then she’ll just sound like every other poorly educated celebrity with a limited understanding of the world. It’s the exception for anyone in the entertainment business to sound halfway intelligent when they’re not specifically talking about their profession. So even there she won’t lose much.

      I don’t agree or think it’s right, it that’s the reality for her. She’s privileged beyond the need for an education, sad as it is to say.

      • JenniferJustice says:

        I agree with everything you said, however, I do beleiev there are consequences to being uneducated even for her as priveleged as she is with doors being thrown open for her. The consequence is self-confidence v. self-loathing. A lot of celebs that can barely form a thought or a sentence have serious insecurities. I think those insecurities are why so many of them turn to alcohol and drugs, have melt downs, can’t form lasting relationships, and make utter fools of themselves trying to get attention. No shcool is what she wants now, but she will regret it later. She will regret she missed out on the all the highschool experiences and friends. She will regret her stunted intellect.

      • PrincessMe says:

        I agree with you, Wren about her not “needing” to go to school. We go to school in order to be able to make a living. At this point in her life (and most likely, for the rest of her life), she doesn’t need “formal” education to make a living.
        What I don’t agree with is the “my parents are in no position” because they are in a position. Unless she’s truly making her own money and is self-supporting, they are in a position. And if I were her parent, I would consider allowing her to test that theory. It’s one thing to take advantage of the privilege you’ve been afforded (by her parents, no less) but to be disrespectful (which I think this is) is a whole different ballgame.

      • perplexed says:

        I don’t think she necessarily needs to go to university, but I think saying her parents are in no position to tell her to go to high school does sound dumb if she’s under 18.

        High school also wouldn’t be hard for her to complete, given her level of privilege. Although maybe she was doing calculus in the 7th grade like Gwyneth Paltrow claimed to be doing at her private school at that age. Still, even Gwyneth managed to get her diploma with her bad grades.

      • Elisa the I. says:

        ITA with your comment Wren. And to be honest I forgot almost everything I learnt at school – mostly because I found it random and irrelevant back then and still today.
        Most of the things I know today are from reading books out of my own interest after I left school.
        She just needs a good publicist who ghost-writes / briefs her well for interviews and she’ll be fine. If she has a minimum amount of her parents talent, she will be a success anyway.

      • Wren says:

        I don’t know if she will regret it. Perhaps she will a long way off, after turning into Cameron Diaz, thinking the fact that all your cells contain sex chromosomes is book worthy information. But she’ll probably have plenty of money and success to insulate her from all the eye rolling.

        Highly educated people go off the rails too, so I’m kinda skeptical about that one. I think the reason so many celebs do it is not the lack of education but the superficial and negative environment they live in, where nothing is quite real and there’s always that next scramble for a job on the horizon. Everything is fleeting and judgement pours in from all sides. That’s enough to break anyone, regardless of if you finished school or not.

        I don’t agree with her that her parents have no place to tell her to get a degree when they dropped out of school themselves, but she’s 16. I remember the mentality, scoffing at my parents’ advice and pointling out every time they didn’t practice what they preached. Of course I know what I’m doing, duuuuuuuuh! I bet her parents share the mentality that she doesn’t need school, and have only halfheartedly tried to get her to finish school. She’s got everything she wants, friends, parties, a lucrative career on the horizon, a (creepy) boyfriend, everything. Her parents obviously don’t care much or they’d do something about it.

      • Kristen820 says:

        I also kinda feel like some people are forgetting that she’s only 16. Every 16 yo feels like they know errrrrrything! It’s just part of the natural arrogance of that age. Her comments seem (to me) exactly in line with that…

      • Carol says:

        @Kristen820 I completely agree. At 16, I thought I knew everything and my parents were wrong and old fashioned. I think people shouldn’t look to closely or judge Lily too harshly for what she says now….at 16. I also was adamant that college wasn’t for me at her age. I ended up going to college, then getting my MBA. LOL!

      • Timbuktu says:

        @Wren,
        I hear you, but I also wonder if it’s the reason British actors are “taking over” Hollywood, so to speak. Many of them seem to be well-educated in addition to talent. It comes through in interviews, and even in acting, really (many of them have degrees in theater, not “act first, take lessons later”).
        Where I’m from, we have a mixed bag of nepotism and educated talent amongst actors, but as a rule, even those actors who were kids (or even grandkids) of “acting dynasties” went to school and got a degree in theater. If there’s nothing else you’d rather do, why not really do it, show the world that you’re serious about it? It’s not like she HAS to work and earn her living…

      • Wood Dragon says:

        If she has the sense to take a cue from, say, Groucho Marx and reads to make up for the education she isn’t getting, then she should be all right. (Not that she’s likely to have heard of him.) Dick Cavett said that Groucho Marx was the most well-read man he ever met and Groucho read so much to make up for the fact that he felt he did not get the education he should have as a kid: he and his brothers went into show business from a fairly young age. If she has a sincere love of reading – and I mean the good stuff: real literature, history, biographies, even some science and philosophy books such as most of us readers tackle out of curiosity – then she might do all right.

    • Nike says:

      Yes, it’s a privilege. She can say that, because of the very, very unique position she was born to… and because she’s very young, and has not the perspective to check her words.

      My brother and I dropped out of school when we were younger than this girl, to care for three terminally ill family members (after the deaths of two previously terminally ill family members). That became our whole life, until we lost them all. When the last member of our family died, it felt as though we no longer had a purpose… and we had no education, no job experience. We were ghosts.

      We got our GEDs, and I’ve tried to go back to school… but it’s difficult.

      These days, I’m just so glad to be in food service, where they don’t tell me I’m too scruffy to work in their shop, or too uneducated to apply, and appreciate that I show up early, never call in sick, and work my butt off for the entirety of my shift (be it eight, or eighteen hours). I’m happy to be making ten dollars an hour (that’s a lot of money for me), and still have time to work on music with my brother.

      Music is slow-going when your bandmate’s shifts don’t match your own, and you’re both bone-weary… we’re trying our best, though. We’re not giving up on our dreams.

      My point is, education is a privilege. To be able shrug it off as unnecessary is a privilege. There are so many people in the world who never had a chance… and I’m not talking about my brother and I. We’ve had chances; we could have made it work. It was… a difficult situation. One that’s hard to talk about. But there are people out there who never fucking had a chance. And to hear someone, no matter the age, shrug off the option to educate themselves, is heartbreaking.

      To me, anyway.

    • jane says:

      think her middle name should be BRAT instead of Rose

  2. Moon says:

    She sounds very spoilt

    • Jegede says:

      Yup.

      Her mum had a reputation for being a big time spoilt brat too.

      Paradis also dated older men as a teen, so I guess its history repeating itself.

    • Mia V. says:

      Someone is studying on the Kylie Jenner School Of Ilusions.

      • Pixelated says:

        lol @ mia v
        This is just really sad. I don’t want whatever delusion she’s selling and her parents should be ashamed.
        Hire a good PR person, girl.

    • drnotknowitall says:

      Yep. This is what comes of being the cool parents who want to be friends with their child. A 16 year old should be in school or being home schooled, period. End of story. She says no? Okay, take away her cell, her credit card and her Instagram account. See how that works.

      I have always said to the parents who come in to my office that there is a wide range of what is normal in terms of parenting. Within that range, there is no right or wrong, so long as the parent understands that they will have to upset their children sometimes by making them do things they need to do but may not like. Relinquishing power to your child in terms of making important decisions about their life when they are not prepared to do so is not within the range of normal and is not good parenting.

    • V4Real says:

      She’s a great example of “education is wasted on the young.”

    • Wood Dragon says:

      I also get the feeling that she’s feels she’s quite the special snowflake. She strikes me as singularly uninteresting and without any charisma. She is where she is strictly because of her parents. She is too dull to have achieved all of this on her own.

      • Beanie says:

        Yeah, I’m not seeing the special snowflake here either. She never smiles. So much nothing in her spoiled girl expression.

  3. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I guess I’m the only person who doesn’t have a Chanel contract.

    I won’t go on and on about the value of education for its own sake, but I will say that I hate the example all these young celebrities are setting.

  4. Lucy says:

    She looks just like him.

    • Jegede says:

      Yeah she does. I’ve always thought so.

      The chocolate brown eyes, the cheekbones, the kinda full mouth.

      If she dyed her hair black she would be her dad’s doppleganger!

      Its only the hairstyle that’s Vanessa. The face is Johnny.

      • Mel M says:

        I always thought she was a good mix but I feel like they did something to that cover photo to make her look more like Vanessa. She doesn’t look like that in real life IMO.

    • Felice. says:

      If you look at younger photos of Vanessa, the likeness is mind blowing.

  5. Talie says:

    Acting lessons, she concedes, “may come later.”

    Of course! Why learn when the parts get thrown at you?

    • Artemis says:

      So funny how she considers acting a craft (it is) yet doesn’t want to work hard to improve it! She ‘wants’ something instead of saying she is willing to work hard at it. But then again, she’s landing roles and magazine covers without effort so life must be pretty effortless for her.
      How wonderful she found her passion and doesn’t consider hard work part of turning it into a successful career.

      And then celebrity offspring are always surprised when people don’t believe one word they say when they talk about how they too had to work hard for what they get. They are completely clueless and spoiled.

      • MB says:

        Came here to say exactly this. She wants to make this her craft? Nope. She just wants to be FAMOUS. If she really wanted to be good at her “craft” then she would be genuinely interested in learning more about it through lessons. She has access to the best classes money can buy but she can’t even be bothered with it. I will give her the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to bratty teenager behavior, but it’s still infuriating.

  6. missmerry says:

    yeah kinda feels weird hearing a 16 year old telling a world of strangers basically ‘psh, screw my parents, they don’t have an education, i shouldn’t have to listen to them if they said i have to or should’

    is that part of finding the line between parenting a kid and treating kids like little adults?

    i don’t care what she does either way, but NOT going to college wasn’t even an option presented to me growing up, either Kaiser.

    when the entertainment industry is full of literally nothing but the kids of former stars…it’ll be a weird world for those kids for sure. never leave that bubble you live in, lily-rose, aspire to only that bubble honey. nepotism will carry you the entire way, we’ve seen it before. and you know it will probably happen for you, too.

  7. mia girl says:

    I actually think parents who do not have diplomas are in a very strong position to tell the children to do so. When you know the challenges that come from not having one, then the impetus is to push your kids to get one.

    Now, in this particular case, the discussion is moot because Lily-Rose was born-on-third-base-about-to-slide-into-home, not only financially, but specifically in the entertainment business.

    She will not need to struggle at all to get onto a film set, cast in a movie, put on the cover of magazines. She is benefiting from the luck and hard work her parents put forth – so I think she is entitled brat to say her parents are in no position to tell her what to do.

    • HappyMom says:

      Spot on.

    • lucy2 says:

      Exactly. They are certainly in a position to say to her, “I didn’t get my diploma and regret it, I’m encouraging you to do it now.” That comes with life experience and hindsight.

      And she’s not even talking about college, she’s talking about high school, right? I can understand postponing college, or maybe deciding it’s not for her, but to willfully not even finish high school is a giant mistake, IMO.

      • jinni says:

        She is going to high school though so it’s not like she’s dropped out. I do think they make sure she is going to graduate and up until recently they have both done everything to give her and her brother a quiet, normal, stable childhood. I think she’s just saying that they can’t really say that you need to finish school before you get in this business since they didn’t and they were able to succeed at it .

        That said she comes off rather abrasive with that comment even if it was said accompanying laughter as written in the article excerpt.

      • drnotknowitall says:

        They are in a position to tell her to go to school not because they do or do not have a diploma, but because they are her parents. Period. Apparently they don’t realize this.

      • Liz says:

        jinni 100% everything you said.

        I also think she may go to university at some point if some of her friends do. She worked with Natalie Portman, maybe she had some words of advice for her on that subject. And frankly, it seems like she’d probably listen to her before her parents!

    • AmyB says:

      You said it much better than I did!

    • ItHappenedOneNight says:

      Exactly! The natural tension that creates a healthy parenting relationship is to push children to be better than we were/are – sometimes kicking and screaming. We give them the tools that we have discovered – with experience – that they need to succeed. We need to model the behavior we want to see from our kids, but, in general, we also want to improve our children’s lots in life relative to our own – that’s how the world moves forward.

  8. Bridget says:

    When they’re the ones bankrolling your life and helping you make all your professional connections, they’re a position to tell you whatever they want

    • serena says:

      +100 WORD!

    • Elisa the I. says:

      you are aware that she is an ambassador for Chanel and acts in 3 films that will be released this year? I guess her attitude partly comes from the fact that she is already earning her own money.

      • Bridget says:

        Hmm, wonder how she got that Chanel gig. She’s only getting work from her parents’ connections.

      • Liz says:

        Her first film role was due to a family connection as was her second. Her Chanel deal and the Vanity Fair covers are clearly as well.

      • Elisa the I. says:

        of course she is using her family connections, wouldn’t you, too?
        I know several (non-famous) people who go into exactly the same trade as their parents which makes things easier for them (connections, share experiences etc.).
        And the Chanel gig was anyways predictable as her mum was also modelling for Chanel at her age.
        Out of celeb kids I find her and Willow Smith looks most striking. So good for them if they use their parents connections.

    • Jwoolman says:

      Yes, without her parents’ successes, she wouldn’t be getting modeling or acting jobs or covers or interviews. She would just be another 16 year old applying for a job flipping burgers to get some pocket money. Like the Smith kids, she probably is under the delusion that she actually earned those opportunities and her talents would have been recognized regardless. Not a chance for any of them.

  9. Loopy says:

    Just because your parents didn’t achieve something does not mean they cant encourage you to do so,what an ignorant comment.

  10. nikkisixx says:

    If I spoke like to my mom, telling her she’s in no position to tell me something, she would slap the sh%$ outta me. That’s because she actually parents me and makes sure that I know that she raised me to be a smart, independent and ambitious woman. If your parents have supported you financially, emotionally and mentally until you were ready to be independent (which this girl isn’t) then they absolutely are entitled to give you advice because they have the wisdom of age on their side. The problem with these bratty rich kids is that no one is raising them and telling them no. That’s how they all end up drugged out losers.

    • drnotknowitall says:

      Me too. I was just sitting here trying to imagine having this conversation with my parents. Not the exact same conversation because they are educated. But something where I talked back and in this sassy way. I’m pretty sure I would never see the light of day again.

    • Saks says:

      Me too. I would definitely receive the “la chancla” treatment.

  11. Stephanie says:

    I live with my mom and she didnt gradute hs, BUT she values education as other family members. So im happy to say that im about to graduete college. I hate when people dont understand the value of education. These girl has a kardashian brain. Ew

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Congratulations on all of your hard work and your common sense. I’m sure your mother is very proud of you!

  12. drnotknowitall says:

    Well, she may be right that her parents don’t have an education, but boy is she wrong to say “they are in no position to tell her” that. They are her parents. That is their position. If they say that she finish high school, it does not matter if they themselves did not. They decide what is best until she is capable of deciding for herself, which she clearly is not. I just love how these artsy parents want to always be their child’s friend rather than parent. Sorry, parenting comes with responsibilities and sometimes you kids will hate you.

  13. the_blonde_one says:

    so by that rational, we should expect every generation to degrade from the previous ie: not do better than if we can not expect our children to learn from our mistakes. I did HELLA amounts of drugs when I was a teen. I made clear that was not an option for my son until he was an adult. He didn’t do drugs, graduated HS, wasn’t a teen parent and hasn’t had many of the hardships that I experienced. Had he said ‘you’re in no position to tell me I can’t do anything you’ve done or you expect me to do something you didnt’ do’ all hell would have rained down on him. She comes off as a little snot (which frankly, I can tolerate in a teen far more than in an adult but I definitely disagree with her stance)

  14. The Eternal Side-Eye says:

    May the money always flow and may your ‘talents’ actually be good.

    Otherwise much like Will Smith’s kids you may find yourself with all the opportunity, all the magazine covers and all the resources but not enough actual skill to financially support yourself on your own.

    There’s a reason modeling has become the go-to among celebrity whipper snappers. Stand still, be quiet and just look into the distance. Here’s a check.

  15. Heather says:

    Wow. This article just makes me sad.

    Thank God there was no social media years ago when I was a teen. Because I am positive that I said some idiotic things when I was 17. Possibly a ton of them.

    I want to like Lily Rose, I do. In the age of Kardashians, she is a fresh faced beauty. However, her comments rub me the wrong way. She does not have a good head on her shoulders it seems. I look at a younger Natalie Portman and always felt that she mostly conducted herself with dignity and grace. She valued her education. Why do young stars feel they have to be so brash and out there these days? But with a father like Johnny Depp (who is currently a train wreck in my humble opinion) I guess you can say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. It is a pity.

    I am so fortunate that even though I was a complete moron, my parents forced me to get an education. Thank God I saw the value in that, even at my most spoiled and rebellious. Now, I am so very proud of my college degree and my law degree. When the beauty fades, you need to have something to fall back on.

    • jinni says:

      Why put all the blame on Johnny when it’s not like Vanessa wasn’t wild at the age her daughter is too? If anything she is repeating her mom’s rise to fame except with an emphasis on film instead of music.

      Also, she does go to high school, so it’s not like she’s dropped out. But I agree about being rubbed the wrong way by her comment.

      • swak says:

        How much is she really attending high school. She has had two magazine shoots and two movies in the last year there is not much time to physically be in class. Would love to see her attendance record.

    • A. Key says:

      Social media has got nothing to do with this, she gave an interview to a MAGAZINE. That medium has been around for over a century.

      We were all dumb at 16, but we werent running off to give interviews to newspapers about our “valuable” opinions! Shit even I knew better than that as a teen, and I was an ignorant brat.

      This kid is embarrassing herself all over the place and her parents seem to be ignoring her existence!

    • Malice says:

      She is far from a train wreck.

  16. Thais says:

    Her lack of body fat concerns me. She is so small and her head is so large in comparison to her body, it looks like she’s not eating enough. Sixteen year old girls are still growing, right? She just looks unhealthily thin to me and it’s worrisome.

  17. Beatrix says:

    Lets bet, 22 in rehab for “exhaustion”.
    My parents did not want to school but made everythings possible for me to go. They wanted me to be educated and have critical thinking not justje a pretty face and hot body. Anyone can be that, doing something valuable sets you apart from the dumbass generation.

  18. Pandy says:

    girl, if your parents weren’t in the business you would not be landing vogue covers. What a wan, bland little face! Waif body, not very attractive. I don’t get it. Enjoy it while the novelty lasts.

    • lisa2 says:

      I thin this is a novelty. It seems to be the trend now with the entertainment industry embracing Celebrity children. Not sure if this has always been the case; or if they are just doing it while the kids are so young.

      • India Andrews says:

        Seems like this trend is an outgrowth of paparazzi stalking celebrities’ kids and celebrities pimping their kids for cheap PR.

  19. Kristen says:

    The boyfriend looks so sleazy.

    • sills says:

      Getting a heavy-duty “Chet Haze” vibe off of him. Run don’t walk, Lily-Rose.

    • qwerty says:

      He’s a divorced father…. used to be one of the (possibly THE) most famous male models out of the UK several years ago. From what I remember he was really into the whole model lifestyle and it shows now. Probably still is.

  20. lisa2 says:

    She gives me the impression that she is doing what she wants and they can’t say a word. I know some would go on an on about how active Johnny and Vanessa were in her life. But her comment to me begs to differ. I have seen pics of her on Instagram early on.. and I felt at that time she was doing her own thing for a long time.

    She does need to acknowledge that it is her parents name and money that have afforded her the opportunity to thumb her nose at and education. There are young women far better suited for modeling that aren’t in her position. And if she were them; then that High School Diploma would be a must because she would have to find a JOB ouside of the business.

  21. serena says:

    Basically they let her do whatever she wants, good parenting. She also thinks she doesn’t need acting lessons? Wow, now I really want to see her act.

  22. A. Key says:

    As my favorite professor would say to us: “Why do you have to know all these things? So you don’t die stupid!”

    Education is not about the diploma or the money. At least it shouldn’t be.

    Seems like the young Jack Depp is the only one left who’s normal in that family…

  23. Magnoliarose says:

    I won’t tolerate my children not going to college. It’s not even a choice, it’s a requirement.
    She does live in a different world but success is not a guarantee. She seems like she isn’t even curious about life or the desire to be a well rounded person. Just a desire to be famous.
    Someone above said they can’t seem to like her and I’m in that camp too. She rubs me wrong.

  24. Annie says:

    This is so reminiscent of Jack and Kelly Osbourne. They dropped out of school, smoked pot right there in the house, stayed out partying all night on school days, wouldn’t get up the next day to go to achool. And Sharon and Ozzy felt like they were in no position to say anything because their kids have seen them do way worse. They felt like they had no right to parent their kids being the trainwrecks that they were, but they do! Yes, you are in a position to tell your kids to finish high school and date boys their own age because they are the parents no matter what. What they did or didn’t do doesn’t matter. They didn’t live off of anybody like she has. They built their own careers without help.
    This only tells me that this girl doesn’t respect her parents, she has witnessed a ton of shit, and she’s sticking a huge F U by also dating a guy 8 years older.

  25. failfailfail says:

    that cover is awe full, she looks like a bored petulant child

  26. Amelie says:

    Eh I don’t blame her for not wanting to take the French baccalaureate, the compulsory exam all French kids have to take in order to go to college. The SAT is a cake walk in comparison. You have to take written exams for EVERY single subject you take and some subjects include oral exams as well. The exams span over a period of several days and last three hours. Philosophy is sometimes required depending on the track you are in. There are some hilarious Youtube videos of bac oral exams with students just saying complete nonsense while answering the teachers’ questions for those of you who understand French. My dad failed his bac the first time around and had to repeat 12th grade. School is not fun in France and college is not the same experience as it is in the USA. My dad hated school when he was a kid in France. So I don’t judge her wanting to escape the French education system.

    • Goldie says:

      Vanessa has stated that her kids were being raised in the US. Lilly was going to school in LA before she started acting and modeling.

    • Locke Lamora says:

      It’s similar here. Yu have to take separate exams for every subject. Maths, native language and foreign language are compulosry, and then you choose voluntary subjects depending on what you want to study. Most people write six subjects. The “matura” period when these are written lasts about 3 weeks. And then most universities have their separate entry exams. It is hard and stresfull but it’s managable. Are the SATs very different?

      I did hear bad stories about French universities from french exange students, but it was not so much about the university itself, but about the people. One girl said that people are very cold and competitive and that here isn’t really any camaraderie.

      • Amelie says:

        The SAT is a multiple choice exam that American high school students are required to take in order to gain admission to college (or university). Ther are three sections–quantitative reasoning (math), verbal (they have renamed this section several times, it was critical reading when I took it) which is a mix of reading comprehension, grammar, and general vocabulary, and this weird essay section that is now apparently optional (?). It can be taken in one day, usually a Saturday at an approved testing center (usually a local high school) and lasts about 4 hours. It does not focus on foreign language, history, or science. In fact there is no national exam that requires you to take exams in multiple subjects like the French bac. Had I stayed in my French bilingual school I would have had to take it. But since I went to an American high school I only had to deal with the SAT.

  27. perplexed says:

    I think her phrasing is more annoying than her desire to not complete high school. I don’t know if I see the point in her saying “My parents are in no position…”

    She is pretty though.

    • Liz says:

      I’m wondering if that might have something to do with the French to English translation. All her comments sound a little too direct, like translations tend to.
      I’ve heard her speak in English and she sounds just like an average LA teenager. Her phrasing here reminds me of French.

      Not excusing the remark, just the way it’s said.

  28. JLo says:

    LR is beautiful, but her pictures make me feel sad. Such bleakness and cynicism in her eyes at 16!

  29. Salanta says:

    I think this is a case of something getting lost in translation. I’ll weigh in as a Frenchie myself to explain: the phrase she’s referencing, “Passe ton bac d’abord !” (“Get your high school diploma first, then we’ll talk!” is iconic in French! There’s even a movie with that title. It is indeed said to anyone to wishes to pursue non-academic endeavors, though usually jokingly, as it has become a huge cliché.
    Anyway. To me, it makes sense in context and I’m not offended.

  30. Saks says:

    My grandfather used to tell his kids that as he didn’t had lots of money or properties to inherit them, all he could leave with was an education, so he made sure that all of his kids had a College education so they would have more chances to find a good work… But this girl doesn’t need any of that to get money and fame

  31. Jayna says:

    It sounds like she is living on her own to me. I doubt she even lives with her parents

  32. India Andrews says:

    You’re right Kaiser. Depp amd Paradis no matter how little education they have are obligated to tell Lilly to finish high school (the lycee in France). They also have the right to tell Lily she can’t take movie roles, modeling contracts or anything else until after she graduates as long as she is under eighteen.

    If eighteen comes first, Paradis and Depp can make it a requirement that Lily pass classes if she still wants to live at home and take money from them for clothing and entertainment. The old power of the purse.

    If Depp and Paradis aren’t doing these things, they have abdicated their role as parents and whatever happens with a sixteen year old in charge is what happens.

    This girl sounds incredibly arrogant thinking she doesn’t need an education or acting training. Very few people get away without one or both. And if Depp and Paradis are footing the bill for her teenage rebellion then they will get what they get. Lily isn’t an adult, doesn’t have a lot of life experience and the world is a harsh teacher to an arrogant kid.

    Depp and Paradis should be there saying get an education. They know how much the odds were against them becoming big stars and becoming low wage starving performers. Lily may get some things being her parents’ daughter but a long term career is in no way guaranteed.

  33. Zazz says:

    Vanessa Paradis was doing full frontal nudity in ‘Noces Blanches’ where she played a 16 years old teen who became the mistress of her 60 years old highschool teacher, played by a 60 years old french actor.

    Even in frivoleous France, this put many people off and she was villified for it.

    At the time, Vanessa was 16 years old, looked barely 13 and she was living with singer Florent Pagny , 27 years old, under the same roof.

    A few years before that another popular french actress, Sohie Marceaux basicly had the same trajectory.

    She started playing 12 years old teen Vic in ‘La Boum’ with Claude Brasseur, a french actor in his late 40 at the time, playing her father.

    4 years later, and two years after wrapping up La Boum2, she had a role playing the young mistress of none other than ….Claude Brasseur in her third movie, the same actor who was playing her father two years earlier in La Boum2.

    She ending up dating and living with the director of that third movie, Andrej Zulawzki, 42 years old at the time while she was barely….17 years old.

    Sophie and Vanessa early dating life always raised some eyebrows even in Europe.

    I personally was always surprised that their parents would accept that their 17 years old, not just dating but living with men, a decade, three decades older.

    So i am not suprised by Vanessa’s daughter in that regard.

    • Annie says:

      Gosh, that is insane. I simply don’t believe that being fast, and growing up too soon are good for a person. Living with, romancing, socializing with people that much older than you when you’re still a teen cannot be good for you. It simply can’t be. Treating girls like adult women. The psychological damage of growing up fast with all this money and no rules is the number one reason why child stars go insane, why haven’t people realized this?? Kids need rules and authority. Those who don’t have it go nuts! And Lily has her father’s genes, he’s a heavy drinker and did tons of drugs. That’s genetic.

  34. Jwoolman says:

    My mother couldn’t go to college for financial reasons, but she moved mountains to make sure her kids went. My father dropped out of high school because his idiotic and abusive and neglectful parents signed to let him go into combat in World War II (which he felt was safer than home anyway). My mother encouraged him to get his GED once he survived the war and like her, he also took some college courses. The very idea that not having formal education means you have to shut up about its value to your kids is ridiculous.

    But if you’re judging according to typical US schools today- other school systems (such as the French system) are far more rigorous and students are likely to have the equivalent knowledge far earlier than in the U.S. In my mother’s generation (she was born in the early 1920s), a high school education here was also more rigorous – I felt my mother was better educated with just a high school diploma than the college students in classes I taught. The department secretary was of the same generation, and you could see the difference in her also. I imagine there are good private schools in the U.S. that may still do the same.

    However, a good reason for getting further education beyond 16 is simply that many things are better understood once you’ve accumulated more life experience. Plus college is a good opportunity to get away from the family and among a more diverse group of people who talk about more diverse things. The liberal arts requirements are wide ranging for a reason. Many people have no idea what is even available to them after high school, they need more exposure in an environment where they are taught by people who know and care about their specialties. By stopping at 16, you are stuck with a child’s view of all the things you might be able to do as an adult. This seems just as important to me for the rich as for the rest of us. Rich kids have the great advantage that they can pursue anything that interests them even if it doesn’t pay well. It’s sad when they give up such opportunities.

  35. Liz says:

    My first thought was that’s also how she responds to any objection they may have to her dating life!!!!!

    She’d be wise to not only finish high school but take some college courses in business management and money management because girl, you can loose it ALL if you aren’t smart!!!

    She’s still young so I’ll give her some slack because she is bound to say and do some silly things and by and large she is more together than other celeb kids chasing fame. However, she is chasing the fame. They say only people who felt abandoned on some level as children chase fame.

    IMO I suspect she is chasing her fathers affection. She went full on into this new career of hers shortly after he split with the mom and hooked up with the fame whore. It’s like watching step mommy and daughter battle it out on the cover of magazines and headlines for daddy’s attention.

    Also, that cover IS very unfortunate, she has looked so much better.

  36. majicou says:

    Avril Lavigne dropped out of high school. School isn’t very useful, look at all the unemployed graduates. What matters is networking and knowing people. And being born rich.

  37. Liz says:

    While I agree she should consider further education just to be a well rounded human being, some of you seem to think she will NEED it.

    Her parents have SO much money, if they give it to her (as they likely will) she never has to work a day in her life if she doesn’t want to. Unless that step mommy manages to take a huge chunk, but even then her mom is worth over $150 million sooooo she’s safe. She can act and model for a few years and then retire if she wants.