Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis are one of those celebrity couples who are famously not married. They’ve been together for way longer than I even remember – 12 years? Is that right? Johnny and Vanessa have both talked about not being married in the past, and with both of them, you can just tell that for them, it’s just about the love. They are in the midst of a love affair, or, in Vanessa’s words, “the mutual training of two kindred rebel spirits” – and the legalities and accoutrements of establishing the relationship have somehow escaped them. When Depp was interviewed by Extra for The Tourist, he once again got the marriage question, only this time he had a new answer: he doesn’t want to marry Vanessa because he loves her maiden name. Cue the chorus of “AW”.
Actor Johnny Depp opened up to “Extra” on why he hasn’t married his girlfriend of 12 years, Vanessa Paradis, and what the couple and their two children have planned for the holidays.
“I never found myself needing that piece of paper,” Depp said as to why he and Paradis haven’t tied the knot. “Marriage is really from soul to soul, heart to heart. You don’t need somebody to say, okay you’re married… If Vanessa wanted to get hitched, why not… But the thing is, I’d be so scared of ruining her last name. She’s got such a good last name.”
The actor and Paradis have two children; Lily-Rose Melody, 11, and John Christopher, 8, who will all be spending the holidays at home relaxing.
“Sleeping, sleeping and playing with a lot of toys with my son,” Depp revealed about his holiday plans. “Hanging out with the kiddies.”
Currently co-starring with Angelina Jolie in “The Tourist,” Depp said he was “pleasantly surprised” to find out how normal she is. “She’s just a regular gal… with a perverse sense of humor. She’s got a vivid and energetic sense of humor. She doesn’t mind traveling to the dark or to the very weird.”
With two of the biggest stars in Hollywood in the same movie, the paparazzi were all over them while they filmed in Venice. Says Depp, “It was like wallpaper. There were so many. I’ve never seen that many in my life. You’d leave your hotel to get in a boat to go to work and the question was, ‘how many today?'”
[From Extra]
Not to play devil’s advocate, but if they ever do get married, Vanessa doesn’t HAVE to take his name. She doesn’t even have to hyphenate either. She can be Paradis forever (and just Mrs. Depp in the bedroom).
Here’s the video of Depp’s Extra interview. There’s an interesting little part with Johnny talking about Brad Pitt.
Header courtesy of WENN.
yuck. i can’t stand either of these two. affected and overblown and phony to the core.
I dont need, or want, actually, a piece of paper that inhibits my freedoms or potentially threatens to harm me in the future, or tie me down etc.
I do want many celebrations of my love with someone, and I want what is good for both of us, but I dont want the risks involved with marriage/divorce (meaning loss of money, property, legal battles, fees etc)
If anythign I have been thinking I want some sort of legal protection in the form of “who owns what and what happens” that we both mutually agree on, so we both can respect and honor each other and our well being regardless of whether our relationship goes down hill [you know: neither party may sue the other; neither may set fire to the others belongings].
Like a pre-nup without the wedding 😉 LOL
Really, I have a solid relationship so I dont need that paper. I do the work of a relationship myself, the paper doesnt. And if it aint broke, dont fix it.
He’s so dreamy. <3
Rush him a bar of soap stat!
I’m guessing he was being a bit sarcastic about the name change. With the track record of his fellow actors, he’s probably smart by staying unhitched.
I like that he says he would if she wanted to, that’s sweet. I’m sure they’re both happy with the way things are, so why mess with a good thing?
Legal marriage is not inherently better or more permanent – or any different – than a strong relationship. It looks like they’ve got the part that matters, so why worry about the rest?
@teehee – I agree.
In France, he could now take her name if he wanted to. He’d sound like a pimp though “Johnny Paradise” lol
I think this is a great relationship, especially for Hollywood. One day they might wake up and say, “We should get married today” because their noncommital relationship as endured and is proof that even with the freedom to easily walk away, they stayed together. I encourage all young couples to have a similar relationship for a period of time.
Werent Susan Sarandon and her husband unmarried? What about Goldie Hann and her husband? I think they’ve been together longer than Johnny Depp and his wife. Either way, it’s great they make it work.
I agree with him totally! Been married, done that, and wont do it again!
I love him so…. Sigh.
whatever….marriage doesnt make sense anyway, and does not work, and the men will stray, so why bother, just shack up and play mummy and daddy nnmkayyyy.
A better question would be — when are you going to take a bath, Dude? Or, does your partner dig this look?
How long does it take you to tie those rags around your neck, put trashy jewelry on, and mess up your greasy hair?
Someone said it, these two are couple of “bohemian phonies”.
@ Molly – Susan Sarandon & Tim Robbins were never married; Goldie & Kurt never married either. Susan & Tim are over; Goldie & Kurt are still together as far as I know. Still, both couples managed to make their relationships last longer than most marriages.
The older I get the more I think this is really the way to go, so romantic
i never realized how much she and leighton meester look alike
Nice but overrated.
When I was younger (10 years ago) I wanted to be married very badly. 10 years later, I agree with Johnny. However, I do think marriage is important if you choose to bring children into the world. It is more secure-in my mind anyway. I know there is lots of proof otherwise. If I ever get divorced, I would never marry again. People change too much.
Vanessa is a very beautiful woman…until she opens her mouth. Her teeth are not attractive at all. Johnny must prefer the waif look…Winona Ryder, Kate Moss and now Vanessa. All VERY skinny women.
Where are people getting “dirty” or “unbathed” from his appearance? Because he has facial hair and product in his long hair? Man, you people need to get out more…
Married once, divorced once, won’t marry again. What is the up side?
Marraige is a convention that makes people feel better. But it doesn’t prevent your partner from cheating, abusing, falling out of love,leaving etc, etc. It just sounds more permanent. I so agree with Johnny and I find his declaration so sweet. BTW I don’t think kids care one way or another as long as they feel safe and loved.
I’m with them on this one. I’ve never wanted to get married … long term relationships sure … but I have never had the whole “must have a beautiful white wedding” gene … don’t care for the whole thing … too much pressure. I’m secure financially so I don’t see the need. Have seen very few marriages (hollywood and real life) that have worked out … but who knows maybe if/when I find the “one” I’d want that too …
Refusal to go through the ceremony of marriage does not automatically mean a relationship is non-committal. Really, what is “marriage” but a ceremony and the ability to file taxes together/share health insurance? The commitment and quality of a relationship has nothing to do with the external ritual of marriage, and everything to do with your everyday relationship with your significant other, because, well…that’s what it’s about, anyway.
love the vintage photos!
I had a whirlwind romance, fell in love young and passionately married. 3 years later he left me to move across the country to become a rock star.
Now I’m all about stability and growing together. I just can’t see myself remarrying.
I love being married but I understand that it isn’t for everyone.
I didn’t change my name & I have no plans to do so; no hyphenating, nothing. I grew up in & still live in the South & most people here think that I am just being contrary, but I just like my name! Now that I’m preggers, people have been bugging me about it, but I’m still not going to change it. The baby will have my husband’s last name, just like I have my dad’s. My mom didn’t change hers when she & my dad got married.
So… I guess what I’m saying is… you don’t have to change your name when you get married!
I have to add a little something: It’s a nice gesture that he doesn’t want her to change her name from Paradis to Depp – in Austrian, “Depp” means idiot!
Probably Johnny was tired of that question, and he answered with the first silly thing he could think of.
I don’t like it when people say that marriage “is just a piece of paper”. People have been fighting for marriage for a long time. And marriage is more than just a piece of paper.
I don’t think that he has to answer to anyone about why he isn’t married (wasn’t there a story about him within the past yer or so that he and VP were getting married just because the kids wanted them to?). I just think it is insulting to those who want to get married and cannot (but fight for it) and those of us who have weathered some serious storms and work hard on our marriage.
@TXCINDERELLA : Spot on about her teeth!!! fix the GAP PLEASE ! i don’t know what she does for a living but Johnny surely makes enough to cover the cosmetic dentistry costs !
My now-husband and I lived together for 5 years before we got married (eloped – highly recommend!). The difference that I saw was not in how we related to each other, but how others viewed us. His Mom must have viewed me as temporary up to that point, and this made it permanent. I think many business associates view it differently as well – mentioning your husband rather than your boyfriend. Whatever. Also – I agree with Bodhi – I’ve now been married 8 years, 1 kid and another on the way, and no last name change for me. My last name rocks!
That’s not a new one. He’s been saying the same thing for years, along with “piece of paper” and “if she wants it”.
Check this 5 years old link for example
http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/depp-awaits-paradis-marriage-proposal
I’m sorry, but why the hell does his face look so caked up with make-up in the Extra photo?
the thing I like best about this couple is that plain-jane looking Vanessa Paradis gives home to avg girls everywhere to snag a hottie like Depp. seriously, that woman is not the cutest / prettiest thing going.
This isn’t new, he said it earlier this year (maybe the Vanity Fair interview?). Could be his stock answer to the marriage question or they picked it up from an earlier interview.
I’m a Johnny fan – I try to read all of his interviews.
Strange he didn’t want to be drawn on Pitt. Probably have nothing in common.
I love Vanessa’s gap, it unique to her. We european’s don’t get the whole perfect teeth thing. Everybody looks the same and these days with whitening and veneers, some people look like they’re wearing those joke shop teeth, very unattractive.
WHAT DOES HE say about brad pitt?? i can’t see the video
I agree with Jeri, this is old news. Johnny obviously gets this same question all the time, for which he responds the same.
I don’t care for either one but I always thought Paradis looked like an uglier Kate Moss. In fact Moss became famous because Calvin Klein couldn’t get Paradis and instead got the unknown Moss to model for CK.
And for a man that’s being engaged a million times it seems odd he never married this one. I don’t know why he’s suddenly pretending to be above marriage. He had no problem with it in the past. Faux bohemian is right.
Bit of paper or not, just because they’re not married doesn’t mean they won’t split. Enter a ping pong ball and watch a 23 years relationship go up in smoke.
My husband has beautiful last name and mine…um, not so much. I still didn’t take his on, much to the chagrin of my in-laws, one of whom never fails to mention that a woman who doesn’t take their husband’s name is not honoring their man and is actually insulting his manhood. Please.
I like being married.
#41, EXCELLENT point. He was engaged a lot. I think that with some people, if they have some ambiguity about their partner, they may hesitate to marry and take that final legal step, despite children and other entanglements.
He should reconsider. He’s not aging well and Vanessa continues to look even more gorgeous every year.
Obviously, people need to bring more than looks to a marriage, but I think it’s worth considering.
He wasn’t engaged many times, he was married once for a little over a year and after that proceded to have several longterm (3-4 years) relationships. With every next girlfriend there were engagement rumors in tabs but never anything official. From time to time there are rumors he’s engaged or even married to Vanessa but yet nothing have come out of these just like nothing had come out of those earlier ones.
So I’d say that early marrige that failed did it for him and he just isn’t interested in going there again.
Don’t worry Mel, it’s not just you guys over there. I’m from the US and I think it’s foolish to want a cookie cutter smile. My best friend got her gap filled and now it just doesn’t look very natural. Truthfully, as someone who doesn’t have perfect teeth it really pisses me off when people pick on her for her teeth. Back off poopie and Txcinderella.
they seem to have a very genuine relationship and very humble. they are truly my fave Hollywood couple, because they are so anti-everything
@teehee There is a legal draft called a Co-Habitation Agreement for couples who wanna live together without fear of legal entanglements.
I honestly believe that if a couple wants to get married, they should. If they don’t want to marry, then don’t. If your relationship works, then it works and more power to you. Don’t give in to something you don’t want to do because of outside influences. Do what’s right for the both of you.
Hottest guy ever!
Ive been married to the same person for about 17 years now, and we only ever did it for legal, property related reasons due to the whole hostile inlaw situation. I swore I never would and am to this day pissed off that we had to get a piece of paper to make sure we would be ok in case of emergency. As for taking his last name- it will be a cold day in hell. He actually uses mine more than his own.
If I ever wanted to leave his arse, it wouldn’t make an iota of difference, and I’d prefer it were public knowledge that we were together solely because we want to, not out of some legal obligation.
Stay unmarried, by all means. Dont let the state dictate the terms of your personal life. But if you think there could be a challenge to you or your kids legal entitlement, be smart and sign the damn piece of paper.
No marriage means they can still just walk away. Real committment is when two people decide to legally bind themselves to each other, making it something they can’t just walk away from. Anyone can say they’re devoted and committed to someone; proving it is another story.
“training of 2 kindred rebel spirits…”??? Puh-leeeze!!!! No matter how long they’ve been together, they still have only a 50/50 shot at a life-time “love affair.” Johnny and her will probably “drift apart” just like everyone else does and then one day, we’ll all realize,”Hey, I haven’t seen Johnny Depp with what’s her name in a long time…” All the sugary, flowery and phony rhapsodizing is still only talk and talk is cheap…like me.
whatever….some people are married and love being married even 30years down the line, so get married if you want to, or don’t. Stop calling it a damn piece of paper, because it isnt.
I took my husband’s last name, because I loved the idea of us being united by having the same last name. But, if other women don’t want to take their husband’s name that’s great as well. I also love the idea that men in France can take their wives last name. And I’m sure men in the US can do so as well. I would love it if more men did that. I think Jay Mohr combined his last name with his wife’s, to create a brand new last name. That’s so amazing of him. To me the most important thing is the couple having the same last name. It doesn’t matter whose it is.
Nice couple and she’s hot – I’m sure him and Jolie are hot onscreen together too. Kudos that he’s had a relationship that works. WhoTF cares if they’re “married”. Stupid concept anyway.
I like being married and have been married for 21 years. At the time we married, it was mostly so my husband could get his green card and get a post-college job – I mean we loved each other but we were living together and didn’t really think or talk too much about making it legal. All that said, if something happened between us or I lost him (god forbid), I would have zero interest in the marriage thing. I would want a companion, but see no real need for marriage. Marriage wasn’t/isn’t the measure of how much we love each other, it’s just a legal mechanism that makes some things simpler, sort of.
He needs to shave that mess off his face. It’s been killing his hotness for so many years.
Madonna didn’t fill HER GAP, why should
she?
Well I guess if it makes them happy, why not?
When rich, famous people don’t marry, they don’t marry because they don’t want a divorce to ruin their finances. Period. They, also, know that there will be no social consequences or stigma attached to their relationship if they don’t marry. Instead, they seem cool and free-spirited.
For the rest of us, marriage is more than a piece of paper and being unmarried does NOT make us look cool and free-spirited. For women, in particular, marriage means social status and security, and being unmarried over the age of 35 means stigma and judgment.
It’s easy for men to say that marriage is just a piece of paper because they are not looked down upon for not having it. (In the past, unmarried men of a certain age were assumed to be gay but this is changing.)However, unmarried women and their out-of-wedlock children have a much higher social price to pay if they are not rich or movie stars (i.e. Angelina, Halle, etc.)
Men do not have any stigma attached to them if they are in a long-term relationship without marriage. When women are in a long-term relationship without marriage, they are perceived as being unloved and used up by the man who won’t “put a ring on it.”
As a never married woman, I don’t find marriage a symbol of love, but of status. I do see how differently my married friends and female family members are treated. Even divorced women are treated a bit better than never married women because at least they tried to “measure up” to social standards.
This is a cop out. If the paper doesnt matter than get it/get married – because it doesnt matter either way right?
she can keep both names. celebrities do that.. so that’s not the problem. it’s easier to be with someone without getting married. you can dump that person without complicated divorce documents – which i don’t think it’s his case, though. he is more serious than that.
Ashley
In 1992 Vanessa Paradis was very unknown in the US then, so why would Calvin Klien use her? At that point Kate Moss (who had just done a photoshoot with Corrine Day) was more well known in the fashion modeling world, which was small at the time. I have yet to read a credible source that mentions Paradis being the original choice for the CK campaign with
Marky Mark.
That said, Depp has said before in various interviews that he likes/d the idea of marriage. I don’t think him being previously engaged makes him a hypocrite. If you recall, before he was famous, he was married at 20 years old (to an older woman, who was 26). They divorced two years later.