During the bitter defamation trial that played out between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard earlier this year, which saw Depp sue Heard (after he lost a similar trial centred on abuse allegations in a UK court of law) over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post, many Johnny Depp fans were vocal about wanting his daughter, Lily-Rose, to speak out in his defence. However, the 23-year-old remained silent.
Now, for the first time, the star of The Idol has addressed that difficult period of her life in an interview with ELLE, saying part of her reason for not publicly weighing in is that she refuses to be defined by any of the famous men in her life (she has previously been linked to fellow actors Austin Butler and Timothée Chalamet). "When it's something that's so private and so personal that all of a sudden becomes not so personal… I feel really entitled to my secret garden of thoughts," she began.
Lily-Rose then added, "I also think that I'm not here to answer for anybody, and I feel like for a lot of my career, people have really wanted to define me by the men in my life, whether that's my family members or my boyfriends, whatever. And I'm really ready to be defined for the things that I put out there."
Later on in the interview, when discussing being raised by a famous family, she noted, "I've just been raised in a manner that has taught me that privacy is something that’s important to protect." And on the subject on being in the limelight in her own right, Lily-Rose said that it's a 'double-edged sword' in the sense that as an artist you want people to connect to your work, but that then leaves them feeling like they know you, when they don't.
"I'm not here to give myself to the world to be eaten alive," she reflected. "The older I get, the weirder I become around that whole conversation... I like to do my work and put as much of my heart into it as I can and then retreat back into my real life and just be a normal person.
"People get really ballsy when they think nobody's looking or reading, and so I try not to read [comments] because no matter what you do, you're never going to please everybody."
Previously, Lily-Rose posted an Instagram photo in support of her father. In 2016, when allegations of abuse first surfaced against him, Lily-Rose uploaded a childhood photo with the caption: "My dad is the sweetest most loving person I know. He's been nothing but a wonderful father to my little brother and me, and everyone who knows him would say the same." However, the post is no longer viewable.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
