Why Lily-Rose Depp Won't Be Commenting on Dad Johnny Depp

Lily-Rose Depp is trying her best to keep her private thoughts to herself.

Regardless of the headlines her parents Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis make, the 23-year-old believes she deserves to keep some aspects of her life away from the public eye.

"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," Lily-Rose told Elle. "I also think that I'm not here to answer for anybody." That could include Johnny's past scandals involving Amber Heard. "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," she explained. "I'm really ready to be defined for the things that I put out there."

She's well on her way. In 2023, the actress will star in HBO's The Idol alongside The Weeknd. In the series, Lily-Rose plays an up-and-coming pop star who becomes entangled with complicated self-help guru Tedros (played by The Weeknd).

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Before some accuse the actress of being a "nepo baby," or a child of a famous parent who only got famous due to connections, Lily-Rose argues that sort of thing only gets you in the door.

"The internet seems to care a lot about that kind of stuff," she said. "People are going to have preconceived ideas about you or how you got there, and I can definitely say that nothing is going to get you the part except for being right for the part. The internet cares a lot more about who your family is than the people who are casting you in things."

At the same time, Lily-Rose is the first to admit that her parents' public relationship resulted in an unconventional reality.

"I know my childhood didn't look like everybody's childhood, and it's a very particular thing to deal with, but it's also the only thing that I know," she said. "It's different experiencing it firsthand rather than by proxy. I guess it's something that I've had to make my own way with."

As Lily-Rose begins a new chapter under the spotlight, she plans to stay off Twitter and keep her Instagram posts dedicated to professional projects. After all, there is power in privacy.

"I've just been raised in a manner that has taught me that privacy is something that's important to protect," she said. "I am here to do my job, and what I really want to put out into the world is my work."

Elle's December 2022/January 2023 issue is available on newsstands Dec. 6.

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