Ten Things You Never Knew About Johnny Depp

1. Johnny was born the youngest of four children and moved from Kentucky to Florida when he was five. He says: "Before I was 15, we moved 30 times, once just from one house to the house next door. I asked my mom why. I never did understand her explanation."

2. Johnny was a bit of a rebel as a youngster. He took up smoking at 12, lost his virginity at 13 and was soon dabbling in drugs and booze. He was also suspended from school for mooning a teacher before dropping out at 16 to join garage band The Kids.

3. Johnny played lead slide guitar on Oasis track 'Fade In-Out' when the band's own guitarist was three sheets to the wind. Legend has it he stepped in at the last minute and nailed the lead on one take. Go Johnny!

4. Johnny dated a string of beauties including Kate Moss and Winona Ryder but says he is prone to ruining his relationships with jealous rages. He tells us: "Oh boy. Oh f***. I was a professional at it. Oh, the scenarios I dreamed up. Oh f***. Oh. I mean, world-class." Calm down, man, we believe you!

5. What first attracted Johnny to sultry singer Vanessa Paradis? The sight of her back! He spotted her in the lobby of a Parisian hotel seven years ago and recalls: "Whammo, man, across the room, amazing, incredible, awesome. The back, the back, I saw the back, and I was reduced to [mush]."

6. Johnny has such a close relationship with Tim Burton that he would have sex with an aardvark if the director demanded it. Yikes! Hopefully it won't be necessary.

7. Jack Sparrow's line in Pirates of the Caribbean "...and then they made me their chief," is lifted from comedy series The Fast Show, in which Johnny once famously appeared. "I think it's one of the most brilliant things I've ever seen in any medium," he gushes. We take it he's a fan, then.

8. How excited was Johnny with his Oscar nominations for Finding Neverland and Pirates Of The Caribbean? Um... not very. He attended the ceremony after his Pirates nod, but moaned: "All Vanessa and I could think of was: 'When and where can we go smoke?' And: 'Where can we get a drink?' And: 'When is it over?' And: 'Please, don't let me win'."

9. Johnny likes to avoid the press by checking into hotels using ridiculous names. He says: "I used to use the name Mr. Stench; it was funny to be in a posh hotel and hear a very proper concierge call out, 'Mr. Stench, please'." He has also used Emma Roid but denies reports that he stayed at any establishment under the name 'Donkey Penis'.

10. Johnny dared What's Eating Gilbert Grape co- star Leonardo DiCaprio to sniff a rancid pickled egg and paid him $500 when he did the deed. Nice!
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