See the original image at vanityfair.com — Johnny Depp Owns a 45-Acre Private Island and You Don't

by Vanity Fair

The notoriously private actor invited Vanity Fair along on a sailing trip to his Caribbean isle. “You’ve got all-access,” Johnny Depp declared, “Ask me about anything you want.” Photograph by François-Marie Banier.

Ever wonder what it would be like to take a vacation with Johnny Depp on his private Caribbean island? Vanity Fair contributing editor Douglas Brinkley, who, like Depp, was a close friend of the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, did just that. As he reports in the July cover story, “Johnny Depp’s Great Escape,” it’s pretty damn great.

See all of Johnny Depp’s appearances in Vanity Fair, from 1995 to today.

With no handlers or publicists in sight, Brinkley, Depp, and three of the actor’s best friends set off from the Bahamas on Depp’s yacht to a 45-acre tropical paradise called Little Hall’s Pond Cay. Here are some choice nuggets from Brinkley’s travelogue:

About the yacht

• Depp’s yacht is a 156-foot, steam-powered boat called Vajoliroja, an amalgam of the names of his partner (singer/actress Vanessa Paradis), himself, and their children, Lily Rose and Jack. There are pirate-themed touches throughout, and the ship flies the Jolly Roger alongside its official Marshall Islands flag.

Photography by François-Marie Banier.

About the island

• Depp named one of the six beaches on his island Gonzo, for Hunter S. Thompson (others are named Paradis, Lily Rose, Jack, and Brando, after his partner, kids, and other great mentor). Gonzo Beach features glass tables with Thompson’s face etched in the center.

• Depp says, “I don’t think I’d ever seen any place so pure and beautiful. You can feel your pulse rate drop about 20 beats. It’s instant freedom.”

What they did for fun

• Snorkeled with barracudas, neon-colored fish, and nurse sharks in what Depp has named Heath’s place (after Heath Ledger)

• Watched lots of YouTube videos and Hollywood movies old and new, including Tropic Thunder. (“That’s the best I’ve ever seen Cruise,” Depp says of his fellow actor’s portrayal of a foul-mouthed studio boss.)

How Depp relaxes

• Depp’s hobbies include reading, playing guitar, and painting. “What I love to do is paint people’s faces, y’know, their eyes,” he says. “Because you want to find that emotion, see what’s going on behind their eyes.”

Depp also talks to Brinkley about the experience of filming his new movie, Public Enemies; his favorite Hollywood icon (and what she ordered when he had dinner with her); his approach to acting and the toll it can take on him; and which famous fictional character he’d like to play.

To read the complete article, pick up the July issue of Vanity Fair, which is on newsstands in New York and Los Angeles on June 3, nationwide on June 9.