pDyaTiJVl2
Often, it is too easy to dismiss celebrities as shallow creatures, only in it for the fame, glory and millions of dollars. The Kardashian clan (hard workers though they might be) has given public figures a bad rep, re-enforcing the ?pointless celebrity? label and seemingly endless stream of self-promotion that goes along with it. However, to take these views as a given?is unfair. We’ve reported many-a-time on celebrities who go out of their way to do wonderful things for their fans and those in need – Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Lady Gaga to name a few – and they don’t have to participate in these kind doings, yet they do.
The more cynical will, of course, say that it serves them to do this as their good deed comes with plenty of media coverage, but what kind of world are we living in if we can’t take them at face value? Even if we’re wrong, there will always be the celebrity who restores your faith.
This time, it’s actor Johnny Depp. He appeared on The Graham Norton Show yesterday and spoke about using his iconic Jack Sparrow character to bring happiness to sick children and their families.
He spoke of how he dresses as Captain Jack Sparrow and visits patients at London’s Great Ormond Street hospital as often as he can (usually around Christmas time) ?but the meaning it holds for him is as special as?the the act itself. In 2007, Depp’s daughter with his ex-wife Vanessa Paradis, Lily-Rose Depp, was hospitalised there for nine days due to kidney failure, so he knows first hand how tough a situation it is for the whole family.
“When my daughter was ill in Great Ormond Street it was the darkest period of my life,” Depp revealed. “I’d always done these visits but after that experience the visits became more and more important.”
Cheering up the patients is the goal, but he can especially relate to the parents’ struggles. He also donated $2 million to the hospital after his daughter was well to thank them for their efforts. If that doesn’t say genuine, then his words surely will:
“The kids are so courageous but to be able to bring a smile or a giggle to the parents means everything in the world to me, much more than being in a movie. For me, it’s a gift. They give me the gift.” He appears real and heartfelt; it’s an emotional moment.
Did we mention we love Johnny Depp?
Watch the clip below: