Jack Depp, the 22-year-old son of Johnny Depp, has defied nepo-baby accusations by working as a bartender at a popular Lebanese restaurant in Paris, gaining helpful life skills along the way.
Jack started working at L’Area two years ago, splitting his time between bartending and helping in the restaurant’s kitchen.
Edouard Chueke, the restaurant’s owner, spoke highly of the 22-year-old, calling him a dedicated employee who purposely kept a low profile while trying to be as good of a worker as possible, endearing himself to the establishment’s staff.
“Jack is a great guy. He keeps out of the limelight, but worked here behind the bar and in the kitchen,” Chueke explained. “He was a good employee; he left a few months ago, but I expect him back later next year. Good staff are hard to find.”
Johnny Depp’s son, Jack, worked for two years as a bartender, deciding to keep a low profile and live a simple life despite his parents’ fame
The interview, conducted by The Daily Mail last Saturday (December 7), revealed that Jack started working at the restaurant when his mother, Vanessa Paradis, recommended him for the job.
His sister, Lily-Rose Depp, has become a regular at L’Area, with Chueke reminiscing about her “mixing caipirinhas behind the bar and really getting into the swing of it,” a moment that was captured on video and shared on social media yesterday (November 8).
The decision to have Jack grow mainly in France was made by his mother, who believed the areas around Neuilly-sur-Seine offered him the perfect balance between a comfortable lifestyle and the anonymity necessary to forge his own identity, free from the pressures of his father’s star.
“For my children, I secretly choose France. Even though Los Angeles is great too,” she said in a 2007 interview with Belgium’s Weekend Knack. “Only in the south of France can you live much more anonymously. And that’s bliss, especially when the children are still young.”
Depp and Paradis were together for 14 years and maintain a respectful and cordial relationship to this day
Johnny Depp shares Jack and Lily-Rose with Paradis, who he was with for 14 years before they split in 2012.
The pair first crossed paths in 1998 at a hotel in Paris while Depp was in the middle of filming Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate. At the time, the actor had just ended a high-profile relationship with supermodel Kate Moss.
Paradis, a French singer, actress, and model, quickly captured his attention, and the couple kept a relatively private relationship compared to Depp’s previous romances.
The couple received their first daughter, Lily-Rose, in 1999, and Jack followed three years later in 2002.
While the pair was hailed as one of Hollywood’s most solid couples, by 2012, rumors began to surface that the relationship was on the rocks, and the two confirmed their separation in June of that year.
Their breakup was handled with great privacy and respect. That’s speculated to have been the natural result of the pair’s preference for Los Angeles and Paris, respectively, and the distance—both physical and emotional—that it created between them.
Jack opened an Instagram profile in 2020 but abandoned it after some users started leaving inappropriate comments
Unlike his sister, Jack has largely avoided the spotlight, a fact that was recognized by his father in 2014, who comically expressed relief at his son having no interest in acting in an interview. “Aside from school plays and things, he hasn’t shown any desire to become an actor. Whew,” Depp said.
Despite being the son of a high-profile Hollywood star, his social media presence differs very little from that of a typical 20-year-old, with simple images of his friendships, pastimes, and weekend adventures.
However, a quick look at the comment section of his posts reveals how the short-lived Instagram account quickly became a magnet for unsolicited attention, as some users tried to exploit his connection to his famous family.
Despite his apparent preference for privacy, netizens commented, “Hi Jack, you don’t know me, but I need some help. I’ve been trying to reach your father forever. How can I get a hold of him?” Others made more bizarre requests, with one asking Jack for permission to “meet his sister.”
It’s unclear if these kinds of comments and direct messages were the cause, but Jack’s stint on Instagram ended on November 22, 2021, after he had sporadically posted for over a year.
Netizens valued Jack’s decision to remain out of public discourse and urged outlets to respect his choice
“Leave him alone. We don’t need to know what he is doing. The poor kid wants to be normal,” one user said.
“I wish they would just leave him alone and let him live as he wants. He doesn’t want to be in the spotlight,” another stated.
“Ok? He’s just a guy living his life. Who cares who his dad is? He’s barely an adult. Why shove a camera in his face?” a reader argued.
Others respected the 22-year-old’s choice to earn money and work a “normal” job.
“It’s admirable! I like how simple he appears. Someone else in his place would be taking advantage of their dad’s fame,” a viewer stated.
“Good for him! He’s learning how to make his own money and be independent!”
“Way to go Jack!” Netizens congratulated Depp’s son for being down to earth and willing to work, despite his fortune
