Johnny Depp stuns residents by visiting poet Dylan Thomas' birthplace
Johnny Depp stuns residents of a quiet Welsh village by visiting the birthplace of the hell-raising poet Dylan Thomas ahead of his Swansea show
- The actor has been touring Europe with his rock band Hollywood Vampires
- The property, where poet Thomas was born in 1914, was restored in 2005 to how it would have looked when he lived there
Johnny Depp stunned residents of the quiet Welsh surburban street called Cwmdonkin Drive by making a surprise visit to the birthplace of poet Dylan Thomas.
The actor, 60, confessed he was ‘still floating’ after visiting the home of the hell-raising poet in the Uplands area of Swansea while on tour with his rock band Hollywood Vampires.
Johnny described himself as a Thomas ‘fiend’ – and said recordings of his work read by Richard Burton gave him ‘the best sleep ever’.
Wearing a crocheted hat, shades and dripping with jewellery, Depp toured the tiny house at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive where the writer grew up.
The actor also relied on a crutch after sustaining a ‘painful’ ankle injury that forced him to postpone his US tour dates last month.
Look who it is! Johnny Depp stunned residents of the quiet Welsh surburban street called Cwmdonkin Drive by making a surprise visit to the birthplace of poet Dylan Thomas
Iconic: The actor confessed he was ‘still floating’ after visiting the home of the hell-raising poet in the Uplands area of Swansea while on tour with his rock band Hollywood Vampires
Iconic: The property, where poet Thomas was born in 1914, was restored in 2005 to how it would have looked when he lived there, after previously being used as a student bedsit
Thomas was born in Uplands, Swansea, in 1914, and found fame as a poet and storyteller for works such as Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night and Under Milk Wood.
Depp said he had been a fan of Thomas since he was ’10 or 12′ after his brother gave him a collection of short stories called Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog.
And before leaving, Depp signed the visitors’ book: ‘All respect always, Johnny.’
The Pirates of the Caribbean star revealed he falls asleep listening to Thomas’ play Under Milk Wood ‘a few times a week’.
He told Nation Cymru: ‘I’m still floating a little having been in the room where Under Milk Wood began and so many poems were written. So dumfounded.
‘It’s such a strong… doing this visit you get to see where his thoughts came from and it’s a lot to take in if you’re a fiend like I am.
‘My older brother when I was a kid, he turned me onto all these writers I wasn’t ready for when I was 10, 12.
‘Dylan Thomas, the first he gave me as a kid was Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog, so that was the first and then of course all the poetry, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, all the stuff that just takes your head apart.
Good spirits! Johnny described himself as a Thomas ‘fiend’ – and said recordings of his work read by Richard Burton gave him ‘the best sleep ever’
Casual: The actor also relied on a crutch after sustaining a ‘painful’ ankle injury that forced him to postpone his US tour dates last month
Dylan Thomas’ childhood home: A shrine to a literary legend
Dylan Thomas became one of Wales’ best-known poets, and began to pen his iconic works from his childhood home on Cwmdonkin Drive.
The Dylan Thomas Birthplace is a ‘living museum’ and celebrates the life and works of acclaimed Swansea poet and writer.
It is run as a ‘labour of love’ by Geoff, who now owns the house and his family and a small team of volunteers.
The house was restored in 2005 to how it would have looked when Thomas lived there, after previously being used as a student bedsit.
Thomas was born in 1914 in the front room of the house and has become known for his poems and short stories, including Under Milk Wood.
He continued to reside there until 1937 when his parents moved out of the home, which he later described as a ‘Glamorgan villa,’ overlooking the ‘long and splendid curving shore’
His home, Number 5, was one of six houses that were built between 1913 and 1915, after planning permission was granted in 1908 to a Mr T Lewis.
Dylan’s birthplace boasted four bedrooms, including a tiny space where he began his literary career, with his ‘box room’ including the only working gas lamp in the house and a single bed.
His home also included a ‘lounge,’ which was saved for visitors and special occasions, a study for Dylan’s father, a living room for eating, and typical Edwardian kitchen, bathroom and wash house.
While Dylan is now renowned for his poetic works, his life was a short one plagued by alcohol and infidelity.
He famously cheated on his wife Caitlin with American journalist Pearl Kazin, and their stormy marriage never recovered.
Caitlin, who was portrayed by Sienna Miller in the 2008 biopic The Edge of Love, is believed to have never forgiven the poet for his affair with Kazin, who he took on a high-profile trip around Europe at the height of their affair.
In Thomas’ later life he acquired a reputation, which he encouraged, as a ‘roistering, drunken and doomed poet’.
Controversy still surrounds the exact cause of his death at the age of 39 in New York in 1953 – whether it was pneumonia or a drink-induced coma during a literary tour.
Huge fan: Depp said he had been a fan of Thomas since he was ’10 or 12′ after his brother gave him a collection of short stories called Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog
Celebrity guest! And before leaving Thomas birthplace, Depp signed the visitors’ book: ‘All respect always, Johnny’
Candid: The Pirates of the Caribbean star revealed he falls asleep listening to Thomas’ play Under Milk Wood ‘a few times a week’
Surprise fan! He told Nation Cymru: ‘I’m still floating a little having been in the room where Under Milk Wood began and so many poems were written. So dumfounded’
Proud: House owner Geoff Haden said: ‘It was amazing. I would say it was the best house tour we’ve ever done’ (pictured far right with expert Alun Gibbard, Johnny and Sarah Haden)
Lauded: The Dylan Thomas Birthplace is a ‘living museum’ and celebrates the life and works of acclaimed Swansea poet and writer Dylan Thomas
‘Then Under Milk Wood, the first time, Under Milk Wood was the one that really grabbed me.
‘It was maybe the combination of the brilliance of Dylan Thomas’ capabilities with language and words and description and the combination of that with Richard Burton’s incredible… that voice, the presence of his voice. Richard Burton could become the entire play.
‘He is the one that gets the humour the best I think, he gets the really dry. He was a lovely person.’
Depp also said it was a ‘great honour’ to tour the house, adding: ‘I highly recommend to anyone who has a dilemma in falling to sleep; turn the lights out, put on Richard Burton reading Under Milk Wood and fall asleep to that. It’s the best sleep I’ve had.
‘I would do this all the time. For years now. I still do it. Yeah. At least a few times a week. I’ve walked his steps a little bit. This is going to stick with me for a while.’
House owner Geoff Haden said: ‘It was amazing. I would say it was the best house tour we’ve ever done. He was absolutely delightful, very unassuming and he loved the house.
‘He couldn’t get over that we’d done so much work here. He was extremely amenable, it was as if someone we knew really well had popped in for a coffee!
‘And his knowledge of Dylan was evident. He knew far more about Dylan than most people, he couldn’t get over that he was here visiting his birthplace and the place where Dylan wrote two-thirds of his work.’
The Dylan Thomas Birthplace is a ‘living museum’ and celebrates the life and works of acclaimed Swansea poet and writer Dylan Thomas.
It is run as a ‘labour of love’ by Geoff and his family and a small team of volunteers.
Author and Dylan Thomas expert Alun Gibbard said: ‘He was really enthusiastic, he got a little overwhelmed and emotional at the end when he thought about being in the place where Dylan was born and grew up.
‘He was a very warm person which made the whole tour that much more enjoyable.
‘He was very appreciative of being able to visit – and he signed our visitors book and left us a donation, but we didn’t realise until after when a staff member told us – he didn’t make a song and dance of it or anything.’
While Dylan is now renowned for his poetic works, his life was a short one plagued by alcohol and infidelity.
Important: It is run as a ‘labour of love’ by Geoff and his family and a small team of volunteers
Superstar: Johnny travelled to Wales as part of his tour with his band Hollywood Vampires, and posed for snaps with staff at The Grand Hotel during his trip to Swansea
Where it all began! Dylan’s birthplace boasted four bedrooms, including a tiny space where he began his literary career, with his ‘box room’ including the only working gas lamp in the house
Hard times: While Dylan is now renowned for his poetic works, his life was a short one plagued by alcohol and infidelity, and he died in 1953 at the age of 39
He famously cheated on his wife Caitlin with American journalist Pearl Kazin, and their stormy marriage never recovered.
Caitlin, who was portrayed by Sienna Miller in the 2008 biopic The Edge of Love, is believed to have never forgiven the poet for his affair with Kazin, who he took on a high-profile trip around Europe at the height of their affair.
In Thomas’ later life he acquired a reputation, which he encouraged, as a ‘roistering, drunken and doomed poet’.
Controversy still surrounds the exact cause of his death at the age of 39 in New York in 1953 – whether it was pneumonia or a drink-induced coma during a literary tour.
Johnny’s outing comes after he was forced to postpone the American leg of his band’s upcoming tour due to his painful ankle injury.
After tweaking his ankle while promoting his film, Jeanne Du Barry, at the Cannes Film Festival in June, a source revealed to TMZ at the time that the star ‘stressed it further while trying to power through’ at tribute show for his late friend Jeff Beck.
An insider divulged to the publication that the father-of-two’s ‘ankle is fractured and his medical team has instructed him not to fly for the foreseeable future.’
This means the Edward Scissorhands actor was unable to perform at the Hollywood Vampires’ next three shows, which were scheduled for New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York, in June.
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