Johnny Depp Reveals He's Been Living Quiet Life in English Countryside: 'I Can Just Be Me'

Johnny Depp is enjoying the quiet life in England.

The actor, 59, revealed he has swapped Hollywood for the rural English county of Somerset in an interview in the April issue of the local magazine Somerset Life.

"I just love places with character. I have various houses in various places and they all mean something special to me. I don't have them just to say I own them, I have them for use and because they are a bit special," he told the publication.

He also praised the area for allowing him to live more comfortably out of the spotlight. "British people are cool and will greet you as if you are a neighbor without going over the top," he shared. "I don't mind if people want an autograph or a brief chat but not when I am having some private time with my family."

He added, "I can go into shops without being surrounded by people wanting selfies. I don't mind that up to a point, but sometimes it gets a little too crowded."

The Pirates of the Caribbean star revealed the low-key lifestyle suits him better than some might think. "In truth, I'm quite a shy person," he says. "That's one of the great things about Britain, and especially Somerset. I can just be me — and that's nice."

According to the Evening Standard, Depp bought a £13 million estate in Somerset, which is about three-and-a-half hours from London by car, in 2014. The property reportedly has 12 bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Somerset Life notes the home, which it describes as "a great manor house," is set within 850 acres and surrounded by walled gardens.

Earlier this month, Depp was spotted buying antiques during a private shopping session in Lincolnshire, a county in the east of England, according to the Guardian.

Robert Miller, owner of Hemswell Antiques Centres, told PA Media, "He just bought a lot of very quirky items; a desk chair, three guitars, paint sets, easels, a few pictures, posters – just a whole range of things for decorative items for his own personal property."

Depp reportedly purchased his U.K. home when he was newly engaged to his now ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, according to the Metro.

The former couple met on the set of their 2011 movie The Rum Diary. Their engagement was confirmed by PEOPLE in January 2014 and they tied the knot the following year. Heard, 36, filed for divorce in May 2016.

Last year Depp and Heard were involved in a defamation court battle, with Depp winning all three defamation claims in his case against Heard over her 2018 op-ed about coming forward as a survivor of domestic abuse. In December, attorneys for Depp announced that he would donate Heard's $1 million settlement payment to several different charities.