Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp visited the birthplace of Dylan Thomas in Uplands, Swansea
Hollywood star Johnny Depp said he was “dumfounded” after visiting the birthplace of Dylan Thomas in Swansea.
He made the visit ahead of a Swansea Arena gig with his band Hollywood Vampires, which also features Alice Cooper, on Friday.
“During this visit you get to see where all of his thoughts came from, it’s a lot to take in,” he told Nation Cymru.
“I’m still floating a little, having been in the room where Under Milk Wood began.”
Actor Depp, 60, has been in a string of Hollywood blockbusters, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The house, in Uplands, Swansea, was restored in 2005 to how it would have looked when Dylan Thomas lived there, after previously being used as a student bedsit.
Perhaps Wales’ best-known writer, Thomas was born in 1914 in the front room of the house and is known for his poems, short stories and plays, including Under Milk Wood.
Image source, Sarah Haden/ @dylanthomasbirthplace
Depp was said to have been “amazed” at the small size of Dylan Thomas’ bedroom, where much of his writing was done
Custodians of Dylan Thomas’ birthplace said on Facebook that Depp was “amazed that so much important Welsh writing” was done in a bedroom as small as Thomas’ was.
He was given the tour by owner Geoff Haden, who showed Depp a restored window overlooking Swansea Bay that was Thomas’ inspiration for the phrase “ships sailing across rooftops”.
Depp said he has been a fan of Thomas’ work since he was a child and his older brother introduced him to Portrait of an Artist as a Young Dog, a collection of Thomas’ short stories.
“And then of course all the poetry, all of the stuff that just takes your head apart,” he added.
Before leaving, Depp wrote in the visitors’ book: “All respect always, Johnny.”
