– Hollywood actor Johnny Depp visited the Dylan Thomas Birthplace in Swansea and became emotional during his visit.– Depp is a rare book collector and enjoys reading, particularly Dylan Thomas’ works.– Depp first came across Dylan Thomas’ work when his brother bought him a book called ‘Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog’.– Depp showed extensive knowledge of Dylan Thomas’ poems and even listens to Richard Burton reading ‘Under Milk Wood’ to help him sleep.– The owner of the Dylan Thomas Birthplace, Geoff Haden, described Depp as delightful and said it was the best house tour they had ever done.
Hollywood actor Johnny Depp “became emotional” when visiting a beloved Swansea attraction this week. The Edward Scissorhands and Pirates of the Caribbean star enjoyed a short visit to the Dylan Thomas Birthplace in Uplands ahead of performing at Swansea Arena with his rock band Hollywood Vampires on Friday night. You can read our review of the band’s show here.
Away from the glitz and glamour of his life as a film star, Johnny Depp is an unexpected rare book collector who enjoys reading and has read several Dylan Thomas books and poems over the years. During his visit he told Geoff Haden, owner and restorer of Dylan Thomas Birthplace, that he first came across the Welsh poet’s work when his brother bought him ‘Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog’ when he was young.
“It was amazing [to have Johnny Depp visit],” he told WalesOnline. “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 [to restore Dylan’s birthplace]. 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 the poems, [had] been reading them for years. When he was young he had a book bought for him by his brother, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog,” Geoff added. “He said he has trouble sleeping about two or three times a week and he listens to Richard Burton reading Under Milk Wood.
“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. Located at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, where Dylan was born in 1914, the Dylan Thomas Birthplace receives no public funding and is run as a ‘labour of love’ by Geoff and his family and a small…
