If “sauvage” is a fancy for “refined savage,” then consider it the perfect (French) way to describe the birth chart of the glamorous swashbuckler Johnny Depp. Since his early days, he’s found an enviably rare acting niche playing endearing outsiders, lovable freaks and outrageous yet relatable antiheros.
Needless to say, Johnny Depp is a fascinating character. Going from high school dropout to Hollywood superstar is certainly no easy feat, and his talent as an actor is evident throughout his birth chart, particularly in his ability to humanize even the campiest, quirkiest, most otherworldly of characters. Yet perhaps even rarer is that he’s been able to occupy such an enviably beloved place in the public eye—all while somehow keeping his private life, well, private.
Fame can be a challenging paradox for Gemini, as they express themselves freely (Mutable Air), with a flair for the mischievous and tend not to give a fig when it comes to the whole rule-following thing, preferring instead to go against convention and make their own. This tendency to break the mold has a dual effect, garnering them both popularity and notoriety, sometimes leading them to consciously adopt a “Rebel Without a Cause” persona.
But here’s the thing: though Gemini may seem not to care what other people think (and will often tell as many people as possible that they don’t), the truth is? They do. A lot. And Johnny Depp is certainly no exception. In fact, the combination of his Gemini Sun, Capricorn Moon and Leo Rising alone indicates a personality type whose priorities revolve around keeping up appearances, both in his professional and personal life.
The fact is, Gemini will play it cool as a cucumber as long as they have a slew of admirers. But should unflattering headlines or critical reviews start rolling in? Watch out. In extreme cases, Gemini will launch into fits of verbal pugilism. For instance, manic tweeting (Kanye West), outrageous public statements (Donald Trump) and/or becoming alarmingly litigious, taking anyone and everyone they can to court—all in the name of preserving their public image (did I say Donald Trump?).
The other challenge Fame presents for Gemini is that, though in some ways their duality serves them in their chosen career, there’s a definite “Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde Effect” that’s inescapable when it comes to Gemini Man, where the formerly sparkly side suddenly evaporates and suddenly the horns come out. On an interpersonal level, this complex can be disastrous; yet it’s easy to see how it’s served Johnny professionally: Even the characters he plays all exhibit a marked extremism in their examination of the duality of “man v. beast.” From Edward Scissorhands to Willy Wonka to Jack Sparrow—the roles that have come to define him as an actor all revolve around the idea of someone who’s “lovable but dangerous.”
So, who is Johnny Depp? Is he an altruistic outsider who’s simply misunderstood? Or is he a violent, self-destructive deadbeat? The calm, charming side we’ve seen. At least until the Amber Heard scandal and resulting revelations about his hitherto private life that forced even his most loyal fans to question whether he really was harboring secretly violent (or at the very least self-destructive) tendencies. Don’t get me wrong: regardless of any personal suffering or character deficits, Gemini Suns have radiant personalities, and can charm any bird out of its tree. But what’s most fascinating about the case of Johnny Depp is that, for most of his life and career, he’s been acutely adept at concealing his Mr. Hyde side.
Sun Trine Saturn: Dr. Jekyll
Johnny Depp was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensburg, Kentucky. As a Gemini Sun, he’s extremely changeable in his emotions, thoughts and actions (as all four Mutable signs of the Zodiac are). As the singular Mutable Air sign, Gemini is intellectual and cerebral in their orientation toward life.
Analytical, calculating and communicative, Gemini, much like Aquarius, has an easily excitable temperament. The flip side, though, is that those with planets in Air signs in their birth charts often suffer from racing thoughts, anxiety and, in extreme cases, bouts of mania.
Luckily for Johnny Depp, though, he was blessed with a calm, cool demeanor, thanks to a supportive alignment between his Gemini Sun and Saturn, which is well-placed in its home sign of Aquarius in his chart. Harmonious angles between the Sun and Saturn in astrology bestow the person with an innate sense of self-control, which they can tap into and use to their advantage whenever they choose (hello Dr. Jekyll).
The Sun represents one’s ego, identity and drive for significance or recognition in the world, while Saturn symbolizes the lessons and obstacles we need to overcome to achieve recognition. So, with his Sun and Saturn working together in his chart, he has a strong sense of personal integrity, and his efforts to achieve his goals are directed in a practical, conscious way.
Paradoxically, the Sun in his 11th house of Friends, Associates and Social Networks trine Saturn in his 7th house of Committed Partnerships signifies a person whose primary advantages and most challenging obstacles in life will come from challenges in relationships.
With this Sun-Saturn alignment in Air signs, Depp easily exudes an image of a stable, even “ideal” partner, which in turn attracts partners, friends and business associates who’re not only loyal, but provide concrete support to the person when it comes to furthering the realization of their professional goals, offering their help to the person when it comes to furthering their life goals (Saturn)—often without even being asked.
Evidence of this can be seen in the wide array of loyal co-stars, industry connections, friends and fans (Sun in the 11th house) and even exes (Saturn in the 7th house) who’ve supported him unconditionally over the years, with several of them speaking out publicly in his defense amidst accusations of violent behavior, substance abuse and domestic violence that have emerged in recent years.
Take his first wife, Lori Anne Allison. She was the one who introduced him to Nicolas Cage, an introduction that opened the door for him to make his first break out of obscurity and onto the stage. Subsequent former partners have spoken highly of him post-breakup as well, including two of his most well-known exes, Kate Moss and Vanessa Paradis.
Those with Saturn in their 7th houses are attracted to partners who are older or more mature in some respect, if not somewhat parental in their influence. So before Amber Heard? It’s safe to say that Johnny Depp was used to self-controlled (if not completely silent) partners. Or at least partners who were fine to play second fiddle, never threatening to upstage him when it came to his stardom, much less risk his carefully-curated public image.
Mars-Uranus in Virgo: Mr. Hyde
Speaking of relationships, with his natal Mars, Uranus and Pluto all in the Mutable Earth sign of Virgo, the lovable quirkiness of the characters he plays belies a much darker side. Virgo, like Gemini, is a Mutable sign, meaning that he’s changeable, double-sided—two-faced. Point being? Whenever you see a birth chart with many planets in Mutable signs? Make sure you watch out for that Mr. Hyde side when you inadvertently hit a nerve.
On the plus side, Mutable signs are highly adaptable because they’re experts at compartmentalizing, choosing to forget the negative and focus on the positive: “Why can’t they move on already?” they say to themselves as others dwell. Yet, what they don’t realize is that, by taking an avoidant approach to interpersonal conflict, they often inadvertently create it.
Further aggravating his Mutability Thing, Johnny Depp’s chart has an intense alignment between his Mars—planet of war and conflict—and Uranus—planet of sudden changes and upheaval, each grating tensely against the other in nit-picky Virgo. This particular planetary alignment is a contradiction in itself: Virgo is quiet, avoids conflict and typically expresses even the mildest of frustrations through passive-aggressive action rather than direct communication. Mars-Uranus, on the other hand, is quite literally a powder keg, ready to explode in anger at even the mildest of perceived slights.
On its own, Mars in Virgo is the consummate perfectionist, known to be hard-working to the point of exhaustion, bringing the person tangible results in whatever they decide to put their effort into. Yet Mars in Virgo’s shortcoming is his fussiness, as those with Mars in Virgo can easily get caught up in inconsequential, missing the forest for the trees.
But when Mars in Virgo is paired up with Uranus, there’s an amped up irritability—with both self and others equally—when he/they don’t “get it right” immediately. Extreme impatience comes with any natal Mars-Uranus aspect; but in the sign of Virgo, the source of the impatience is a feeling that one’s work is never good enough—an attitude that all too easily gets projected onto coworkers, partners and others in the atmosphere.
So, am I saying that Johnny Depp is abusive? No. What is clear from his birth chart is that he’s got a high-voltage temper and, yes, an extremely violent side. Violence, however, can manifest in many ways. And in Virgo, it’s likely to be self-directed. Does this mean he isn’t violent toward or in front of others? No. He might very well be. The point is simply that tense Mars-Uranus aspects in the birth chart indicate impulsivity and violence.
Lil Wayne, for instance, has this same aspect in his birth chart, though in the fiery, impulsive sign of Sagittarius. And what did he do? Accidentally shot himself with a gun. It’s the same thing here, except that in the sign of Virgo, the self-destructiveness would manifest in that his most violent relationship in life is likely the one with himself.
Take another famous Gemini Sun: Marilyn Monroe. Like Depp, she too started out as a proverbial nobody, making it to Hollywood on her looks and talent alone. But she too developed an issue with substance abuse that negatively affected her later on in her career, often (like Depp) showing up visibly intoxicated or late to set, if she made it there at all. This is the type of self-destruction that Mars-Uranus can bring in the Mutable sign of Virgo. Enter Mr. Hyde.
Capricorn Moon: Mother Trouble
The first thing to know is that the Moon represents not just our experience of being Mothered, but our experience of early childhood in general. This is why your Moon sign, along with the angles it forms to other planets in your birth chart, is arguably the most important planet in the birth chart.
Our Moon sign signifies our deepest emotional needs in life—the needs we’re innately compelled to fill, without which it’s impossible to find happiness. So when the Moon is in Capricorn, the sign of its detriment, the experience of having been mothered, or having received affection and nurturing in early childhood, is hampered.
For instance, Mother can be experienced as a hard-working yet long-suffering and nervous or anxious person who requires care. As a result, the caretaker/caregiver dynamic is inverted, wherein the child is forced to take care of the parent, inadvertently forcing them to become an adult far too early in life.
Love is experienced as conditional with the Moon in Capricorn—a principle that the Capricorn Moon individual unconsciously carries with them into later life, impacting their relationships with others, especially intimate partnerships. Consequently, this dynamic creates a sense of resentment and/or fear when it comes to the opposite sex, especially for Capricorn Moon males. Delayed marriage or fear of marriage/committed partnerships v. craving for marriage/committed partnerships is usually how this plays out.
For better or worse, those born with Capricorn Moon are deeply afraid of giving themselves to someone else, fearing internally they’ll suffer the same victim/martyr complex that plagued their relationship with Mom. So they learn to play the victim to “get out of” the relationship if it reaches a point that feels too serious. This is particularly true for Gemini men, who don’t like to make firm, long-lasting commitments to anything, let alone anyone.
But beyond its placement in Capricorn alone, Depp’s Moon forms two notable alignments: a smooth trine to Pluto in Virgo and a tense square to Jupiter in Aries. These alignments add nuance to his Moon in Capricorn, describing a contradictory emotional temperament.
The aspects between his Capricorn Moon and Pluto in Virgo + Jupiter in Aries describe a contradictory relationship with Mother, too. On the one hand, Mother is highly controlled, if not passive-aggressive and manipulative; yet with the Moon trine Pluto, there’s a very strong, unconscious emotional attachment to the Mother figure.
Similarly, with Jupiter in ambitious Aries at odds with his Moon in Capricorn, Mother has big dreams for herself—dreams the son feels the pressure to fulfill. For instance, Mother may want to live out her own ambition for fame and fortune through the child, with these aspects involved. And the child would feel the need to please her unequivocally and with no uncertainty—a dynamic which would, naturally, impact all his future relationships with women.
Venus-Mercury v. Saturn: Rocky Relationships
Further complicating the picture of Johnny Depp’s romantic life is the tense angle between his natal Venus and Mercury in Taurus and his natal Saturn in Aquarius. Venus is the planet of love, and when it’s in a tense angle to Saturn, the individual has an innate skepticism when it comes to all love relationships.
Tense Venus-Saturn angles in the birth chart create insecurity and self-doubt when it comes to one’s power of attraction, so that the person feels as if they have to work for love—in Johnny’s case, this theme is even more pronounced given his Saturn-ruled Moon in Capricorn.
Based on his birth chart alone, it’s clear that the prominence of his natal Saturn in its dominance over his natal Moon and Venus, that Johnny Depp has an extremely fraught relationship not just to romantic relationships, but to relationships with women in particular.
Taken together, his Moon-Pluto and Venus-Saturn create a love-hate dynamic when it comes to female love, a fact which makes it extremely challenging for him to open himself up and connect emotionally in a relationship.
The result is either that he’ll be the one in the relationship who remains aloof, keeping the woman always at arm’s length; or, he’ll find himself perpetually attracted to emotionally unavailable women—or women who hold a similar view that love isn’t unconditional, but based on exchange.
What he won’t likely see, of course, is that because all relationships involve a certain degree of projection, or transference, the women he attracts are no accident. Rather, they’re the reflection of his own internalized view that love is not really “for better or worse,” but what each one can “do” for one another.
Neptune + Lack of Water: Keeping the Faith
Like most of those who achieve a high level of fame, Depp has a prominently-placed Neptune in Water sign Scorpio, located at the bottom of his chart in the spiritual 4th house of Home and Family, forming a tense alignment with his Ascendant in attention-seeking Leo. When Neptune in emotionally-intense Scorpio forms a tense alignment with the Ascendant in ego-driven Leo, one thing’s for certain: drama is sure to ensue.
Of note here is that, aside from his Neptune in Scorpio, Depp has no other planets in Water signs (Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces), which has the dual effect of heightening the importance of emotional expression in his life yet leaving him paradoxically lacking in (true) emotional depth.
Though, with his Neptune in Scorpio at a tense angle to his romantic Leo Rising, he may not see himself this way of course. In fact, he most likely overcompensates, diving into love relationships by love bombing to “prove” (to himself) just how deeply he’s capable of feeling.
Those who lack planets in Water signs—especially when the majority of his other planets fall in Mutable signs (Gemini Sun + Mars, Uranus and Pluto in Virgo)—typically have trouble when it comes to emotions, as empathy is not something that was modeled for them growing up. As a result, the individual with a lack of Water in the chart will work this out in one of two ways: 1) by overcompensating for their innate lack of emotional depth by involving themselves heavily in the world of emotions or, 2) will make themselves the Victim/Martyr, thereby garnering the continued empathy or emotional support of others. In some cases, the person will engage in a little bit of both.
Johnny Depp appears to fit the latter type as, on the one hand, while he’s greatly concerned with emotional depth, on the other he displays behavior that shows very little regard for others. One minute he’s the victim of self-professed demons stemming from his substance-abusing Mother; the next he’s throwing glass bottles at Amber Heard and lashing out at fellow cast and crew members on set. So, in this case, the combination of the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde effect and his lack of planets in Water signs compounds, making emotional stability the great challenge of his chart.
Neptune is the great dissolver of boundaries, while the 4th house is where we come from, and any planets placed there indicate the relative strength of our emotional foundation. So, when Neptune falls in the 4th house, the person is born with a shaky emotional foundation when it comes to relationships—especially when at a tense angle to the Ascendant. Neptune square Ascendant causes trouble for the person by distorting not only the way they perceive themselves but how they perceive others.
Neptune in the 4th house can mean the individual is either completely out of touch with and/or has an idealized vision of the Father figure, who’s typically absent from daily life. Whether this is true for Depp I’m not sure; but I’d be surprised if Father wasn’t a bit of a mysterious figure, if not completely unknown to him. This, in turn, can affect his vision of relationships. With no model of how to perform the “masculine” role in relationships (except in terms of son to mother), there’s a disillusionment with—and perhaps desire to shirk—the stereotypical “provider” role, unconsciously seeking out more mature (if not motherlike) partners to take the helm on the home front, leaving him free to live out as many rebellious teenage daydreams as he can.
Not surprisingly, it’s common to see those lacking planets in a certain astrological element in relationships with people who have what they lack. Ergo the “Winona Forever” tattoo. So though Kate Moss (Capricorn), Vanessa Paradis (Capricorn) and even Amber Heard (Taurus) may’ve all felt like good fits, maybe Johnny should’ve stuck it out with Winona (Scorpio). Or tried dating some other Water sign women who could balance him out. Though I doubt many Water sign ladies would tolerate fits of rage very long before bowing out. But anyway, I digress.
To be fair, should he choose to recognize the challenge of his Neptune square Ascendant—that is, of cultivating faith and emotional stability within himself, without relying on the outlet of his profession or on the crutch of a more stable partner in his private life—the rewards will come in spades. Neptune is the cosmic “Santa Claus” of the Zodiac, so if he chooses to actively develop a spiritual practice, for instance, that’ll help restore his sense of faith, in people and more importantly, in himself, he’ll give himself the gift of emotional stability, and in turn attract the type of partnership that’ll enrich his life rather than breed resentment.
Case in point? Tina Turner. Tina Turner—a Sagittarius Sun + Gemini Moon, with an overwhelming number of planets (almost all of them in fact) in Mutable signs—suffered greatly in her relationships and faith in them. That is, until she discovered Buddhist Chanting. After a traumatic upbringing including the abandonment by both her parents followed by her notoriously violent relationship with Ike, Tina often spoke of how finding her spiritual practice of chanting was the key to her healing, prompting her to find the courage to leave Ike and rediscover her faith in true love—which she finally found for the first time at the age of 47.
Depp v. Heard: the Saturn Return
So what’s love got to do with Johnny Depp? Well, a lot it turns out, as his second Saturn Return was a bit of a disaster. Most of us know of the first Saturn return at 29 (often referred to as the “marriage age”), which marks a time of individuation from the family structure and the first glimmer of what our career path will look like. But the second Saturn Return is a little different—it’s all about testing the strength and integrity of the family/career we’ve built from age 29 to 58.
At 58, the second Saturn Return marks a period when our social status, career and reputation come up for review. And with Saturn representing the principle of punishment and reward, the type of recognition you receive during this period of life will depend on how well (or not well) you’ve conducted yourself professionally. Put simply, if you’ve been doing all the work and acting with integrity, you’ll be rewarded, honored for your success. But if you’ve been cutting corners or breaking rules? Well, then you’re sure to feel the wrath of Saturn at age 58, and instead of basking in the glory of a job well done, you’ll end up fighting battles you never intended to fight.
Doing one’s due diligence is important. That’s what Saturn is all about. And those with prominent placements in Capricorn (Sun, Moon, Rising, for instance) feel their Saturn Returns even more acutely. So, as someone with a decidedly Saturn-heavy chart, with his Capricorn Moon (ruled by Saturn), his Saturn’s potent alignments to his Sun, Venus and Mercury, plus its placement in his 7th house of Relationships, Depp’s second Saturn Return was bound to mark an especially critical turning point in his life and career—and that his ability to weather the test of this period would hinge almost exclusively on the relative health of his Committed Partnerships.
This is very obvious in the case of Johnny Depp, whose career has been affected in ways it's never been before by accusations of not only Amber Heard but of his former agent about the egregiousness of his alleged on-set drunkenness and difficulty to work with. And it’s no coincidence that the height of his bad publicity amidst his legal battle with Amber Heard came about right as Johnny Depp turned 58.
Though rumors of Depp’s professional issues began as early as 2018, it wasn’t until the trial in Virginia, when he sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation, that his private life was put on such public display. Here are the exact dates of Johnny Depp’s second Saturn Return and the events accompanying them:
April 12, 2022 - Depp v. Heard trial begins on April 11, 2022 in Fairfax, Virginia, with expert testimony and trial coverage lasting until June 1, 2022.
July 29, 2022 - Following the close of the trial, on July 21, 2022, Heard announces her plans to appeal the verdict; Depp then announces his plans to appeal the verdict on July 22, 2022.
January 5, 2023 - Heard and Depp settle their respective claims on December 19, 2022. Meanwhile, from the dates of the trial through the end of 2022, considerable press emerges about Depp’s alleged on-set behavior, resulting release by Disney from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, as well as his allegedly confrontational relationship with Maiwenn, director and co-star of what was supposed to be his “comeback” film, historical drama “Jeanne du Barry”—a working relationship so confrontational that apparently it resulted in Depp’s screen time being cut to 15 minutes.
The strength of his relationships, both personal and professional, was ultimately the source of the mass of publicity surrounding not only his divorce from and subsequent lawsuits against ex-wife Amber Heard, all of which revealed damaging personal information about Depp’s private life. In other words, the lesson of his second Saturn Return is that preserving his public image and reputation means putting in the work when it comes to squashing Relationship Drama.
Given the fact that he was born with Jupiter—planet of Luck— in his 9th house of legal battles and publicity, I’m not surprised at all that he ended up winning the lawsuit in Virginia. But with all the trial revealed about him, including some scathing testimony from former talent agent Tracey Jacobs, who testified that his star power had dimmed due to his substance abuse and tendency to show up late to set, did he really win? I supposed only time will tell.