London, May 8 : Johnny Depp has revealed his life was miserable until he started his own family and had kids.

The `Pirates of the Caribbean' star undeniably had it tough when he was growing up.

His parents divorced when he was 15 and he used to self-harm as a way of coping with personal problems.

But he admitted that this "emptiness" remained until he had children Lily-Rose, now 12, and Jack, ten, with long-term partner Vanessa Paradis, 39.

"There is nothing on earth that could ever make me want to relive certain years of my life when I was young," the Sun quoted the actor as saying in an exclusive interview.

"You grow up a bit damaged or broken then you have some success but you don't know how to feel good about the work you're doing or the life you're leading.

"You feel empty. I was angry and frustrated until I started my own family and my first child was born. Until then I didn't really appreciate life the way I should have, but fortunately I woke up," he stated.

Coincidentally, waking up is the central theme of his new movie `Dark Shadows', his eighth collaboration with oddball director Tim Burton.

The film sees Depp playing a vampire who comes round after being buried alive for two centuries. (ANI)