Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp has said he was a "dumb ass" in the days when he was hooked on booze and drugs.

Depp, 40, told OK! magazine that opium was the biggest threat. "It's highly dangerous because it's so nice," he said. "It makes you completely relaxed."

He added that he always kept clear of cocaine: "I was never, ever a cokehead - I despise that drug.

"I was totally poisoning myself with alcohol and I was medicating myself. I was trying not to feel stuff and that was ridiculous. I was simply a dumb ass."

The star is currently filming The Libertine on the Isle of Man.