Depp sorry for 'anti-US' quotes

Depp was quoted describing the US as a "broken toy"

Actor Johnny Depp has denied comments he made in the German magazine Stern were meant to be "anti-American".

The 40-year-old star was quoted as saying America was "like a dumb puppy that has big teeth than can hurt".

In an apology issued by his publicist, the Kentucky-born Depp said his comment was referring to the US being a young, growing nation compared to Europe.

He added that he now lived in France because his wife, the singer Vanessa Paradis, was French.

Depp, who has won acclaim for his recent role in the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean, said he had been misquoted in the Stern interview.

The actor had also been quoted saying that the US was a "broken toy", and that he would urge his French-based children to explore it and then "get out".

'Eternally grateful'

The actor said he was "an American. I love my country and have great hopes for it.

"It is for this reason that I speak candidly and sometimes critically about it. I have benefited greatly from the freedom that exists in my country and for this I am eternally grateful," Depp said in his statement.

"My deepest apologies to those who were offended, affected, or hurt by this insanely twisted deformation of my words and intent," he said.

Depp was recently at the Venice Film Festival in Italy to promote his latest film, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, which also stars Salma Hayek.