Johnny Depp is staying on a ranch with his girlfriend Amber Heard while he shoots Transcendence.

The 49-year-old actor has spent $51,000 to hire the property so he and the stunning 27-year-old actress can have some privacy from the rest of the cast and crew during the eight-week shoot in New Mexico.

"The ranch is way out in the sticks. The hotel casino where the cast and crew are is decent, but Johnny's place blows it away. Nobody is bothered about Johnny having his own place. He's the star of the movie, after all," a source said.

The Hollywood actor stars as Will in the upcoming science-fiction thriller - directed by Wally Pfister - which follows his character's work with his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) to create a world where computers can exceed the abilities of the human brain.