Credit: Screenshot via Law and Crime NetworkPirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp, 58, is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard, 35, (Aquaman (2018), The Rum Diary (2011), Drive Angry Piper (2011), and more) for defamation after she wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post, where she referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
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Johnny Depp, 58, is one of the best-known versatile actors in Hollywood. He has starred in a wide variety of films including Sweeney Todd (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2017), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Secret Window (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), 21 Jump Street (2012), The Lone Ranger (2003), Public Enemies (2009), and more.
Now, Mr. Depp has appeared in court alongside ex-wife, Heard, as he is suing the Aquaman actress for defamation. Ms. Heard is countersuing Mr. Depp, claiming that he “defamed her when his former lawyer released statements saying her allegations of abuse were a hoax.”
Related: Johnny Depp Continuously Claps Back at Amber Heard’s Lawyer During Trial
Due to Heard’s allegations, Depp’s career has taken a few hits. Warner Bros.’ The Fantastic Beasts franchise dropped Depp and recast him with Madds Mikkelson. Disney also fired Depp from his iconic role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
After losing to The Sun in a libel lawsuit case in November 2021, Depp has gone back to court for a defamation case, claiming that Heard isn’t telling the truth and has ruined his career.
Depp has been under testimony for the last four days in court, which is taking place in Fairfax, Virginia, where he has accused Ms. Heard of years of abuse. During his last day under testimony, as Depp’s attorney conducted the redirect examination, Depp once again told the jury that he was the victim of domestic violence.
Depp also restated that Heard’s claims in her Op-Ed are “completely untrue”. “The only person I’ve abused in my life is myself,” Depp said referencing his struggle with substance abuse, which began when he was just 11 years old. He described his drug use as “self-medication” after living through a difficult childhood, as well as through his marriage with Heard when he needed to seek “numbing”.
Related: Amber Heard Caught in Lie During Court as Makeup Brand Exposes Her
Depp and his attorney also addressed those disturbing text messages between Depp and WandaVision star Paul Bettany, saying his writing style is “abstract humor” and it is a way he can “express myself”.
“The text that is about burning Ms. Heard, it’s directly from Monty Python in the sketch about burning witches and then drowning the witches. This is a film we all watched… it’s just irreverent and abstract humor, that’s what we were referring to in those texts,” Depp said, referring the text he sent to Bettany.
“Ms. Heard despised Mr. Bettany because, mainly, we had become such close friends and for her, he was a threat. He would take me away from her,” Depp continued to explain. “If Paul Bettany was getting the attention from me, that was a showstopper. It would cause all kinds of unpleasantries.”
Also during the redirect, Depp explained that he learned he was going to be recast as Jack Sparrow from a news article quoting a Disney executive just a couple of days after Heard’s Op-Ed was published in The Washington Post. Depp testified:
“I didn’t quite understand how after that long relationship, and quite a successful relationship certainly for Disney, that suddenly I was guilty until proven innocent.”
Depp played Jack Sparrow in all five Pirates of the Caribbean films, including Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003), Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
The franchise also includes characters such as Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley), Norrington (Jack Davenport), Governor Weatherby Swann (Jonathan Pryce), Pintel (Lee Arenberg), Ragetti (Mackenzie Crook) and others.
The Depp vs Heard trial continues today in Fairfax, Virginia.
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