Johnny Depp, 58, is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard, 35, for defamation after she wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post, where she referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
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.”
The Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial has been ongoing for a few weeks, taking place in a courtroom in Fairfax, Virginia. After many witnesses took the stand, including Johnny Depp himself, Amber Heard finally took the stand late last week.
Social media has been blowing up with the #JusticeForJohnny hashtag having over 6.7 billion views (as of early May) while the hashtag #JusticeForAmberHeard only gained 25 million views.
TikTok specifically has been blowing up with the current Depp vs Heard trial, with many videos making fun of Heard’s current defense team. More recently, social media blew up when Heard’s attorney used an Inside the Magic article as part of their defense.
A body language expert, Judi James, recently analyzed Amber Heard’s first day of testimony, which took place on May 4, weighing in on the actress’s gestures, facial expressions, lack of tears, and even the importance of her hairstyle. You can read more about that here.
Now another body language expert is weighing in, this time analyzing both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp.
Body language expert, Dr. Louise Mahler, is weighing in after watching the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial, saying that both Hollywood stars are playing characters.
When speaking to Australia’s 7NEWS, Dr. Mahler said:
“They’re both actors and Johnny Depp has chosen a simpler act. So his act is just consistent and slow. And he’s able to hold that for week after week after week. Whereas her emotive act is harder to maintain. Who knows if she’s just exhausted, bored, whatever, but it doesn’t come across well.”
In regards to the Aquaman star, Ms. Heard, Dr. Mahler pointed out the tension she noticed in her jaw, saying, “She gets that right from the beginning. It’s when she tries to recall the emotional situations, it seems very manufactured.”
Heard has also been seen hyperventilating, but Dr. Mahler claims it isn’t authentic and seems to be more of a “calculated strategy”, further explaining:
“It’s more coming from the body. It’s trying to create emotional thought. It’s the wrong way around. If it is genuine emotion, what happens is, you almost see the trigger in the mind and then the breath follows. Her high breath is trying to bring her to tears, and I have to say she doesn’t achieve it. People who perform, if they do breathe high, they’ll actually turn to crying after a while because it puts pressure on the throat.”
Inside the Magic recently reported that fans believe Ms. Heard is using cocaine while on the stand as she has been seen sniffing in some sort of substance from a tissue rather than blowing her nose out. Dr. Mahler weighed in on this, saying:
“One would normally blow one’s nose because there’s moisture, but she actually puts the hankie up and breathes in. Some people have said she’s breathing in a substance or something. I don’t know about that, but that would be a very odd thing to do.”
Credit: Dior
When speaking to Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp and his body language throughout the trial thus far, Dr. Mahler says “He’s got his character down pat,” further explaining:
“His character is, ‘I can hardly believe this is happening,’ which means that he’s taken a strategy of closing his eyes, breathing and speaking slowly, looking down. He has gaps in his speech. He speaks slowly. He has a sense of lack of belief, which then brings about a bit of humor. He has stuck to that act throughout, which makes it credible because consistency builds credibility.
It’s one of the keys to trust. It has unconscious messages to the listener, which says this man is consistent. He is consistently smooth in his behavior. It’s a credible performance. Is it a true performance? Who knows. But that’s certainly the way their acts are coming across.”
Credit: ABC
The actor 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.