Johnny Depp Stars in Amber Heard's Movie Despite Domestic Violence Controversy

Despite the controversial history of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard relationship, that has been marred with domestic abuse claims, the Pirates of the Caribbean leading man stars in Heard’s movie.

Actor Johnny Depp and his relationship with fellow Hollywood actress Amber Heard has been the center of multi-year controversy. The pair, who originally met on the set of The Rum Diary (2011), and later got together after Depp’s relationship with Vanessa Paradis ended, were locked in a highly-publicized defamation trial last summer.

Back in December 2018, Amber Heard published her infamous (now with a disclaimer) Op-Ed in The Washington Post. Titled “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change,” Heard — without naming Depp — detailed her history as a victim of domestic violence. It was this essay that formed the basis of the defamation lawsuit and the allegations made at trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, last year.

At the end of the trial, and after two days of deliberations, the jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Heard — the latter was reduced to $350,000 due to Virginia state law. As Depp sued Heard for $50 million, Heard countersued for $100 million under the same defamation claim. The jury awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages after finding that Depp did defame her through his then-lawyer Adam Waldman.

The whole defamation case courtroom affair, which was presided over by Judge Penney Azcarate, revealed information about both Depp and Heard’s careers with testimonies from high-profile individuals like British model Kate Moss. Elon Musk and James Franco were rumored to testify, but appearances were never made.

Related: #JusticeForJohnnyDepp Blows Up After New Amber Heard Information Comes to Light

During the six-week trial, Depp spoke on his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in The Walt Disney Company and producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. As one of Disney’s biggest franchises, Depp’s portrayal as the rogueish Captain Jack Sparrow is largely credited with its success.

Upon Depp’s loss at the London High Court, where Justice Andrew Nicol sided with The Sun, executive editor Dan Wootton, and parent company News Group Newspapers LTD, the actor was shut out of both Pirates and Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts series. Mads Mikkelsen would be cast to take over the role of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

The defamation trial was seen as the last major battle between the pair, and its outcome has seen both parties dealing with the aftermath; Depp has left Hollywood for a life in the English countryside, and Heard was recently spotted in Spain. That said, Heard is lined up to star in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) this December, where she reprises her role as Mera in the DC film alongside Jason Momoa (Arthur Curry/Aquaman), and Depp will next star as King Louis XV in Maiwenn’s Jeanne du Barry (2023), which opens this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Johnny Depp Stars in Amber Heard’s Movie Despite Domestic Violence Controversy

Interestingly, though, the pair starred together in a movie amid the height of the controversy.

London Fields (2018) was released almost half a decade ago and was a huge critical and commercial failure, bringing in just short of $500,000 at the global box office on a budget of $8 million. London Fields was in development for five years, with director Matthew Cullen leading the troubled movie into production in 2013.

The movie stars Billy Bob Thornton, Theo James, Jason Isaacs, Cara Delevigne, and Amber Heard, among others.

Related: Disney Is Being Forced to Bring Back Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow

London Fields also has a cameo appearance from Johnny Depp.

The 2018 release of London Fields came in the same year Heard published her Op-Ed and also two years after the pair’s relationship broke down — they married in 2015, with Heard filing for divorce in 2016, citing physical and verbal abuse. In 2016, Heard also took out a restraining order against her husband.

It is worth noting that Depp’s cameo was seemingly shot in October 2013. Still, it is interesting that both parties starred in a movie together in the most troubling years of their relationship.

Have you kept up to date with the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard relationship? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!