Tuesday (April 19) Johnny Depp took the stand for the first time in the defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. With his statement he has rejected the allegations made against him: “I myself have never reached the point of hitting Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever hit a woman in my life,” said the actor.
In the civil case he accuses his former wife of “diabolical” lies. In a 2018 op-ed published by The Washington Post, Heard wrote about the long-term consequences of domestic violence – but without naming Depp.
In search of the truth
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star is suing for damages of 50 million US dollars due to reputational damage and the associated loss of income in the film business. In that case, he feels a responsibility not only to work for himself, but also for his children. “My goal is the truth. The truth is the only thing I’m interested in,” said the 58-year-old.
Last year he suffered a defeat in a lawsuit against the Sun. The majority of the allegations mentioned in the tabloid were found to be true, the judges said in their verdict at the time.
A rose full of thorns
Depp and Heard married in 2015 but split after just 15 months of marriage. At the beginning of the relationship, his ex-wife was loving, smart, funny and understanding: “We had a lot in common, our interest in music and literature.” When he came home from a long day at work, Heard first had a glass Wine in hand seated next to him on the sofa. “I’ve never experienced that in my life before. It even became a habit,” says Depp. In the final phase of her marriage, however, she was “a different person”. Depp admitted that there were disputes at the time. However, the border to physical violence was never exceeded.
“I’m not a maniac who always has to be high or on it”
The actor also commented on his drug use: “I’m not a maniac who always has to be high or on it.” Contrary to what was claimed, he was never “out of control” during filming. Previously, he would have suffered from an addiction to opiates and the drug Roxicodon; however, since undergoing therapy, he has not relapsed.
He traced his desire for intoxication back to his childhood: “My mother was unpredictable. She had the ability to be as cruel as humanly possible, which caused the whole family to suffer. She was pretty violent. She attacked, hit us on the head with objects,” said Depp.
If you sue me, I’ll sue you
Amber Heard listened to her ex-husband’s testimony seemingly unmoved. Some court reporters read a mixture of boredom and displeasure in their facial expressions. It is not yet clear when the actress will testify in the five-week trial. In the meantime, she has launched a counterclaim with double the amount in dispute: she is demanding $100 million in damages from Johnny Depp.
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