Drops of Jupiter

Everyone’s favorite pirate, the notorious actor, Johnny Depp, is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard in a shocking trial that is captivating the world. In December of 2018, Ms. Heard printed an article in The Washington Post asserting that she “became a public figure representing domestic abuse” (read the full article here). Depp’s lawyers contend that Heard crafted the article to elevate her own career at the height of the #MeToo movement. Although the op-ed never mentions Depp by name, it devastated his career. Almost immediately he was dismissed from his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the sixth Pirates movie as well as the Fantastic Beasts franchise. When questioned about this, he remarks, “I would be a real simpleton to not think that there was an effect on my career based on Ms. Heard’s words, whether they mentioned my name or not.” Tabloid magazines were swift to condemn the actor, too, alleging that he sexually assaulted Amber during and after their marriage. In November 2020 Depp filed a lawsuit against “The Sun,” a British tabloid that accused him of being a “wife beater.” The court ruled that the article was not falsified, and found that there was sufficient evidence of abuse to support their publication. Now, Johnny Depp is suing Amber Heard directly for $50 M in damages from The Washington Post article, and she is counter-suing for $100 M.

Although the marriage between Heard and Depp lasted a mere 15 months, there was no lack of drama that would have everlasting effects on both parties. Once the pair split in 2016, Amber did not hesitate to unleash threats and allegations against her ex-husband. To expedite the divorce process, she secured a restraining order against him and demanded $7 M in spousal support which she vowed to donate to charity. She did not end up donating any of this money. Johnny Depp filed the current lawsuit in 2019, but the pandemic delayed it until now. Meanwhile, Amber and her legal team hoped that it would be dismissed like the UK trial, which we now see did not happen.

During the riveting legal battle, Depp prefaces that he endured physical abuse at the hands of his cruel mother growing up. His sister and manager, Christi Dembrowski, backs this up, affirming, “There was physical abuse, certainly, which could be in the form of an ashtray being thrown at you… or you’d get beat with a high heel shoe or telephone or whatever’s handy.” With this in mind, there is no doubt that Ms. Heard’s abuse was especially jarring for Mr. Depp. Audio recordings of the couple’s arguments confirm that Amber was violent, and in one of them she screams to Johnny, “You didn’t get punched; you got hit. I’m sorry I hit you like this, but I did not punch you!” Depp’s bodyguard, Travis McGivern, testified that he saw Ms. Heard punch Mr. Depp hard, leaving a bruise on his face. During an altercation in Australia, Depp discloses that Heard threw two glass vodka bottles at him, severing his finger and slicing both hands. By far the most disgusting of the abuse was when Ms. Heard pooped in Mr. Depp’s bed before leaving for Coachella. When questioned about this, Mr. Depp comments that his agent “showed me a photograph on his telephone of … it was a photograph of our bed, and on my side of the bed, was human fecal matter.”

The legendary movie star’s exes have come forward to verify that he is not a violent person and helping to clear his name. Vanessa Paradis, the mother to Depp’s children, shares that “in all the years I have known Johnny, he has never been physically abusive with me and this looks nothing like the man I lived with for 14 wonderful years.” Similarly, his ex-wife, Lori Anne Allison, denies that Depp was ever aggressive towards her, and goes as far to say that he never raised his voice when she knew him.

Ms. Heard’s lawyers have complied evidence of sexual, physical, and verbal abuse she suffered at the hands of Mr. Depp in the trial, too. After the divorce, Mr. Depp sent his friends many graphic texts about Ms. Heard. One of the most disturbing was when he pronounced that he wanted to drown and burn her, and that he “will f- her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead.” Ms. Heard also alleged that he was aggressively jealous during their marriage, accusing her of having affairs with her co-stars and sexually abusing her if he saw that she was flirty with men or women (given that Heard is bisexual). One of these assaults included “being forced to perform oral sex and having Depp penetrate her with a liquor bottle.” Dawn Hughes, the psychologist hired by Ms. Heard, says that she suffered PTSD from violence she experienced at the hands of Mr. Depp, including multiple acts of sexual assault. However, Mr. Depp’s hired psychologist, Dr. Shannon Curry, counters that Ms. Heard was “faking her symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered from borderline and histrionic personality disorders.”

The attention this case is getting places more importance on the verdict and has far-reaching impacts past the Hollywood circle. As new evidence surfaces and more witnesses take the stand, people question whether women suffering from domestic abuse will be challenged if they come forward. Although the case is no doubly a major step for men suffering from intimate partner violence, Heard’s exaggerated accusations could threaten women’s credibility in the future. Every fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean films is a victim of Heard as well, given that if “Disney came to [Johnny Depp] with $300 M and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get [him] to go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean film.” I think we can all agree that without Johnny Depp, Captain Jack Sparrow is as good as dead, which is a tragedy for pirates, people, and children alike.

Works Cited

Heard, Amber. “Opinion | Amber Heard: I Spoke up against Sexual Violence – and Faced Our Culture’s Wrath. That Has to Change.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 19 Dec. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ive-seen-how-institutions-protect-men-accused-of-abuse-heres-what-we-can-do/2018/12/18/71fd876a-02ed-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html. 

Juneau , Jen. “Amber Heard Said Poop in Bed with Johnny Depp Was a ‘Horrible Practical Joke,’ Guard Testifies.” PEOPLE.com, People, 29 Apr. 2022, https://people.com/movies/amber-heard-said-poop-in-bed-johnny-depp-practical-joke-guard-testifies-defamation-trial/. 

“Psychologist Testifies Actor Johnny Depp Assaulted Ex-Wife Amber Heard.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 4 May 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-lawsuit-testimony-2022-05-03/. 

Rawden, Mack. “What Johnny Depp’s Exes Think of the Abuse Allegations.” CINEMABLEND, Cinemablend, 30 May 2016, https://www.cinemablend.com/pop/What-Johnny-Depp-Exes-Think-Abuse-Allegations-141537.html. 

Rosenblatt, Kalhan. “Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Defamation Trial: Summary and Timeline.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 5 May 2022, https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-summary-timeline-rcna26136. 

Shah, Simmone. “Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Defamation Trial: What to Know.” Time, Time, 5 May 2022, https://time.com/6171006/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial/. 

VanHoose , Benjamin. “Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard: Biggest Bombshells and Revelations from the Defamation Trial (so Far).” PEOPLE.com, People, 4 May 2022, https://people.com/movies/johnny-depp-v-amber-heard-biggest-bombshells-from-trial/.