American actor Johnny Depp is suing his ex-wife Amber Heard for US$50 million for defamation of character in a trial has been going on throughout April and has led to the airing of many revelations about their tumultuous relationship.
Many people who were close to or worked for the couple during their short marriage between 2015 and 2016 have come forward to testify about things they witnessed and to help paint a picture of what was happening.
For some background, after the couple divorced, Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018, in which she spoke about surviving domestic violence.
According to the case which Depp filed against her in 2019, Heard’s claims were false and defamatory and caused him many great losses in his life and career.
He was let go from the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise in which he played Dumbledore’s nemesis Gellert Grindewald, and also from the popular ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise in which he held the role of the pirate captain Jack Sparrow.
He cited many other issues that arose due to her statement, including bringing shame to the people who have trusted him over the years and his children.
With this lawsuit, Depp hopes to clear his name, restore his reputation and expose his ex-wife as the true guilty party.
In the time that the trial has been happening – unfortunately for the former couple – their deeply private and intimate moments have been put out on display to be combed through, scrutinised and judged, all for the truth to be determined.
Many shocking bits of information have come out about this doomed coupling. So here are a few:
What happened to Johnny’s finger?
It was revealed in Depp’s cross-examination that the tip of one of fingers was severed when Heard threw a glass vodka bottle at him during a fight in Australia. His finger is still deformed to this day. She vehemently denies this.
Heard’s own words
“I did not hurt you. I did not punch you. I was hitting you,” Heard has been heard saying in a voice recording played in court by Depp’s legal team. In other audio clips, the 36-year-old actress can be heard taunting Depp and daring him to report her behaviour, and in another Depp is heard threatening to hurt himself.
A ‘practical joke’ gone wrong
Heard once defecated on Depp’s bed. She says it was meant as a joke, but Depp’s team has painted it as a malicious act perpetrated by a hateful and psychotic person. Whatever the truth is, this will always be something that is remembered, to a point where people scream about poop every time they see Heard entering or exiting the courthouse.
The drug problem
Something else that has come to light is just how serious Depp’s drug and alcohol consumption was during the time he was in a relationship with Heard. Heard’s counsel grilled him heavily about attending events drunk, requesting ecstasy from doctors and abusing other substances, to paint a picture of him as a temperamental abuser. While answering questions, Depp said his ex-wife participated in recreational drug use as frequently as himself.
Heard’s affairs
Billionaire Elon Musk and actor James Franco were both rumoured to be preparing to take the witness stand, but that won’t happen. This is because Heard dated both of them around the time of her marriage, while Depp believes she had affairs with them. Video footage was even played in court of Heard bringing Franco to her marital home.
Mutual abuse
What seems to be clear as day is that this relationship existed the way it did because the two were a toxic pair who both came from an abusive upbringing. Whether Johnny ever actually physical or sexually assaulted Heard as she claims, the fact remains that they both hurt each other in many ways.
“I thought he had been well controlled for decades. And then with Ms Heard he was triggered,” said their former marriage counsellor Laurel Anderson, who called their relationship “mutual abuse”.
– Anne Hambuda is a screenwriter, poet, columnist and creative thinker. Email annehambuda@gmail.com for more
