Johnny Depp, known most famously for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, is the centre of global attention with fans showing support for him all over social media. The question to be asked is why is Johnny Depp in the spotlight? Is he an abuser or an innocent victim? Know The Fact is here to reveal the true facts about this controversy.
A little about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
Born on June 9, 1963, John Christopher Depp II popularly known as Johnny Depp are an American actor, producer and musician. He has been honoured with numerous prestigious awards, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Johnny Depp has also been nominated for three Academy Awards and two BAFTAs. Depp was among one of the most commercially successful film stars. This is due to his amazing role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Walt Disney swashbuckler film series Pirates of the Caribbean (2003–2017). He has been applauded for his roles in the films Finding Neverland (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), and Alice in Wonderland (2010). In 2012, the Guinness World Records listed Johnny Depp as the world’s highest-paid actor, with earnings of US$75 million.
Born on April 22, 1986, Amber Laura Heard popularly known as Amber Heard. She is an American actress known for her roles in the films Never Back Down (2008), Drive Angry (2011), and The Rum Diary (2011). Amber Heard is most famously known for her role in the DC Extended Universe as the character Mera in Aquaman (2018) and its upcoming 2023 sequel. She has been an active campaigner known for voicing the rights of women. Amber Heard is an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ambassador for women’s rights and a Human Rights Champion for the UN’s OHCHR.
Background history of their relationship
In 2009, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met during the filming of “The Rum Diary” where Depp played the role of Paul Kemp, a journalist who moves to Puerto Rico and becomes obsessed with Chenault, played by Heard, who is engaged to a businessman. Later in 2014, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp got engaged and subsequently got married in a private ceremony in 2015. In May 2016, Amber Heard filed for divorce and was granted a temporary restraint order against Johnny Depp. She contended that Johnny Depp had abused her verbally and physically. Amber Heard further claimed about Johnny Depp in a sworn declaration that “He has a short fuse. He is often paranoid and his temper is exceptionally scary for me.” She claimed that Depp is a domestic abuser and had once thrown a phone at her, leaving her bruised. Heard also claimed that she was terrified that Johnny Depp would return unannounced to their house and terrorize her physically and emotionally. Johnny Depp denied the claims and the police did not press charges against him. Later, the duo announced in a joint statement that they had settled their divorce.
Their divorce was made official and finalized in 2017. In 2018 Amber Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in the heat of the ongoing defamation lawsuit. In the op-ed, she writes: “I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.” In 2019, Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for defamation charges and said that she wrote the composition simply to falsely garner sympathy for herself. Depp further claimed that Amber Heard wasn’t the victim but she herself was the perpetrator. Johnny Depp sought $50 million in damages. Audio of Amber Heard was published by the Daily Mail where she allegedly says that she hit Depp. The British newspaper “The Sun” called Johnny Depp a “wife-beater” and he sued both the executive editor Dan Wootton as well as The Sun’s parent company, News Group Newspapers. In November of that year, the judge took the side of “The Sun” during a court ruling. After the ruling, Johnny Depp released a statement on Instagram saying that he had been asked to leave the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise. In 2021, Amber Heard countersued Johnny Depp for $100 million.
Recent events
The defamation trial started on April 11, 2022, with Heard and Depp appearing in Fairfax County court in Virginia. Depp witnessed the course of four days. Depp’s attorneys laid out evidence of Amber Heard’s alleged abuse. On the other hand, Heard’s lawyers focused on Depp’s past drug and alcohol use, text messages and recordings, claiming that Depp was the perpetrator. In May, Heard fired her crisis public relations firm Precision Strategies as she was allegedly “frustrated” with the negative media coverage she had received after Johnny Depp’s testimony. Amber Heard’s team is presently being led by David Shane. On her first day of testimony, she described Depp as someone switching between active addiction and sobriety, making her relationship with him difficult. Depp’s team asked Judge Penney Azcarate to dismiss Heard’s suit but without success. Depp denied her allegations of violence and sexual violence, claiming them to be “Horrible. Ridiculous. Humiliating. Ludicrous. Painful. Savage. Unimaginably brutal.
Cruel. Um, and all false. All false.” On May 27, the closing arguments were heard by the jury and the deliberation began. The jury is said to return to deliberations on May 31 after the Memorial Day holiday.
