Johnny Depp Calls Himself the “Crash Test Dummy for #MeToo” During Amber Heard Trial

by

Reflecting on the past years involving his former wife Amber Heard and the ensuing defamation lawsuit, Johnny Depp has become open about that chapter in his life.

In an uncommon conversation with The Sunday Times, the actor who received an Oscar nomination described himself as a “guinea pig” or test subject for the #MeToo Movement in response to Heard’s initial claims against him from 2016 when she filed for divorce and accused him of domestic violence.

The allegations sparked two high-profile court cases. In 2018, Johnny Depp initiated a libel lawsuit against The Sun, following their portrayal of him as a “wife beater” in a British tabloid newspaper. Unfortunately for Depp, the court decided in the 2020 trial that this depiction was largely accurate. In 2019, Depp also pursued a defamation case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, due to an op-ed she published in The Washington Post where she described herself as a symbol of domestic abuse. During the televised trial in 2022, a jury found Heard guilty on all three counts of defamation. Interestingly, Heard was successful in one of her counterclaims as well.

Regarding why Depp opted to take the cases to court, exposing his deeply private life to public scrutiny, he stated in a recent interview, ” frankly, I’d had enough.

The director of the film “Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness” stated, “I realized I had a tough task ahead – something like dissecting myself partially. Everyone was assuring me, ‘It’ll blow over!’ But I couldn’t rely on that. What would just disappear? The misleading tales spread across the world? No, it wouldn’t. If I didn’t strive to portray reality, it would be as if I had committed the crimes I was being accused of. And my children, their children, and even the children I’ve met in hospitals would have to bear that burden. So, the night before the trial in Virginia, I didn’t feel anxious. If you’re just speaking the truth, instead of memorizing lines, then why should I worry? Let fate decide.

Depp expressed that he recognized “none of it would be simple,” yet he decided to stand firm until the very last moment. If it turns out I’m pumping gas instead, that’s fine. I’ve handled that task in the past.

Following the legal proceedings, Johnny Depp encountered some professional setbacks in his acting career. Previously, Warner Bros. requested that he depart from the Fantastic Beasts series after losing a defamation lawsuit against The Sun newspaper. Additionally, Depp stated that he would not reprise his role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, as Disney reportedly ended their association with him following the accusations leveled against him.

Deep expressed that it was painful to witness “dishonest individuals” who “deceive you, praise you, whisper vile things about you, yet continue to profit from you.” He was referring to those in his professional circle who criticized him during the court cases.

Three individuals have wronged me, and I can recall them vividly because they were present at my children’s parties. They even tossed my kids up in the air. I realize that some people might not have supported me during those times due to their fear of making difficult decisions. In retrospect, I was a sort of guinea pig for the #MeToo movement, as it hadn’t gained widespread attention yet, and I was before the Harvey Weinstein scandal. I absorbed all that happened to me, and I wanted to find out which among the many people I met in that industry were playing it safe.

The #MeToo movement garnered significant public notice following the accusations of sexual impropriety leveled against Weinstein in a 2017 article by The New York Times, which came a year after Heard first made her allegations against Depp.

Read More

2025-06-22 20:54