Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard: Inside the courtroom

Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard: Inside the courtroom

Experiencing at times, messy and poetic to others, Johnny Depp has embraced a familiar role in the defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard – the main man.

During three days on the witness stand, the three-time Oscar nominee tried to convince the jury that Hurd’s allegations of domestic violence against him were untrue and ruined his career.

Hurd’s 36-year-old lawyers have shattered the 58-year-old Depp’s history of drug and alcohol use in an attempt to undermine his credibility.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star has mostly kept his cool under cross-examination by Hurd’s lawyers, but has shown a flash of anger from time to time.

Asked by her lawyer, Ben Rothenborn, to answer a “simple yes or no question,” Depp said, “Nothing is simple in this case.”

Depp has also acquired a courtroom in Virginia, where powerful lawyers on both sides are constantly interrupting each other to complain about rumors.

“I guess it’s a rumor,” Depp said of one of his own comments, eliciting laughter from a gallery featuring some of the actor’s fans. “Learn.”

At other times, the actor has become lyrical during his often long responses.

Asked about allegations of domestic violence against him, Depp likened it to “running between drops of lava.”

“You’re trying to run between raindrops that kill and destroy you.”

monster –

Depp appeared at the trial in Fairfax County Court with his hair tied back in a ponytail, earrings and bunny rings.

He preferred a three-piece suit in court and wore an all-black ensemble on Thursday – a black suit, black vest, black shirt and black tie.

The Texas-born Hurd, who starred in the movie “Aquaman,” wore mostly black pantsuits and changed his hair every day.

She remained mostly stoic during Depp’s testimony, listening intently, whispering to her lawyers, and taking notes in a yellow legal block.

She shuddered noticeably when a video was shown Thursday of an angry Depp slamming the cupboard door in their kitchen.

The actress was also clearly worried when an audio tape was released to the jury, during which she begged Depp not to cut himself with a knife.

Hurd’s lawyers claim that Depp will become a physically and sexually abusive “monster” when he is drunk or taking illicit drugs, and have questioned him in detail about his substance use.

Asked about the party with shock rocker Marilyn Manson, Depp said: “We drank together. We drank cocaine together maybe a few times.”

In a text message to another friend, actor Paul Bethany, Depp spoke of flying a plane after “no food for days, powders, half a bottle of whiskey, 1,000 Red Bull and vodka, pills and two bottles of champers.”

– Text messages –

During the first week of the trial, there were enough references to celebrities to fill a tabloid.

Depp said he suspected that actor James Franco had an affair with Hurd.

Hurd, on the other hand, was jealous of Depp’s Winona Forever tattoo, a reference to his ex-girlfriend Winona Ryder.

Depp said he removed the last two letters, so the tattoo now reads “Wino Forever.”

Depp was asked for sobriety text messages from Elton John and others to singer Patti Smith, in which he admitted that he drank too much.

Domestic violence is at the heart of the process, and Depp and Hurd accused each other of violence during their marriage from 2015 to 2017.

Depp said he had told several people he had been struck by Hurd, including director Tim Burton, one of his “dearest friends,” and Alice Cooper, a member of Depp’s band, The Hollywood Vampires.

The court read obscene text messages from Depp to various people, in which he called Hurd a “slippery whore” and other epithets.

In a statement, Depp called his ex-partner, singer Vanessa Paradis, the mother of their two children, a “French blackmailer.”

Asked about the messages, Depp admitted that he may have gone too far, but said that “when I write text … it’s a canvas, it’s a picture”.

Depp is suing Hurd over a column she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic violence.”

Hurd did not name Depp, but is suing her because he hinted he was a rapist and demanded $ 50 million in damages.

Hurd filed a counterclaim, demanding $ 100 million and claiming that she had suffered “insane physical violence and abuse” at his hands.

The case resumes on Monday.