Sometimes derogatory, disjointed, but also poetic: Johnny Depp took on this week, in the defamation lawsuit he is bringing against his ex-wife Amber Heard, a role he knows well: that of the star.
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For three days, the actor sought, as a witness, to convince the jury that the allegations of domestic violence brought against him were false and had above all cost him his career.
Lawyers for the 36-year-old actress have drowned Johnny Depp, 58, in questions about his history of drug and alcohol abuse, in an attempt to undermine his credibility. Sequences broadcast live on American news channels, fond of the details revealed.
The “Pirate of the Caribbean” remained calm during this cross-examination, but had some outbursts of anger.
Pressed by Ben Rottenborn, his ex-wife’s lawyer, to answer “yes or no” to a simple question, Johnny Depp retorted that “nothing was simple in this file”.
The Hollywood star quickly became familiar with the passing of arms between lawyers who constantly interrupted each other, his representatives accusing the defense of relying only on rumors.
“I think it’s hearsay,” Johnny Depp commented on his own statements, sparking laughter from the courtroom, where some of the actor’s admirers are present.
“Freak”
Silver rings on his fingers, Johnny Depp appeared in court in Fairfax, near the American capital, his hair pulled into a ponytail revealing his earrings.
As days went by, he opted for three-piece suits, arriving Thursday in an all-black ensemble.
Amber Heard, who starred in the big Hollywood productions “Justice League” and “Aquaman”, chose trouser suits, styling her long blond hair differently every day.
She mostly remained impassive as she listened to Johnny Depp’s testimony, whispering in his lawyers’ ears and taking notes.
But she appeared emotional during the screening of a video she had filmed without the knowledge of her husband at the time, which we see violently slamming kitchen cupboard doors before pouring herself a large glass of wine.
The Texas-born actress also seemed upset when her attorneys released an audio recording in which she was heard begging Johnny Depp not to cut himself with a knife.
Amber Heard’s lawyers have claimed that he can become a “monster”, physically and sexually violent, when he is drunk or under the influence of drugs.
They therefore questioned him at length about his consumption of illicit substances.
On his outings with controversial rock star Marilyn Manson, Johnny Depp replied that they “drank together” and “took cocaine together maybe two or three times.”
In a message sent to another of his friends, he said he was about to board a plane having “not eaten in days, drunk half a bottle of whiskey, two of champagne, 1,000 cocktails vodka-Red Bull and took pills”.
Violent tone text message
These hours of hearing shelled out more details on the life of celebrities than it would take to fill a people magazine.
Johnny Depp admitted to the jury that he suspected actor James Franco of having an affair with his wife.
He also shared how jealous Amber Heard was of the “Winona Forever” tattoo he had done on his right arm, a reminder of when he was in a relationship with actress Winona Ryder.
To appease this jealousy, Johnny Depp had the last two letters of the first name erased, transforming his former declaration of love into a slang joke, “Wino Forever” equivalent to “alcoholic forever” in French.
The court was also able to read messages in which Johnny Depp called Amber Heard a “dirty whore” and Vanessa Paradis, mother of his two children, a “French extortionist”.
The toxic relationship between these stars, married for two years, has been brought to light, as the trial focuses on allegations of violence of which the actors accuse each other.
Johnny Depp is suing Amber Heard for defamation and suing her for $50 million following a column she had published in the Washington Post in 2018.
In this text, she did not mention him by name, but she mentioned the accusations of domestic violence that she had brought against her husband in 2016.
Amber Heard retorted with a complaint demanding 100 million dollars from his side, assuring that he had inflicted “constant physical and sexual violence” on her.
The trial will resume on Monday.