I was struck by the fact that the trial began as Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” opened at the Geffen. WITHOUT Johnny Depp, one can safely say, there would be no Capt.įor many it is probably just satisfying to see, once again, that all the wealth and fame in the world do not guarantee happiness and that maybe a life without red carpets is worth living after all. If their marriage was one of - as one of the couple’s therapists said - mutual abuse, it was still abuse.
Even so, if he is trying to salvage his reputation, things are not going his way. Shouts of “drag her” have replaced “burn her” among the modern mob.ĭepp has received his share of criticism as well, but it hasn’t been as scathing or deeply personal as what Heard has faced. Hurling the digital equivalent of rocks and garbage - memes, hashtags and easily disproven lies - “ Team Depp” has fallen just short of calling her a witch. And as many have observed, Heard has been subjected to much harsher treatment among this century’s peanut gallery - social media - than has Depp.Įven if you believe Heard gave as good as she got, the level of vitriol spewed her way only proves, with ghastly certitude, exactly what she wrote about in her 2018 essay. Millions of people have been watching the trial with rapt attention. Heard has countersued for $100 million in an attempt to clear her name, which means that no matter how this trial ends, the public has been subjected to “ Scenes From an Abusive Marriage Part 2.” Depp and his supporters say he is simply trying to clear his name, and to receive remuneration, to the tune of $50 million, for the work he lost as a result of Heard’s op-ed. She claims Depp trapped her in a cycle of abuse familiar to many domestic violence survivors he claims pretty much the same thing about her.Įntertainment & Arts Amber Heard says Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her on night his finger was severedĪmber Heard broke down in sobs while testifying for the second day in a row in her defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp.īut this is a defamation trial no one will be going to jail for domestic violence.
Depp, by his own testimony, struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol and was often angry, destructive and violent Heard, by her own testimony, was also often angry, destructive and violent. No matter how you slice the at-times-horrific statements made by the witnesses, the Depp/Heard marriage was an abusive one. Either way it was a bit baffling, though not as baffling as Depp deciding to sue her for defamation. Which may be why she decided to write the op-ed. But it wasn’t until their joint statement that Heard’s initial allegations became subject to more general doubt. She also received a lot of support Depp was dropped from film projects and added by many to the list of Hollywood abusers.ĭenying the charges, he had his supporters too. What is demonstrably true is that, as she wrote in the piece, Heard faced “the culture’s wrath” when she first alleged abuse. It seems unlikely Depp will win, if proving that Heard defamed him is his actual intent. Setting aside the melodrama (though melodrama feels like the whole point), it’s a fairly straightforward case. What the jury makes of it - sorry, hashtag creators, you don’t actually get to decide the case - remains to be seen. The public reaction to the mostly he (and his friends) said/she ( and her friends) said nature of the testimony in this case has revealed a still-alarming bias against women.
I also understand that domestic violence (and for that matter defamation) is a deadly serious issue. Absent a royal family, Americans turn to celebrities to fill the collective need to see all the wonders and horrors of domestic life packaged prettily and then clawed open for public consumption. Oh I understand that movie-star marriages, especially the really messy ones, have held this nation in thrall as long as the movies have. (Pause here for hysterical laughter that trails off into anguished weeping.) Capitol get as much attention from the public and the press. It is day 857 in the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard defamation trial and all I can say is I hope the upcoming House committee hearings on the Jan.