Johnny Depp claims he was a ‘crash test dummy' for #MeToo
The case was thrown out in 2020, with the judge ruling Heard was 'the victim of sustained and multiple assaults by Mr Depp in Australia'. He was denied the right to appeal the UK decision.
In the US, Heard counter-sued Depp for $US100 million and the ensuing case became known as a trial by TikTok. Daily updates played out on social media and typically skewed in Depp's favour (on TikTok, the hashtag #justiceforjohnnydepp amassed 7.1 billion views, while #justiceforamberheard has 53.1 million.)
Ultimately, in 2022, a US jury found in favour of Depp's original suit, awarding him $US10.35 million in damages, while Heard received $US2 million after winning one of her three counter-claims against her ex.
Addressing the case, Depp says in the Sunday Times interview that he has 'no regrets about anything'.
'I know who I am, what that was and, look, it was a learning experience.'
He says three close friends 'did me dirty' but they were unable to stand up for him because it was too difficult.
'I was pre-MeToo,' says Depp. 'I was like a crash test dummy for MeToo. It was before Harvey Weinstein.'
Heard's accusations came a year before film producer Weinstein's fall from power.
Throughout the interview, Depp keeps his references to the case vague and never addresses specifics of the various allegations or the 'mutual abuse' that defined the relationship, a term used during the trial by clinical psychologist Laurel Anderson, Heard and Depp's former marriage counsellor.
Instead, he seems to reframe his marriage and subsequent issues with Heard as part of a long-standing saviour complex.
'If you're a sucker like I am, sometimes you look in a person's eye and see some sadness, some lonely thing, and you feel you can help that person,' Depp says. 'But no good deed goes unpunished.'
He regularly reminds interviewer Jonathan Dean that he doesn't need to be rich and famous ('If I end up pumping gas? That's all right. I've done that before'), and criticises those he believes wronged him.
Take, for instance, his agent Tracey Jacobs. Jacobs signed Depp in 1988 and helped guide his career, before he dismissed her in 2016. During the trial, Jacobs took the stand and claimed studios had become reluctant to use Depp because of his tardiness on set.
'As weird as I am, certain things can be trusted,' he tells The Sunday Times. 'I was with one agent for 30 years, but she spoke in court about how difficult I was. These fake motherf---ers who lie to you, celebrate you, say all sorts of horror behind your back, yet keep the money.'
Depp may be adamant his interview with The Sunday Times isn't part of a redemption tour ('If I actually had the chance to split, I would never come back,' he says), but at the same time, the 62-year-old appears to covet a return to the industry that once feted him. 'I don't get out much. I'm stuck with my thoughts; just thinking, writing or watching weird shit on YouTube,' he says. 'It can't be healthy.'
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