Johnny Depp is still wrapped up in a legal dispute in London, and his ex-wife, Amber Heard, has recently taken the stand to testify against the actor. She has reportedly said that Johnny took her on a "three-day hostage situation" and threatened to end her life.
Johnny has been wrapped up in a libel trial against The Sun, but a lot has come out about his relationship with his ex, and absolutely none of it makes Johnny look good. In fact, the latest details further add weight to Amber's repeated statements about the abuse that Johnny waged against her throughout their marriage.
Amber described the three-day trip in her written testimony.
"The best way I can describe what happened in Australia is that it was like a three-day hostage situation. We were due to be there for three days on our own, but it was only when I arrived that I realized I was trapped in this remote place without any means to leave and that Johnny had already been using and had a bag of drugs."
"Over the course of those three days, there were extreme acts of psychological, physical, emotional and other forms of violence. It is the worst thing I have ever been through."
Amber's details of the trip certainly sound harrowing and horrific.
Johnny's team has argued that Amber wasn't very nice to him on the trip, either. However, Amber has replied that it would be surprising if he could remember anything at all, given the state he was in: "I would be very surprised if he remembers anything about the whole event; he was in such a state."
Amber also alleged that Johnny threatened to kill her multiple times, adding that the actor "explicitly threatened to kill me many times, especially later in our relationship." Amber goes on to say that, like many addicts who are abusive, "much of the time he had difficultly recalling what he had done once he had slept it off."
"He would blame all his actions on a self-created third party instead of himself, which he often called 'the monster.' He would speak about it as if it was another person or personality and not him doing all these things. All of the abuse contributed to a severe decline in my mental and physical health while I was with him."
While Johnny's legal team has tried to say that Amber was the aggressor in their 15-month marriage, her lawyer, Eric George, wasn't having it: "The evidence in this case is clear: Johnny Depp repeatedly beat Amber Heard. The increasingly desperate attempts by Mr. Depp and his enablers to revive his career by initiating baseless litigation against so many people once close to him — his former lawyers, former managers, and his former spouse — are not fooling anyone."
Amber and Johnny got married in 2015, and the actress filed a domestic violence restraining order against the actor on May 2016. The couple ultimately settled the terms of their divorce, with Amber donating the $7 million she was awarded to organizations that support women.
While some have been suspicious of Amber, it's fair to say that she really gained nothing professionally by speaking out against Johnny. Johnny Depp remains one of the most powerful stars in Hollywood and has a lot of very powerful friends in the business. However, Amber has clearly demonstrated that she wants to tell her side of the story, whatever the consequences might be.
Amber published a piece in The Washington Post in 2018 about what coming forward has done to her career.
"Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out."
"Friends and advisers told me I would never again work as an actress — that I would be blacklisted. A movie I was attached to recast my role. I had just shot a two-year campaign as the face of a global fashion brand, and the company dropped me. Questions arose as to whether I would be able to keep my role of Mera in the movies Justice League and Aquaman."
"I write this as a woman who had to change my phone number weekly because I was getting death threats. For months, I rarely left my apartment, and when I did, I was pursued by camera drones and photographers on foot, on motorcycles and in cars. Tabloid outlets that posted pictures of me spun them in a negative light. I felt as though I was on trial in the court of public opinion — and my life and livelihood depended on myriad judgments far beyond my control."
