During his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard in Fairfax, Virginia, actor Johnny Depp has resumed his testimony in a Fairfax, Virginia courtroom.
The changing nature of Depp’s relationship with Heard was a topic of discussion during his initial testimony on Wednesday. He accused Heard of using derogatory language and making demeaning remarks about him at various points in their relationship, which resulted in heated exchanges.
In his own words, “I was not allowed to be right, I was not allowed to have a voice.”
Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse, his history of substance abuse, and his experiences growing up with an abusive mother were all covered extensively in the Oscar-nominated actor’s approximately three-hour testimony on Tuesday.
Depp, best known for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise, is suing Heard for $50 million in connection with an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018, in which she discussed her experience with domestic abuse. Although she did not mention Depp by name in the piece, he claims that it cost him lucrative film work.
According to Depp, he has always maintained his innocence, and he testified Tuesday that while he and Heard had disagreements throughout their relationship, he has never “struck a woman.”
After meeting on the set of “The Rum Diary” in 2009, the couple married in 2015 and went through a contentious divorce, with accusations of inappropriate behaviour levelled by both sides.
A joint statement from the couple, which included the words “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love,” was released in August 2016, announcing the end of their marriage.
Heard had been unsuccessful in her attempts to have the lawsuit thrown out of court. In 2020, she filed a defamation countersuit against Depp for $100 million, which is currently pending.