Johnny Depp describes abusive mother, denies Amber Heard’s domestic violence accusation as he testifies in defamation trial
Peter Sblendorio, David Matthews
Johnny Depp denied the abuse allegations against him as he took the stand Tuesday in his $50 million defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard, and described being physically and emotionally tormented by his mother as a child.
The actor said Heard’s accusations of domestic violence against him were “not based in any species of truth” as he testified in front of a seven-person jury at a Fairfax, Va., courtroom, where Heard was present.
“Never did I, myself, reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life,” Depp, 58, said.
Depp’s testimony comes a little over a week after the trial began. Depp sued Heard in early 2019 over an op-ed published in the Washington Post in which she wrote she’d become “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Heard didn’t name Depp in that December 2018 essay, but had previously accused the Oscar-nominated actor of physically and verbally abusing her during their marriage, which he denied.
Actor Johnny Depp testifies during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va., on Tuesday.
Actor Johnny Depp testifies during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va., on Tuesday. (JIM WATSON/)
On Tuesday, Depp said his late mother, Betty Sue Palmer, was “quite violent” and “quite cruel,” saying the psychological and verbal abuse is what tore his family apart.
“In our house, we were never exposed to any type of safety or security,” Depp said. “The only thing that one could do, really, was to try to stay out of the line of fire. I started to be able to observe, and I could start to see when she was about to head into a situation where she was going to get riled up and somebody was going to get it. Generally, it was me.”
U.S. actress Amber Heard speaks to her attorney at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022.
U.S. actress Amber Heard speaks to her attorney at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022. (JIM WATSON/)
Depp’s team asserts Heard fabricated the abuse allegations to destroy his reputation, while Heard’s camp claims Depp damaged his own career.
The defamation case, which is expected to last for week is being held in Virginia because the Washington Post has servers there.
Johnny Depp is sworn in during his defamation trial in the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022.
Johnny Depp is sworn in during his defamation trial in the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022. (JIM WATSON/)
Heard, 35, hasn’t testified during the defamation trial.
During Depp’s testimony Tuesday, he spoke openly about substance abuse, as well as his training regimen and stunt work on some of his films.
“I’m not some maniac that needs to be high or loaded all the time,” Depp said. “On film sets, there have been no moments where I would have been considered out of control.”
He later said that when he was still in a relationship with Heard, she and her friends teased him about the amount of wine and marijuana he could consume.
After being asked if he had ever been addicted to any substances, Depp cited the opiate Roxycodone.
Actor Johnny Depp demonstrates how he claims to have shielded himself from an alleged attack by his ex-wife Amber Heard as he testifies during the trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va. on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
A knife with an inscription "from Amber Heard to Johnny Depp" on the blade is seen on a screen as actor Johnny Depp testifies during the trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va. on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Actor Johnny Depp testifies during a hearing in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va. on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Actress Amber Heard listens while actor Johnny Depp testifies, as a picture of an injury to his face is viewed on a screen during a trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va. on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Actress Amber Heard talks to her attorneys in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va. on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Johnny Depp testifies during his defamation trial in the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022.
Johnny Depp is sworn in during his defamation trial in the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022. Depp is suing ex-wife Amber Heard for libel after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse.
U.S. actor Johnny Depp attends his defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022. Depp is suing ex-wife Amber Heard for libel after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse.
U.S. actress Amber Heard speaks to her attorney at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022. U.S. actor Johnny Depp is suing ex-wife Heard for libel after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse.
Judge Penney Azcarate speaks to lawyers during trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022. Johnny Depp is suing ex-wife Amber Heard for libel after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse.
Sean Bett, a security guard for U.S. actor Johnny Depp, testifies during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022.
Johnny Depp steps outside court during the 8th day of his civil trial at Fairfax County Circuit Court on April 19, 2022, in Fairfax, Virginia. Depp is seeking $50 million in alleged damages to his career over an op-ed Heard wrote in the Washington Post in 2018.
Sound engineer Keenan Wyatt testifies during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022.
U.S. actress Amber Heard (R) embraces attorney Elaine Bredehoft during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022.
U.S. actor Johnny Depp sits in the courthouse after a break during the $50 million Depp vs. Heard defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia on April 14, 2022. Heard is being sued for defamation by her former husband, Johnny Depp, after she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in 2018 that, without naming Depp, accused him of domestic abuse.
Johnny Depp is seen outside court for the start of a civil trial at Fairfax County Circuit Court on April 11, 2022, in Fairfax, Virginia. Depp is seeking $50 million in alleged damages to his career over an op-ed Heard wrote in the Washington Post in 2018.
Amber Heard is seen outside court for the start of a civil trial at Fairfax County Circuit Court on April 11, 2022, in Fairfax, Virginia. Depp is seeking $50 million in alleged damages to his career over an op-ed Heard wrote in the Washington Post in 2018.
Spectators showing support for Johnny Depp And Amber Heard outside of Fairfax County Circuit Court on April 11, 2022, in Fairfax, Virginia.
The actor claimed he was prescribed Roxycodone pills after suffering an injury on the set of the 2011 film “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”
He told Heard’s attorney he did not remember which year he filmed “Pirates 4″ but that he was addicted and detoxed before starting his relationship with Heard. He said he’d never done opiates again after detoxing.
He then explained to the jury how he met Heard while in preproduction for the film “The Rum Diary,” a movie based on a novel by Hunter S. Thompson.
“I thought, ‘she could definitely kill me’ and ‘that’s what Hunter wants,” he said.
When Heard had to shoot a nude scene for the film, he said he devised a plan where the nudity was implied.
“‘You don’t have to take your clothes off, you don’t have to take your top off. It’s cool.’ And she was appreciative,” he said.
However, he said an on-screen kiss they later shared felt like a real one and that was the beginning of their romantic relationship. He said they later kissed in his trailer after they had some wine.
He said this occurred while he was having relationship trouble with his then-partner Vanessa Paradis.
Depp said for the first year and a half of their relationship, “things were wonderful,” comparing their relationship to the one between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, who also met on a film set and had a large age difference.
“Things started to change. Or things started to reveal themselves is a better way to put it.”
