There’s no doubt that the world has been following the romance between Johnny Depp
and Amber Heard that went up in flames in 2016 after the actress accused her now ex-husband
of domestic abuse.
Now, with the defamation trial finally in session, the world is watching even more eagerly
as all the intimate details of their relationship are being broadcasted for all the world to
see.
The one thing that has been made clear is that their marriage was unquestionably toxic,
and the trial has become a fierce battleground over the truth about their relationship.
Over the first two weeks of testimony, the jury has heard from a string of witnesses,
including the couple’s former marriage counselor, their friends, and Depp himself.
The testimony has so far painted an incredibly disturbing portrait of the actors’ doomed
marriage, laying out all the intimate details of their violent fights, drug use, and vicious
words to each other.
Stay tuned, Juicers, while we take a look back on Johnny and Amber’s love story and
how it all came to a shocking and disturbing end.
Meeting Amber changed Johnny’s life They met 11 years ago on the set of The Rum
Diary.
The movie didn’t perform well at the box office and didn’t earn that many raving
reviews from critics.
The world, however, had another reason to take out the popcorn and cheer.
A little bit of magic was involved, it seems, since Depp met his future wife while filming
an adaptation of a novel written by his dear friend, author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
Depp plays a journalist who becomes obsessed with Heard’s character - who, by the way,
is engaged to another man.
As fate would have it, at that time, both Amber and Depp were in relationships with
other people, too.
Moreover, Depp and his then-partner Vanessa Paradis’ union was considered to be rock-solid.
Johnny and Vanessa got together in 1998.
They often praised each other in interviews.
Paradis, when asked about a potential marriage, said: “I'm more married than anybody can
be – we have two kids.
Maybe one day, but it's something I can really do without.”
In 2010, she stressed how lucky she was to have an understanding partner in Depp, and
added that they trusted each other and respected each other’s personal space.
In 2012, Paradis talked to the press again - but this time, she was addressing her split
from Depp after 14 years together.
The French singer and actress reflected on how love is simultaneously the strongest and
most fragile thing in our lives.
“Sometimes you could be in an unhappy relationship; you are very much in love with someone, but
it's making you unhappy," Paradis said.
Goodbye, Vanessa; Hello, Amber Depp was as gentle and thoughtful while presenting
his side of his split from Paradis.
In the 2013 Rolling Stone interview, he admitted that the last couple of years had been a bit
bumpy and even unpleasant at times for their family.
“The trajectory of that relationship - you play it out until it goes, one thing leads
to another.”
Depp’s main goal was to be honest with his kids, and remain civil with their mother.
“It doesn't stop the fact that you care for that person, … and you'll always know
each other, and you're always gonna be in each other's lives because of those kids.”
Johnny Depp didn’t say anything about Amber Heard in that Rolling Stone article.
The two, however, had already been dating.
Trying to escape the unwanted media attention, the new couple stepped out together way later,
in January 2014.
Johnny’s engagement ring Soon after Depp and Heard made their public
debut as a couple, People announced their engagement.
Amber was happy to show off her engagement ring at the premiere of her movie.
Johnny being Johnny chose to wear his fiancée‘s ring for a while since it was too big for
her.
When he was touring Beijing, he was asked about the rumored marriage between him and
Amber.
"The fact that I'm wearing a chick's ring on my finger is probably a dead giveaway,"
he said.
"Not very subtle."
Johnny and Amber’s wedding took place in February 2015.
It was a private ceremony at their - still their - LA home.
By the way, Amber seemed to befriend Johnny’s daughter, Lily-Rose.
The two were photographed enjoying each other’s company, having lunch and shopping.
Amber and Johnny were acting weird together In May 2015, Depp took Amber with him to Queensland,
Australia, where he was about to start working on the fifth installment of Pirates of the
Caribbean.
The star couple found themselves in legal trouble shortly after they arrived.
The local authorities learned that the couple smuggled their two Yorkshire Terriers into
the country without subjecting them to the obligatory 10-day anti-rabies quarantine.
The offense is punishable with a prison sentence that may reach 10 years.
Australian lawmakers commented on the incident with indignation: "If we start letting movie
stars to come into our nation, then why don't we just break the laws for everybody?”
Heard and Depp had it easy.
She pleaded guilty to falsifying quarantine documents, stating that she had made a mistake
due to sleep deprivation.
She was also placed on a $1,000 one-month good behavior bond for producing a false document.
Depp would later tell host Jimmy Kimmel that they thought the paperwork on dogs was done
properly.
But what would Johnny do had they arrested Amber?
“If they did that, I’d just ... assault that man, so that I could go to jail.”
Most importantly, Depp and Heard were required to issue an apology.
In April 2016, the stars released the infamous cringe-y video where they awkwardly apologized
for violating the country’s bio-security codes.
We snorted and shook our heads at their antics.But
we never expected a bigger storm that was already brewing beyond our cloudless Depp-Heard
horizon.
How everything turned upside down On May 23, 2016, Amber Heard dropped several
bombshells.
She filed for divorce, stated that Depp had been "verbally and physically abusive" during
their relationship, and obtained a temporary restraining order against him.
Images of the actress with a bruised eye and lip appeared in the media.
TMZ obtained a video that Heard recorded where Depp was kicking and slamming cabinet doors
in their kitchen.
In retaliation, Depp’s legal team alleged that Heard made her move because she was "attempting
to secure a premature financial resolution."
Heard testified under oath.
The divorce was finalized in 2017, with Depp paying Heard a settlement of US$7 million,
which she chose to donate to charity to make a point.
The formed couple issued a joint statement where they seemed to try and bury the hatchet.
“Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain.
There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm," the statement read, in part.
When his ex-wife Amber Heard came forward and accused him of being violent towards her,
Depp essentially became an outcast in Hollywood.
He still got roles... and a lot of hate.
For instance, the creators of the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them franchise were
harshly criticized for hiring Depp because of the domestic abuse controversy.
The Sun newspaper called him a “wife-beater” in their 2018 article.
J.K.
Rowling, the Fantastic Beasts author, issued a statement in support of the actor, and was
subjected to criticism herself.
Depp sat for an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“... I was falsely accused, which is why I’m suing the Sun newspaper for defamation
for repeating false accusations.
J.K.
[Rowling] has seen the evidence and therefore knows I was falsely accused.
… She would not stand up if she didn’t know the truth.”
But… who is telling the truth?
Johnny Depp’s alcohol and drug issues According to Depp himself, he started smoking
when he was 12.
Drugs and alcohol followed shortly after that.
Over the years, the actor has repeatedly admitted he’d poisoned himself with alcohol for years.
In 2013, however, Johnny declared that he dropped the habit.
The pain from his break-up with Vanessa Paradis was still fresh, but he firmly stated he wasn’t
going to rely on drinking to cushion the blow - because, quote, ‘that could have been
fatal."
In 2016, however, Amber Heard was of the opposite opinion.
According to her, Depp binged on drugs and alcohol and "plunged into the depths of paranoia
and violence.
Two years after that statement, a Rolling Stone author did an in-depth interview with
Depp.
The journalist, in his article, claimed that the actor smoked "alternately hilarious, sly
and incoherent" and smoked hashish in his presence.
It was in this article that Depp famously said he was insulted by allegations that he
had been spending US$30,000 per month on wine, as the real amount was way larger.
How did Johnny get so traumatized?
In December 2018, The Washington Post published Amber Heard’s op-ed.
It was titled “I Spoke Up Against Sexual Violence - And Faced Our Culture’s Wrath.
That Has To Change.”
And, well, that was the story.
She never named Depp, but spoke about the death threats she got and the blow that her
career suffered following the divorce.
Depp sued Heard for US$50 million for defamation…
And submitted documents that could serve as evidence of Amber physically abusing him.
“She hit, punched and kicked me.
She also repeatedly and frequently threw objects into my body and head, including heavy bottles,
soda cans, burning candles, television remote controls and paint thinner cans, which severely
injured me.”
What followed was an endless back-and-forth of “he said, she said” (although in Johnny
and Amber’s case, it’s “he hit, she hit”).
Remember that trip to Australia?
It was around that time that Depp sustained an injury to his hand - the tip of one of
his fingers was cut off.
Depp says it’s Amber’s doing.
His then-wife threw a broken vodka bottle at him as they were arguing over postnuptial
papers.
In a video obtained by the Daily Mail, Depp narrates that “Little Richard” (his injured
finger) bled like “Vesuvius”.
Smiling, Depp says he tried to get the finger back and wrap his head around what just happened.
According to Heard’s account obtained by TMZ, Depp injured his finger in a fit of rage
as he was slamming a hard plastic phone against a wall with his one hand, and hitting her
with his other hand.
Depp, his ex-wife says, was high on alcohol and drugs.
He was jealous of actor Billy Bob Thornton, Amber’s former co-star.
Johnny and Amber continue fighting The blood-curling incident with a severed
fingertip isn’t the only shocking twist in the love story gone sour.
A tabloid obtained the recording of a 911 call that reported Amber and Johnny are fighting.
An audio was leaked online from a therapy session the former couple attended while they
were still married.
Heard and Depp talk about their anger issues, and Heard allegedly confirms she had hit her
husband in the past.
Court heard some of Depp’s text messages, particularly those where Depp is either aggressively
ranting about Heard to his friends, or making promises to stop “the booze thing”.
With more and more shocking details about their marriage being revealed to the court,
it seems like Amber and Johnny’s relationship was doomed from the very beginning.
The trail is said to last for about six weeks, and since the first two weeks have already
been an emotional rollercoaster, we can only assume that the upcoming weeks will be just
the same.