It's hard to imagine it's already been a year since Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were battling
it out in court.
After months of testimonies from both parties, Johnny walked away victorious.
Not only did he win over the jury, but he also got his life back.
Depp is set to make his big comeback in film this year, so let's take a look at what he's
been up to since the trial wrapped up…
Following his victory in court, Johnny dove straight back into his work.
From his music tour with the late great Jeff Beck and numerous film productions, Depp seems
to have gotten his groove back.
He also announced that he had plans to release
a new album of his own.
Johnny was elated to be able to get back to doing the things he loved most.
In an emotional statement after the jury's verdict, he expressed that he felt as though
he had been "brought back to life."
The actor wrote in a post on Instagram, "Six years ago, my life, the life of my children,
the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people, who for many, many
years have supported and believed in me were forever changed.
All in the blink of an eye."
He added, "It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond, and it
had a seismic impact on my life and my career.
And six years later, the jury gave me my life back.
I am truly humbled."
The actor has also been spending his time living in the English countryside, at his
home he bought in Somerset.
A friend close to Johnny shared that once the music tour ended, he went straight into
filming for 'Jeanne Du Barry.'
They said, "Filming was challenging, but Johnny is excited about the comeback.
He thinks it's perfect that this historical drama will open at Cannes."
Although Depp has been keeping himself busy with his work, he's also been making time
to take care of himself.
The actor has always been open about his troubled childhood and the effect it had on his life.
Throughout his many emotional and brutally honest testimonies in court, the actor didn't
shy away from discussing his dark past with substance use.
After baring his soul on the stand, Johnny was inspired to go on a journey of healing.
About three months after the trial came to an end, a source close to the actor disclosed
that Depp had "worked on issues and accepted help."
The source explained that during the 6-week trial against his ex-wife, "Johnny's ugly
sides were exposed.
He has never claimed he is perfect, but making changes is hard."
Despite the difficulties he's had to face, Johnny is determined to turn things around
for himself.
While the trial had exposed some of his dark sides, millions of people got to see how remorseful
he was for some of the things that had occurred during his marriage
to Heard.
He acknowledged his wrongdoings and admitted to his flaws.
The actor expressed the importance of honesty in an Instagram post.
He wrote, "From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth,
regardless of the outcome.
Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained
steadfast in their support of me.
I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that."
He leaned on his friends and family for support and focused on healing his wounds.
The same source said that Johnny "genuinely seems happy" and "in a much better place lately."
Adding, "He takes better care of himself."
Another one of the actor's friends shared, "He has been dating but doesn't have a girlfriend."
In September 2022, it was confirmed that Depp had been casually seeing Joella Rich, one
of the attorneys that worked on his U.K. libel lawsuit against 'The Sun' back in November
2018.
Reports explained that the pair were dating, "but it's not serious," and they were being
discreet about spending time together.
As it turned out, Rich is a mother of two and was married around the time she first
met Depp.
According to reports, she and her husband had been estranged for a while and even had
plans for a divorce.
Joella was not on his legal team during the Virginia defamation case, but she did make
several appearances in court to show her support for Johnny.
She was photographed with Depp outside of the courthouse and also seen hugging his attorney
Camille Vasquez inside the courtroom.
During his trial, there were numerous speculations about the actor's relationship with his attorney,
Camille.
Rumors swirled that the pair was possibly romantically involved with one another, but
Camille adamantly denied them.
She explained that she was already in a relationship with Edward Owen, an executive at 'WeWork.'
Vasquez pointed out that the media and the Internet had created a "disappointing" and
"sexist" narrative, saying, "I guess it comes with the territory of being a woman just doing
her job."
She expressed that it was "disappointing to hear" the outlets claim her interactions with
Johnny were "inappropriate or unprofessional."
Rich and Depp's romance only lasted a couple of months.
By November 2022, a source confirmed that the pair were no longer seeing each other.
Thankfully, Johnny didn't appear too heartbroken from the split, and he continued to focus
his energy on his upcoming projects.
It goes without saying that fans have been eagerly awaiting the actor's return to the
big screen with the film, 'Jeanne Du Barry.'
The movie is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023.
However, there are many who don't know that Johnny's already made an unexpected comeback
to our screens as a Puffin.
Since 2020, the actor has been a part of the Apple TV+ animated children's show 'Puffins,'
and the spin-off series 'Puffins Impossible.'
He's also going to feature in the 'Johnny Puff Secret Mission' movie that's yet to be
released.
His role as Louis XV in the French Netflix film, Jeanne Du Barry, is undoubtedly his
most highly anticipated project yet.
It is directed by French actress and filmmaker Maïwenn, who will be starring opposite Depp
as Louis XV's official mistress.
The movie will be released in theaters in September 2023 and then make its Netflix debut
15 months later.
Making things even more interesting, the French biographical film has been written entirely
in French, which means Depp won't be speaking a word of English throughout the movie.
While the actor lived in France for several years with his ex-partner Vanessa Paradis,
he admitted that he struggled with the language.
Naturally, the actor has had to rigorously practice his French, making sure that it was
worthy of his performance as the French King.
In fact, when Johnny was spotted out with a mystery red-headed woman in Italy, there
were whispers of a new possible romance.
As it turned out, she was just his French teacher, and there was nothing romantic going
on there.
Playing a historical figure in a different language is a challenge many actors would
avoid.
Still, choosing Jeanne Du Barry as his first film in several years proves that Depp is
fully leaning into this challenge.
It makes sense that Johnny would choose an independent film on his journey back to the
big screen.
The actor has been very vocal about his disappointment at how he was treated by Disney and Warner
Bros when he was stopped from returning to 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Fantastic
Beasts.'
Does that mean he'll never return for a big Hollywood blockbuster?
We can't be sure.
But Depp has definitely throughout his approach in returning to acting.
Either way, whatever film projects he decides to take on in the future, we have no doubt
that they'll be roaring success.
Following his win in court, Johnny shared, "The best is yet to come, and a new chapter
has finally begun."
We couldn't be more excited about Depp's return to the big screen, and we're so happy to hear
how he's living his life to the fullest.
We can't wait to see what the future holds for Johnny, and we wish him nothing but the
best!