A blood-and-guts tale worthy of any Hollywood psychodrama, the showdown between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard over slandering the ex-spouse has gripped the nation, leading the public and celebrities alike to take sides decide.
Johnny Depp is standing in a corner; the Hollywood heartthrob, in the public eye for over three decades, for a time the number one A-lister and the creator of the beloved character Captain Jack Sparrow.
And in the other corner, his less famous, less known, less loved ex-wife Amber Heard, with a smaller source of public sympathy to draw from.
While Depp has brought his signature personable charisma to the courtroom and garnered the support of dozens of celebrities with whom he has worked and befriended a lifetime in showbiz, Heard has had a harder time garnering support.
But some celebrities have spoken out in favor of the Aquaman actress. So who are they?
Amber Heard, 36, is hitting back on Johnny Depp for allegedly staging a “smear campaign” against her and calling his own lawsuit a continuation of “abuse and molestation” she suffered at his hands during their marriage
Kathy Griffin (left) supported Heard early in the trial, while David Krumholtz (right) called her “brilliant” and “strong.”
Ellen Barkin (right), who briefly dated Depp (left) in the ’90s when they filmed Fear and Loathing together in Las Vegas, said in a 2019 testimony that Depp was “jealous” and “controlling.”
Actress Julia Fox defended Heard by saying she did not abuse Depp as he is more powerful than her both “physically and financially.”
Kathy Griffin
Comedian Kathy Griffin supported Heard after the actress posted that she would be taking a break from social media during the trial.
Commenting on Heard’s announcement, she said, “Oh Doll. Thinking of you and sending all the love.’
Howard Stern
Veteran shock jock Stern, who has never been afraid to speak his mind, took on Depp on his SiriusXM show in late April.
“He thought to himself, ‘I’m going to put this on TV because I’m so persuasive and smart and I’m such a wonderful guy … I’m going to pull America’s pants down at trial,'” Stern said.
“No you will not. This won’t go well. It’s not going well for you, it’s not going well for her. Nobody is fine. You sound like two children fighting. It just comes off really bad.’
Ellen Barkins
Hollywood luminary Barkin briefly dated Depp in the early 1990s and testified against Depp during his trial.
The jury heard that the Edward Scissorhands actor was a “jealous, controlling man” who once threw a wine bottle across a hotel room.
‘Where are you going? With whom you go? What did you do last night?’ she claimed he kept asking her.
Depp responded that she has harbored a grudge against him since he spurned her three decades ago.
Julia Fox
Fox, a Breakthrough Actor Award nominee at the 2019 Gotham Awards following her debut role in Uncut Gems, came to Heard’s defense on Instagram.
“This is clearly a sick way of still controlling their lives by suing them all over the world.”
“Did she hit him? Yes. Was it abuse? no You have to have power in order to abuse it. She was 25. He was clearly always a lot more powerful, physically and financially.’
David Krumholtz
TV actor Krumholtz attacked Depp for his drug and alcohol use, saying he turns men into “monsters”. In a series of Instagram posts, he snuggled up to Depp and while saying she wasn’t innocent, he finished with, “I think Amber Heard.”
The lawsuit began when Depp sued Heard for defamation, seeking $50 million in damages from his ex-wife after she wrote an op-ed on The Washing Post claiming she described herself as “a personality.” of public life representing domestic violence”.
In a series of Instagram posts, David Krumholtz addressed Depp and, while saying she wasn’t innocent, he finished with, “I think Amber Heard.”
TV actor Krumholtz attacked Depp for his drug and alcohol use, saying he turns men into “monsters”.
Depp’s lawyers say the article defamed him, though he never mentioned his name, as it was misrepresented as a domestic abuser and cost him his lucrative film career, including the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.
Civil attorney Katherine Lizardo said Depp had a “very unique personality” and appeared genuine and often smiled, potentially making him attractive to the jury.
This has helped him win the battle for public opinion, with a petition with nearly 4/3 million signatures calling for Heard to be dropped from her role in Aquaman 2.
The list of actors in “Team Depp” is long and illustrious, with names like Winona Ryder, with whom he played in 1990’s “Edward Scissorhands”, or Javier Bardem, who played Depp in “Pirates of the Caribbean” in 2017, an impressive cast of A-listers: Salazar’s Revenge, and Chris Rock, who joked on stage that we should “believe all women except Amber Heard”.
French actress Eva Green, 41, said: “I have no doubt that Johnny with his good name and beautiful heart will be revealed to the world and life will be better than ever for him and his family.”
Courtney Love posted a video on Instagram telling how Depp once saved her life by performing CPR when she overdosed at a club