Johnny Depp testified for three days this week in the trial of his lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp is suing Heard for defamation, alleging she falsely portrayed him as a domestic abuser and harmed his lucrative acting career. The allegation centers around a 2018 comment Heard wrote in The Washington Post, in which she referenced suffering abuse but did not name Depp.
On the witness stand, Depp said he had never hit Heard and he had never hit a woman. He accused Heard of abuse and also spoke at length about his own issues with drugs and alcohol. Here’s a look at some of the most shocking moments of the trial so far. Depp’s testimony is set to continue on Monday.
1. Depp said he drew the blood on his finger after he was cut during a fight with Heard
During his testimony, Depp claimed that during a violent argument in Australia in 2015, Heard threw two vodka bottles at him and when one exploded, it slashed his finger to the point of exposing bones. He claimed this resulted in the tip of his middle finger being cut off.
Depp said after being cut, he wrote on the walls with his blood and then dipped his finger in paint to continue writing. He said: “The blood had dried, so to speak, so I put my finger in a can of paint and also mineral spirits to get my verbal messages on the wall.”
2. Lawyers asked Depp about things he wrote during the incident
Depp said he wrote “memories” on a mirror after Heard made a movie with actor Billy Bob Thornton. Photos of the mirror featured the words “Billy Bob and Easy Amber.”
He was also asked during his testimony whether he drew a penis in a painting. “I don’t know anything about that. I don’t remember drawing a penis on a painting,” he said. When asked if he’d forgotten given the state he was in, Depp said, “Drawing a penis wasn’t the first thing on my mind. i had news Memories.”
He also wrote on a lampshade, a photo of which was also shown at the trial. “On this lampshade, which appears to be sitting on the floor, write in a mixture of blood or paint, ‘Good luck and be careful upstairs,'” Heard’s attorney asked.
“Yeah, right,” Depp said. “Yeah, I thought it was good advice.”
3. Audio played by Heard talking about alleged damage from Depp
Audio was played during the trial of Heard speaking to Depp about the alleged harm he had caused her. “By the way, my family, my friends, everyone around me saw all the bruises, a broken blood vessel under my eye, bruises on my head, the missing strands of hair, the split lip, the black eye, the swollen nose,” she said.
4. A picture of a bruise Depp allegedly received from Heard was shown
Depp claimed Heard “roundhouse punched” him, resulting in a bruise under his eye. He also claimed that during the altercation he thought she had injured her foot on a door and when he went to check on her, “she kicked the bathroom door in my head.”
“And I was completely taken aback by such a corrosive, horrible move,” he said.
Actor Johnny Depp claimed in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard on Wednesday that she “kicked the bathroom door in my head” during an argument.
“I was completely taken aback by such a chilling, horrible move.” pic.twitter.com/JnQuLRewDV
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 20, 2022
5. Depp speculated why Disney cut ties with him
Heard’s attorney said reports of Disney and Depp cutting ties came before the release of Heard’s 2018 comment. “Did you know that it has been reported, like this article, that ‘Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is an actor struggling with financial woes and personal drama?’ Were you aware of that?” he asked Depp.
“I wasn’t aware of that, but it doesn’t surprise me considering it’s been two years of constant talk around the world about hitting that woman,” he said, alleging that Heard publicly defamed him. “So I’m sure Disney tried to cut ties to be safe. The MeToo movement was in full swing at this point.”
6. A video played with Depp saying, “If you want to see crazy, I’ll give you that [expletive] crazy”
A video played during the trial showing Depp and Heard arguing, during which he becomes aggressive. Depp is seen pouring wine while angrily asking, ‘Want to see crazy I’ll give you [expletive] crazy. I’ve gone insane You’re all crazy.”
He then notices that she is recording and tussles with her while the video drops. Depp confirmed to Heard’s attorney during questioning that it was him in the video and it was at his West Hollywood home. “And you would agree that you were violent in that clip, right?” asks the lawyer.
“Obviously I was having a bad time,” Depp replied. He said Heard illegally taped him, adding, “I attacked a few cabinets but I didn’t touch Ms. Heard.”
When asked if he was drunk when the video was taken, Depp said it was possible. “You poured yourself a mega pint of red wine, right?” asked the lawyer.
“A mega pint?” replied Depp, laughing. “I poured myself a large glass of wine. I felt it necessary.”
Analysis of Johnny Depp’s defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard 05:28
7. Depp was asked if he did drugs with Marilyn Manson
“Um. Yeah, we drank together,” Depp said when asked if he’d done drugs with singer Marilyn Manson. “We’ve had cocaine together a few times.” Manson, whose real name is Brian Hugh Warner, has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women.
When asked if he took pills with Manson, Depp said, “I gave Marilyn Manson a pill once to make him stop talking so much.”
8. Texts from Depp to his friend and sister were shown: “Too much drink”
Text messages from Depp to his friend Paul Bettany reveal that he told the actor about an occasion when he drank too much near Heard. Heard’s attorney read the text aloud. “You may have to drink for me,” Depp wrote to Bettany. “Of course I beat Amber on a recent trip and showed ugly colors. I am a crazy person will not stop. Ugly and sad. Oh how I love it.”
Texts to his sister Christ were also shared as evidence. “She wants to talk to me, she doesn’t know what to do. Loves you but doesn’t always know what to do. She worries about everything,” Christi wrote to Depp via Heard.
“It wasn’t pleasant today. I didn’t know she had another one [expletive] Photoshoot tomorrow. That’s why she is real [expletive] Left. I don’t need an actress [expletive] and you [expletive] ambition,” Depp wrote back.
9. Audio played where Heard claims Depp headbutted her
In an audio recording, Heard asks Depp why he can headbutt her, but he has trouble with her screaming.
Depp said he “strongly disagrees” with the allegation, adding that he’s trying to quash it. He said their heads probably bumped as she moved as he held her.
10. Photo of large bags of marijuana was shown
Heard’s attorney showed Depp a photo of at least four large bags of marijuana next to a mug with his film company’s Infinitum Nihil logo on it, and Depp confirmed the photo was taken in his recording studio.
11. Depp admitted to vandalizing hotel rooms in the past
“You’ve trashed hotel rooms before simply because you’ve had a bad couple of days and an awkward time,” Heard’s attorney asked Depp.
“Right. I attacked a sofa or two. Yes sir,” Depp replied. When asked if he expressed himself through destructive behavior, Depp agreed.
Heard’s attorney asked, “And you once said in an interview, you said this, quote: ‘You know, you have bad days, and you know some people go golfing, some people you know destroy hotel rooms.’ You’ve said that before, haven’t you?”
“As a joke,” Depp replied. He said he doesn’t think he’s the only person to have smashed a door or broken something during an “internal struggle” with himself.
12. Lyrics reveal that Depp was referring to Heard using derogatory language
Heard’s attorney questioned Depp about texts sent to someone named “Sis,” who may have been Heard’s sister, in April 2015, Depp testified.
“I never, ever want to see that filthy whore,” Depp wrote. “Amber very embarrassed.”
“And when you called Amber ‘that filthy whore’, she was your wife then, right?” the lawyer asked.
“Yes sir,” Depp replied.
13. Depp said his mother abused him
Depp said physical abuse from his mother was “constant” throughout his childhood, with abuse taking the form of ashtrays being thrown or a high-heeled shoe or phone being hit with him. He told Depp he wanted to make sure his kids didn’t experience that kind of upbringing.
Actor Johnny Depp takes the stand testifying against ex-wife Amber Heard 03:46
14. Depp spoke about Elton John trying to sober him up
“Elton John was one of your friends who tried to help you get sober, right?” Heard’s attorney asked, which Depp confirmed. “And you texted him in 2012 thanking him for his help and saying, quote, ‘I would have been swallowed by the monster if it wasn’t for you? That’s a simple fact.’ Isn’t that true?”
“Yes. Again, the monster refers to alcohol and substances,” Depp said.
The word monster was used at another point in the trial, when Depp said Heard called him a monster when he was on drugs and alcohol — and that she continued to use it when he was “freezing sober from alcohol and substances other than my meds.” “was,” he said.
15. Depp claimed Heard left feces on her bed
Depp said while Heard was at Coachella, he decided to go to the penthouse they shared and pack his bags when she wasn’t home. His bodyguard warned him that feces had been found in the bed.
“It was so absurd and grotesque and cruel and then I was shown a picture of what the problem was,” Depp said at the trial.
He said Heard kept denying it, blaming it on her little dogs, but he was convinced she lied.
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