Actor Johnny Depp took the stand today against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The couple is facing each other at the Fairfax County Circuit Court. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor is suing his ex-wife for $50 million over a December 2018 op-ed Heard wrote for the Washington Post where she claims that she is a domestic violence survivor.
Although she did not mention Depp by name, he claims that he has lost movie roles due to the “clear implication” that he was the “Aquaman” actress’ abuser. On Tuesday, April 19, Depp took the stand in his own defense.
Johnny Depp Claims That He Is ‘Doing The Right Thing’ By Calling Out Amber Heard’s ‘Diabolical’ ‘Lies’
In court testimony reported by Deadline, Depp claimed “my goal is the truth” and said that he needed to take a stand against Heard’s “diabolical” abuse. He claimed that her allegations against him were “lies built upon lies” and insisted he was “doing the right thing” by pursuing the case.
“It was my responsibility to not only clear my name … I wanted to clear my children of this horrid thing they had to read about their father, that was untrue,” Depp said during his testimony.
Depp said “it was a complete shock” to hear Heard’s allegations against him. “It just didn’t need to go in that direction, as nothing of the kind ever happened,” Depp testified. “There were arguments, and things of that nature, but never did myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I struck anyone in my life.”
Johnny Depp Claims To Have Been The Victim Of Abuse As A Child
As reported by the New York Post, Depp claimed that he was a victim of “physical abuse” by his mother, Betty Sue Palmer, who would hit him, throw things at him, and torment him with “psychological abuse,” which he called “almost worse” than the physical abuse.
Depp said “there was quite a lot of name-calling” growing up, and admitted to wondering why his father did not leave his mother.
“He is a good man,” Depp said of his father, John Christopher Depp. “He apologized to me for having gone through the whipping – the belt.” Depp clarified that “My father is not an abusive man. At the same time, my father was to some degree at the mercy of Betty Sue.”
Depp and his father are close and has been accompanying him to court during the defamation trial. His mother passed away in 2016.
Johnny Depp Claims That His Relationship Felt ‘Too Good To Be True’
The “Fantastic Beasts” actor said that his relationship with Heard almost felt “too good to be true.” The pair started dating in 2012 and married in February 2015. Heard filed for divorce in May 2016.
Depp told the jury, “In the beginning of my relationship with Ms. Heard, it was from what I recall and what I remember, she was … it was as if she was too good to be true.”
“She was attentive, she was loving, she was smart, she was kind, she was funny, she was understanding … we had many things in common, certain blues music, music, literature, for that year, year and a half, it was amazing,” he added.
Depp added that “it all went weird” after the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise became a global hit, which required him to change his routine and hire extra security to protect himself and his family. He said that he could no longer take his children to the park like he used to and that stalkers had tried to climb the gates of his home – including one that was dressed in a Jack Sparrow costume.
Johnny Depp Is ‘Ashamed’ And ‘Embarrassed’ Over Viral Text Messages
In court, Depp apologized for the foul language he used in text messages to Amber Heard. He told the jury, “I am ashamed of some of the references made. I’m embarrassed that at the time the heat of the moment, the heat of the pain that I was feeling went to dark places.”
Last week’s testimony showed that Depp repeatedly called Heard a “c—” in text messages and once texted a friend saying that he hoped her “rotting corpse was decomposing in the f—ing trunk of a Honda Civic.”
In 2016, he texted his friend Isaac Baruch “That c— ruined such a cool life we had for a while.” The text messages were read aloud in court by Heard’s attorney, Elaine Bredehoft.
Depp said, “Pain has to be dealt with humor, something dark, very dark humor.”
Johnny Depp Discusses Childhood Drug Addiction
During the testimony, Depp claimed that his drug addiction began when he was only 11. He said that when his mother would ask for her “nerve pills,” he would also take one for himself.
“I’d done pretty much all the drugs I was aware of by the time I was 15 years old,” he told the jury.
“It’s never been for the party effect,” Depp added. “It’s been for trying to numb the things inside that can plague someone who has experienced trauma.” However, he said that Heard “grossly embellished” stories about his drinking and drug use, calling them “plainly false.”
“I think it was an easy target for her to hit,” Depp testified. “I am not some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time.”
Johnny Depp Says He Is A ‘Very Private Person’
Depp said that he is a “very private person” who doesn’t “want my children to experience hordes of paparazzis.”
“For me to come up here and stand before you —or sit before you all — and spill the truth is quite exposing,” he told the jury.
He seemed to lament having to testify, saying, “It never had to go in this direction.” However, he noted, “I can’t say I’m embarrassed because I know I’m doing the right thing.”
At 5 PM, Judge Penney Azcarate dismissed the jury for the evening. Depp is expected to take the stand and discuss his relationship with Heard more in-depth tomorrow.
