Winona Ryder Defends Johnny Depp, Calls Amber Heard Accusations ‘Impossible to Believe’
By Mike Walters on March 12, 2020 at 12:37 PM EDT
Gettyimages | Barry King
Johnny Depp just received HUGE support in his legal case against Amber Heard after his ex-fiancé, Oscar-nominated actress Winona Ryder, filed a declaration in the Virginia defamation case and claimed she cannot believe Depp would ever commit an act of domestic violence.
In the declaration, obtained By The Blast, The ‘Stranger Things’ star went on record, stating she does not believe Johnny Depp is a violent person and she has never witnessed him being abusive to anyone in the past.
Gettyimages | Kevin.Mazur/INACTIVE
48-year-old Ryder claimed she is willing to be called as a witness for Depp, and that she is making her statements “in support” of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star. Gave unwavering support, even though “I am aware of the violence allegations that have been made publicly for the last few years by Johnny Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard."
Ryder began her declaration summarizing her history with Johnny Depp, including their romance after the first meeting during the 1989 NYC premiere of “Great Balls of Fire!”
”I knew Johnny very well years ago. We were together as a couple for four years, and I counted him as my best friend, and as close to me as family. I count our relationship as one of the more significant relationships of my life. I understand that it is very important that I speak from my own experience,” Ryder stated.
The actress then takes aim at Amber Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse and admits it was difficult to even process the allegations.
"I obviously was not there during his marriage to Amber, but, from my experience, which was so wildly different, I was absolutely shocked, confused and upset when I heard the accusations against him. The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved. I cannot wrap my head around these accusations."
Recalling her own personal time spent with Depp, Ryder declared:
"He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen. I truly and honestly only know him as a really good man- an incredibly loving, extremely caring guy who was so very protective of me and the people that he loves, and I felt so very, very safe with him."
Gettyimages | Barry King
She added, “I do not want to call anyone a liar but from my experience of Johnny, it is impossible to believe that such horrific allegations are true. I find it extremely upsetting knowing him as I do."
Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp were engaged for three years starting in July of 1990. The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean” star also famously has a tattoo of "Winona Forever" on his body that was later changed to "Wino Forever" when the couple split.
Gettyimages | Jim Smeal
This isn't the first time Ryder has defended Johnny Depp against the allegations, the actress told Time Magazine in 2016:
"I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said.” She added, "Imagine if someone you dated when you were—I was 17 when I met him—was accused of that. It’s just shocking. I have never seen him be violent toward a person before.”
The declaration by Ryder is a big deal and could have a serious impact on the defamation case against Amber Heard. The “Stranger Thing” star’s support is the latest in several legal documents filed in support of Depp, where confidants and employees of the former couple are going on record to discuss their time spent with the stars.