I NORMALLY don’t discuss people’s lives—especially celebrities and politicians—beyond their work. But the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard courtroom skirmish touches several subject matters of (societal) interest so let me try. I don’t watch the TV coverage or click on the YouTube snippets of the Virginia trial. But based on my Homepage soiree of sorts, seems like Johnny gains more credibility traction over his ex-wife.
But “winning/losing” in this high-end drama, despite an eventual verdict, is nonsensical since I feel both already lost. If the case ended after divorce and the $7 million settlement (awarded to Ms Heard), then this “thriller” would have been consigned as simply another glossy break-up story. So many of those!
Last that I read is Mr Depp was taken
out of the 6th installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” Capt. Jack
Sparrow. Johnny was to earn $22.5 million to reprise his role but, quite
obviously due to the court hassle, producer Disney decided to go in a
"different direction." There are reports that a female-led spin-off
is on script development, with Margot Robbie attached to star. Hmmm. There you
go.
Check this though. The franchise has
grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide, with Depp as its focal seller. Retail
sales of merch, which is again anchored on Johnny as Jack, has so far brought
$1.6 billion globally. Well, Johnny is out of Part 6 but, reports say, they are
not pulling out his obvious likeness to the merchandise. Uh huh. Do away with
the sexual politics-induced controversy but keep the profit? Johnny Depp should
sue Disney, you reckon?
Meantime, Johnny’s fans are all-out on a campaign to oust Amber from the cast of “Aquaman,” the highest-earning movie that she’s been involved with. But then “Aquaman” is Jason Momoa’s gig. Did Amber date Jason as well? LOL!
FIRST, you know Mr
Johnny Depp. But many non-rabid film hounds ask, “Who is Amber Heard?” I
understand. Heard of her? Nope? Quite definitely, Amber is far from the Meryl
Streep, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence megastar category, as we are wont to
place Johnny on the male side.
Yet Ms Heard is not even near the circle
of Elisabeth Moss, Rachel Brosnahan, and Sarah Paulson. Some of her movies:
Drop Dead Sexy, North Country, Side FX, London Fields, The Adderall Diaries,
Price to Pay, You Are Here, and Alpha Dog. Probably you’ve heard of those but
would say, “…she was in those movies?” The most popular megahit that Amber
Heard was in: 2018’s “Aquaman.” She was also with ex-hubby Johnny in 2011’s
“The Rum Diary.” But did you notice her there?
So it’d be safe to say that Amber Heard
got famous when she married John Christopher Depp II in 2015. And she got
richer, too. I don’t know how much she was making before the A-1 marriage but
per most recent data place/s her 2021 net worth at $2.5 million, though I’d
dispute that considering the $7 million that she received per divorce
settlement in 2017. Meanwhile, Mr Depp is worth more than $100 million.
Reason why I seem to articulate the $ matter is obvious. This high-end drama is all about money. Second would be politics as in MeToo pitch or sexual politics showtime a.k.a. cancel culture fodder to many.
GOTTA be honest.
It is not hard to believe that Mr Depp could temporary lose his sanity per
alcohol abuse and drug frolic, which isn’t really new/s among the rich and
famous. Perpetrator, victim—both mind-altering intoxication pervade. Meantime,
years before Johnny upped his asking price to double-digit millions, he already
got bad-boy smear all over his face. Life with Winona Ryder and Kate Moss, for
example.
Hence a divorce sought by Amber Heard in
2016 was a no-brainer. She cited domestic abuse; she received a $7 million
settlement from Depp when the divorce was finalized. Amber then vowed to donate
the settlement to charity, specifically to the Children's Hospital of Los
Angeles and the ACLU.
From that point, it could have been
over. Who cares who was telling the truth, right? This is Hollywood. And the
verdict has been handed already. Johnny continues being Jack Sparrow and, in
between, giggin’ and rockin’ with the Hollywood Vampires. Amber got a
start-over and new, better film roles, perhaps.
But nope.
Amber had been lying about donating the money to charity. The L.A. Children's Hospital reported to have only received $100,000, which would be around $3.4 million shy of her allegedly promised donation. In April 2022 court testimony, ACLU testified that the organization had received a total of only $1.3 million of Amber's pledged $3.5 million.
At the same time, testimony revealed that of the $1.3 million, Amber personally provided just $350,000 directly while $100,000 came from Depp and $500 thousand actually came from Elon Musk, another of Amber's former romantic partners. Ooops, Elon?
MATTERS could have
been over after the divorce settlement. But then Amber Heard wanted more,
actually. In 2016, Ms Heard filed for spousal support after separating from
Johnny Depp. According to court filings, in May 2016 Amber's lawyers offered to
"keep this matter out of the spotlight" if Johnny allowed her to
continue to use a Range Rover, to continue living in three of his Los Angeles
penthouse apartments and to receive $125,000 for legal and accounting expenses.
Next Amber reportedly asked for $50,000
per month from Depp to cover various expenses. Court documents revealed that
according to Heard, her monthly expenses included costs like $10,000 for rent,
$2,000 a month for eating out, and $10,000 for pet supplies and legal costs.
She backed up her effort by claiming she was making a very small income,
including $27,000 in royalties from various films.
I guess, that was before the divorce?
Okay. But the act that got Amber Heard
deep in trouble was when Johnny Depp filed a lawsuit in the United Kingdom
against News Group Newspapers, publishers of The Sun which referred to him as a
"wife beater" in an April 2018 article. The lawsuit went to trial in
2020. Both Heard and Depp testified for several days. In November 2020 a judge
ruled that 12 of the 14 incidents of violence that Heard reportedly claimed to
have incurred were "substantially true." Depp lost an appeal in March
2021.
Till the case went to the U.S. in 2019. Johnny sued Amber Heard for defamation in Virginia. He sought a settlement of $50 million as a direct response to an op-ed Amber Heard had written for The Washington Post (the same article as in The Sun?) in December 2018 that detailed the alleged abuse she suffered. That’s where we are now.
NOW the drama is a TV spectacle and social media fodder. Sure, Johnny Depp’s fame elicited massive support his way. That is a no brainer. I don’t think Aquaman will come to Amber Heard’s rescue, anyways. Yet we still have to hear the final word or verdict.
This side projects Mr Depp as a victim
based on what I just typed up. Makes me think, what if Amber and Elon Musk
actually got married? Amber should have hushed after the 2016 divorce settlement
and handed what she promised Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and the ACLU.
And then went to honestly work for her own keep.
But it seems she has a lavish lifestyle
to support as well—so she won’t let Johnny be. Again, I believe that Mr Depp was
abusive when drunk or drugged and because of that, a divorce happened and $17
million was handed Amber.
Thing is, why’d she pledge the money to
charity when she knew she needed them most? You know what I’m saying? Now of
course MeToo etcetera will probably take her case up as a political statement.
Oh well.
Okay, if ever the case is
dismissed, which I hope it will—since I don’t want Amber to pay when she
couldn’t, good. Just let this go, move on. But hey I am more interested in Mr Depp
suing Disney! More to come?
