Amber Heard‘s former agent testified that the actress wanted to get back together with Johnny Depp after she publicly accused him of abuse. The Aquaman star was dating Elon Musk at the time, or “filling space” with the Tesla founder, as she purportedly told her then friend.
CAA agent Christian Carino, who happens to be Lady Gaga’s ex-fiancé, testified in a recorded video deposition on Wednesday. He was both Depp and Heard’s former agent. Carino spoke about how he had a close personal relationship with the actors throughout their relationship, even setting them up with a couple’s counselor in 2015. He said he never witnessed any abuse and that Heard never told him she was physically assaulted by Depp. Carino is no longer friends with Depp or Heard.
Carino was asked about facilitating a meeting between Heard and Depp in July 2016 at the actress’ request.
“[Amber] wanted me to arrange for them to get together in person,” Carino declared. “I talked to Johnny about it… he was reluctant at first and then agreed.”
Heard, who filed for divorce and was granted a temporary restraining order in May 2016, apparently gave Carino assurances she would “never accuse” Depp of violating the TRO as a result of the meeting. Carino “set the meeting up” and believes there were legal transparencies on both sides as the two were hashing out their divorce at the time.
Carino “borrowed” a friends house in San Francisco, which is where Heard and Depp first met. “They sat outside,” he recalled, “inches away from each other” for “several hours.” When the homeowner was set to return, they rented a hotel room to continue the conversation. Things didn’t go as smoothly.
“They started arguing,” Carino testified. This appears to be the same meeting where an audio recording was taken. In the clip played in court last week, Depp has a knife and tells Heard to “take my blood” while she begs him not to cut himself. (“I thought that was the only thing she didn’t have at that point,” Depp testified about the exchange caught on tape.)
Carino was asked whether Heard “ever had a relationship” with Musk. He confirmed they did. Carino was then shown correspondence between himself and Heard from August 2017.
“Dealing with breakup. I hate when things go public… I’m so sad,” Heard texted Carino. (This corresponds with media reports at the time that Musk and Heard split.)
“You weren’t in love with him and you told me a thousand times you were just filling space,” Carino replied via text. He confirms multiple times during his testimony that he and Heard were confidants at the time.
“I know, but I wanted time to grieve and recover in my own time,” Heard texted Carino.
Carino told Heard she “could avoid” press attention if she “stopped dating uber famous people.”
“If you don’t like being in the press about your personal life, then don’t date people that are famous,” Carino explained of the advice he shared in that text.
Carino was asked by Depp’s attorney if Heard was dating Musk at the time of the July 2016 meeting.
“I don’t know whether they were dating, but they had definitely spent time together,” Carino replied. He said he learned of Musk and Heard’s relationship “not long after” the San Francisco meeting. Carino testified it was his understanding Heard “still” loved Depp and that he believed she wanted to “reconcile” with the actor.
Depp’s attorneys read aloud the following text message from Heard to Carino: “I’ve written so many notes, can you give him one? I don’t know how or where to start. There’s no way to begin… I have so many. Finally I am single, clear in my heart and mind. I just want him to know I love him and I am sorry.”
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Carino testified that Heard is referring to “Johnny” in the text and that she wanted him to deliver the Pirates star a letter. When asked if it was his understanding that Heard was trying “to reconcile” with Depp, he replied, “I believe so.”
In another text from Sept. 2017, Heard wrote to Carino, “God I miss him.” Carino confirmed Heard was referring to Depp.
Another text from Heard to Carino on June 9, 2018 was read by Depp’s lawyer, in which Heard wrote, “I texted him happy birthday.” (Depp’s birthday is June 9.)
Five months later, the actress referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over that op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post in Dec. 2018. The actor says he suffered damages to his career and reputation over false abuse accusations that were rehashed in the article. Carino appeared to support Depp’s claim.
“My opinion is that Amber’s accusations would have had the most dramatic impact on his off-screen reputation,” Carino said, confirming he was informed that Depp was axed from Pirates 6 after the op-ed was published.
Heard has yet to testify and maintains she was the victim of domestic violence, not the other way around as Depp has claimed.
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