Johnny Depp said it was “insane” listening to Amber Heard testify about their tumultuous relationship for days. The 58-year-old actor returned to the stand on Wednesday in a final attempt to clear his name as the six-week defamation trial comes to a close.
“It’s insane to hear heinous accusations of violence, sexual violence, that she’s attributed to me, that she’s accused me of. I don’t think anyone enjoys having to split themselves open and tell the truth, but there are times when one just simply has to because it’s gotten out of control,” he told the court.
Heard testified about more than a dozen alleged violent incidents during her four-year relationship with Depp, including three alleged sexual assaults. Depp called the allegations, “horrible, ridiculous, humiliating, ludicrous, painful, savage, unimaginably brutal, cruel and all false. All false.”
“No human being is perfect,” Depp continued, “but I have never in my life committed sexual battery, physical abuse, all these outlandish, outrageous stories of me committing these things.”
The Pirates of the Caribbean star said he’s been “waiting to be able to bring the truth out” for six years, ever since Heard filed for divorce and a temporary restraining order (TRO) in May 2016.
“This is not easy for any of us, I know that. But no matter what happens, I did get here, and I did tell the truth and I have spoken up for what I’ve been carrying on my back, reluctantly, for six years,” Depp declared.
A source close to Heard issued the following statement to Yahoo Entertainment: “Johnny Depp’s return to the stand is actually Depp’s last stand. His last chance to change the subject and mislead the jury. Don’t mistake charm for candor, or snark for sincerity. What we’re witnessing isn’t testimony, it’s a performance. If he’d been this good the last few years, he would have gotten those roles he lost.”
Although the actor was expected to be called to testify by Heard’s legal team, they changed plans at the last minute. The actor appeared on Wednesday as a rebuttal witness where he was asked by his lawyer about a number of things Heard testified about, including her Aquaman role. Heard emphatically stated she got the part on her own — “I got myself that role by auditioning, that’s how it works” — but Depp said that’s “not exactly true.”
Heard auditioned for the film in 2015, while she and Depp were married. When the actress learned the film would be shooting in Australia, she apparently approached her then-husband.
“Australia for Ms. Heard was a potential problem,” the actor explained. Depp is likely referring to “Yorkigate,” when the actress brought the couple’s Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, into the country illegally in 2015. The charges were dropped in exchange for Heard pleading guilty to making a false customs declaration.
Depp testified he “spoke to three upper echelon Warner executives” on behalf of Heard as he had a relationship with the studio. “I can only say that ultimately she did get the job in the film so hopefully, I suppose, I curbed their worries to some degree,” he said.
The Aquaman back and forth seems petty when considering the brutal abuse allegations at the center of the trial. However, Heard testified that Depp was controlling and jealous over her career and extremely jealous of any male co-stars, which often led to fights. The actor’s legal team is seemingly trying to prove that’s not the case.
The topic shifted to Depp’s drug use, specifically MDMA, or ecstasy. Heard alleged she was raped with a liquor bottle when the actor was on eight to 10 pills of the drug. Depp, who admitted he’s taken MDMA maybe “six” times in his life, denied ever taking eight to 10 pills at one time.
“I’m pretty sure I’d be dead. I think one would die, probably rather quickly,” he explained.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kate Moss testified on behalf of her ex-boyfriend, dismissing an insinuation from Heard that the actor threw her down a set of stairs during their relationship in the ’90s. Moss testified that she slipped on vacation in Jamaica with Depp, and that the actor helped her and got her medical attention.
“I recall speaking with Ms. Heard about that very incident,” Depp shared. “Ms. Heard took the story and turned it into a very ugly incident all in her mind. There was never a moment where I pushed Kate down any set of stairs.”
Depp recalled of Moss falling: “We were in Jamaica, I had left our bungalow about three minutes prior to her, I was standing outside and suddenly rain just starts coming down like it’s a monsoon, and then I remember looking and seeing Kate coming out the door and there were three little wooden stairs. She slipped, her legs went up and she landed directly on her lower back. She was obviously physically in pain, she was hurt, she was crying. So I ran over and grabbed her to make sure she was alright. That’s it. That’s the whole story.”
Related video: Kate Moss testifies that Johnny Depp “never pushed” or “threw me down any stairs”
Heard testified she has no problem looking Depp in the eye, unlike the actor who can’t look at her because he’s “guilty.” She stared directly at him most of his testimony and had quite the reaction when he began talking about her sister, Whitney.
Depp claimed that “witnessed quite a lot” of instances in which Heard verbally abused her sister. He said the actress treated Whitney like a “lackey” and “punching bag.” He alleged that Heard threw wine on in her sister’s face. Heard watched Depp sternly, sometimes looking back at her sister who was in the galley.
Court is on a lunch break. When it resumes, Depp will be cross-examined by Heard’s team. Yahoo will continue to update this story…
