Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard: How Actor Depp Is Still Fighting For His Reputation
The much-awaited court case between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard is set to begin on the 11th April, in Virginia. Actor Depp filed a defamation suit against Heard on the grounds that she attacked his character and destroyed his reputation in a piece she authored for The Washington Post (in which she made allegations of domestic abuse).
For Johnny Depp, perhaps, his day in court has been a long-time coming, as he has continually sought to fight back against the allegations of wrongdoing. He has denied abuse from the beginning, seeking to clear his name.
How It Began
Depp’s emotional journey to the 2022 Virginia court case has been very much centre stage in the media spotlight. It was actually in May of 2016 when the world first heard the allegations from actress Heard about her ex-husband. “During the entirety of our relationship,” she told the Associated Press, “Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me. I endured excessive emotional, verbal and physical abuse from Johnny, which has included angry and threatening assaults to me whenever I questioned his authority or disagreed with him.”
Their marriage, which lasted just 15 months, ended with Heard applying for a restraining order against Depp, and with her revealing a by-now famous photograph depicting bruises on her face (something, she alleges, Depp was responsible for). It wasn’t long, with the drama unfolding in the public eye, that the media began swarming over the details, with Depp’s name being dragged through the headlines with various negative accounts.
Alongside this, though, audio was eventually released which showed Heard being argumentative, domineering, mocking and admitting to actually hitting Depp. Many were shocked. Had the media been biased in their reporting? Where was the outrage after Heard’s admissions from the press?
For Depp, there was surely an emotional and mental impact as the negative headlines rolled on. His career and his reputation were (and are) in the hands of a media who had suddenly cast him in a sinister light. The damage, since the media ran with the story, has been immeasurable. This is why, Depp supporters believe, the actor wants and deserves his day in court. To give him a chance to have his say.
Believe All Victims?
Amber Heard’s serious allegations raise questions for our culture of “believe all victims.” The idea that those who speak up as victims must automatically be believed can be damaging. Especially when it can cost the accused not only their career but make a great impact on their mental health. This is why it is important for the press to be unbiased in regards to reporting such allegations, and why we, as a public, must wait for a court of law to make the right determinations.
Despite his critics and Heard’s supporters who rally against him, at this point in time, Johnny Depp still deserves to be offered work, and he still deserves to be honoured for his accomplishments. To suggest otherwise hints at something altogether darker about our society; that a person must be punished based on allegations: even if they have not been found guilty of any wrongdoing in a court of law.
As the time nears for the court case later next month, supporters of Johnny Depp wait eagerly for their chance to see their idol have his moment. One only has to scroll the newsfeed of social media platforms to see his fans have all had enough of “trial by media.” Many still have faith in the court system, and hope for justice.
