Netflix’s new Depp V. Heard trial docuseries is forcing us all to revisit the toxic trainwreck of the celebrity century. Neither Johnny Depp nor Amber Heard came out unscathed. Well, in theory. Because, let’s get real, Depp was given a huge pass from the start. Embarrassing and heinous examples of appalling behavior from both sides were exposed. But there are only two people who really know what happened between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, though. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Wait, scrap that. In reality, I don’t think Johnny Depp or Amber Heard know either.
My first reaction is to support somebody if they share allegations of abuse. My first reaction is to believe them. And, actually, I do believe Amber Heard. I do believe that Johnny Depp was toxic and violent, and abusive. That said, I believe that Amber Heard was too. I believe that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s entire relationship was toxic and violent, and abusive—like both of their childhoods were. The most sickening takeaway from the trial, though, was the public reaction. The endless memes and TikTok videos mocking Heard and the hordes of Johnny Depp sycophants tweeting that she’s a “c***,” or a “barn witch” who needs to be “killed” or “beheaded and raped.” Where the hell does that come from? (That’s a rhetorical question. We all know where it comes from: raging misogyny and the cult of celebrity).
As mentioned in the documentary, a trial is not real life. It’s not about revealing the truth. It’s about waging and winning a war, staging a play. Is it really that difficult to imagine a wasted and belligerent Depp becoming violent and abusive? When it comes to his cult of followers, it is. They seem to believe that Depp is just a poor, meek, innocent victim of a lying, scheming, manipulative, and twisted Heard. That he’s not capable of any gross or abusive behavior. Of course, he is. He’s human. He has substance addiction disorder and a broken childhood very likely resulting in an unhealthy attachment style and the groundwork for potentially explosive behavior. Depp himself testified that he “went to dark places” during their relationship. Does his cult think he was talking about one of those rooms he testified to locking himself away in, but with the lights out?
Depp’s star power and celebrity currency played massively in his favor both in the court of public opinion and in the legal one, too. He had Kate Moss and Paul Bettany in his corner, the latter of which Depp jovially texted about drowning and burning Heard, then having sex with her corpse. Meanwhile, Heard had Elon Musk. Enough said. I believe that Heard was the match who lit Depp’s explosions. Because of her own personal demons, she couldn’t stop herself from doing it over and over again. I also believe that she had plenty of explosions herself. I believe that both of them are damaged. And that both of them are prone to dramatics and histrionics. But, of course, it’s only Heard that’s accused of the latter because it fits the “hysterical, crazy woman” trope.
In her closing argument, Depp’s attorney, Camille Vasquez, asserted, “She came into this courtroom prepared to give the performance of her life.” Well, no shit, of course she did, and Depp did, too; he’s just more experienced at putting on a nuanced performance. “What is at stake in this trial is a man’s good name,” Vasquez continued. Depp’s “good name”? He’s never been part of the moral majority; he’s never been a boy scout. Depp’s whole schtick is about being an outlier bad boy, with his Peter Pan meets Keith Richards mid-life crisis. Jesus, just read the scathing Rolling Stone profile.
“Johnny Depp. I stand with you.” I can’t even. Stand with Depp? He’s standing just fine all on his own. Fittingly, despite being the one who dragged all of this horror into the public domain, in the end, Depp wasn’t even in court for the verdict; he was in a British pub. OK, so he’s had his Disney contract canceled. Well, that’ll be 10,000 crates of Château Calon-Ségur and a private jet he’ll have to go without. Still, the seven-minute long standing ovation Depp received at the Cannes film festival speaks volumes about his future career prospects. Meanwhile, Heard’s disappeared in a puff of smoke.
They’re both victims. Of each other, of themselves, of their history and their brain chemicals. If you’re going to “stand” with anybody, then stand with both of them. Or at least recognize that people can be both abused and abusive. It’s not always just one or the other.