I’ve watched enough reality television (I blame the pandemic) to understand that toxic relationships are all too common. But no episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians or Selling Sunset comes close to the trial over actor Johnny Depp’s libel lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Depp sued Heard in 2019, alleging that she falsely accused him of domestic abuse in a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post in which she made references to the past abuse she had suffered. She did not name him directly, but Depp said the implication was obvious.
Several days into the trial and it remains unclear what, exactly, this whole thing is about. We’ve learned both Depp and Heard had serious substance abuse problems and that they argued frequently and often violently. In one 2015 encounter, for example, Depp testified that Heard threw two vodka bottles at him and when one exploded, the glass sliced off the tip of his middle finger. He then wrote on the walls with the blood of his severed finger.
Images of both Depp and Heard with bruises on their bodies were shown. Referring to the picture that showed a bruise under his eye, Depp accused Heard of “roundhouse” punching him and kicking “the bathroom door into my head.”
And in another recording, Depp is seen pouring wine while asking Heard, “Want to see crazy? I’ll give you f***ing crazy. I got your crazy. All your crazy.” He then noticed she was recording and reached to stop her.
Asked during the trial whether it was appropriate to refer to his behavior in the video as violent, Depp said, “I did assault a couple of cabinets, but I did not touch Ms. Heard.” The lawyer continued, “You poured yourself a mega pint of red wine, correct?”
“A mega pint?” Depp responded, laughing. “I poured myself a large glass of wine. I thought it necessary.”
I’m not sure there’s enough wine in the world that would have kept that relationship afloat. Both Depp and Heard clearly had deep and traumatic problems that affected everything — from their habit of drinking heavily to the way they interacted with each other. And unfortunately, they’re being forced to relive it in a very public manner.
Which one of them is telling the truth? That’s for the jury to decide. But for now, we know this: They deserve our pity, as do most of the souls unfortunate enough to end up in Hollywood.
