Johnny Depp‘s testimony continued Wednesday as he took the stand for a second day to testify against ex-wife Amber Heard, whom he has accused of ruining his reputation and career with false accusations of domestic violence.
Depp appeared on the stand for the first time Tuesday, detailing his troubled childhood at the hands of an abusive mother, sharing the history and frequency of his drug and alcohol use, and providing details about the beginning of his relationship with Heard.
In a slow and stilted tone, Depp began Tuesday’s testimony by saying he wants the public to know his side of the story. It’s the first time he’s publicly addressed the fallout and the claims Heard has levelled against him.
Actor Johnny Depp testifies during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va., Tuesday, April 19, 2022. (Jim Watson/Pool Photo via AP).
“I had to wait for my opportunity to address the charges, which were criminal charges. They just weren’t true,” he said.
Speaking frequently of the impact the case and its details have had on his children, Depp said he’s also suffered from a personal fall-from-grace.
“One day you’re Cinderella, so to speak, and then in 0.6 seconds you’re Quasimodo.”
U.S. actor Johnny Depp during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., on April 19, 2022.
Jim Watson / Pool via Getty Images
The fully televised legal battle of the divorced couple has captured the attention of spectators around the globe, with both Heard, 35, and Depp, 58, claiming to be victims of violence. The initial court case began when Depp filed a $50-million defamation lawsuit over a Washington Post op-ed penned by Heard in late 2018 about domestic abuse.
Heard did not mention Depp by name in the article, though in court documents he alleges his reputation and career were still “devastated” as a result.
When questioned about his childhood Monday, Depp described in detail the “violent” and “cruel” abuse he and his siblings suffered at the hands of his mother, Betty Sue Palmer.
He recounted times when his mother threw an ashtray or beat him with a high-heeled shoe.
Johnny Depp steps outside court during the eighth day of his civil trial at Fairfax County Circuit Court on April 19, 2022, in Fairfax, Va.
Paul Morigi / Getty Images
“In our house, we were never exposed to any type of safety or security. The only thing that one could do, really, was to stay out of the line of fire.”
He said that in the early days of their relationship Heard seemed “too good to be true,” but things began to deteriorate after about a year when Depp said Heard began to show signs of controlling behaviour.
He also testified that the details Heard has shared about his alleged drug and alcohol addictions are “grossly embellished” and “plainly false.”
U.S. actress Amber Heard attends trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., on April 19, 2022.
Jim Watson / Pool via Getty Images
He said that while he did dabble in his mother’s “nerve pills” at a young age, and was addicted to an opiate for four to five years, he has also had months-long stints of sobriety and that when he did use substances, he “never appeared loaded or high, or any of that.”
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“Even if I felt a little spinny no one would have ever known,” Depp told the court.
Depp’s lawyers have already called on several witnesses, including friends, the couple’s therapist, and the doctor and nurse who claim they treated the Pirates of the Caribbean actor for substance abuse issues.
In opening statements delivered by the former spouses’ legal teams last week, Depp’s lawyers claim Heard is “choosing to lie about him for her own personal benefit.”
Heard’s lawyers argued the opposite, claiming freedom of speech allowed the Aquaman actor to pen the Washington Post op-ed.
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