TThe Hollywood careers of more than a couple of movie stars are in jeopardy this weekend, as the extraordinarily messy legal battle pitting Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, enters a dramatic third week, a week. in which Heard’s team will be in the driver’s seat.
The outcome of the case, a defamation action pressured by Depp, could affect many of those involved. Other big names, like Winona Ryder, Paul Bettany, and Vanessa Paradis, are in danger of corrupt reputations, whether they portray themselves as innocent bystanders or partisan supporters. And casts from major family movie franchises, such as the Aquaman series, Fantastic Beasts spin-offs, Harry Potter, and Marvel superheroes, may change as a result.
Depp is suing the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers and the newspaper’s executive editor, Dan Wootton, for describing him as a “handcuff puncher” in an April 2018 article, which questioned Warner Brothers’ decision to include him in a Fantastic Beasts movie. The 57-year-old actor, a household name after his roles as Edward Scissorhands and as Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean series, received a restraining order in Los Angeles in 2016, shortly after his divorce, but has now appeared in the headlines with accusations that the serious problem of violence and alcohol was heard, not by him. Notoriously, last week Heard was even accused of defecating in his bed. Heard, 34, is in London to give him his version of the disturbing events that led to the end of their short, high-profile marriage. His role in the lucrative Aquaman films could be in doubt if the nasty accusations made by Depp and his legal team are upheld.
Legal experts also question whether the media law will be permanently altered by the case. “The way the media can write about domestic violence could change forever,” said a legal source. “Journalists would have believed they were clear in speaking of someone as a dangerous companion when they were already named in a temporary restraining order in the United States.”
Depp, who has withheld a large fortune despite a recent legal action against business managers who he says defrauded him of $ 650 million, is eager to hold on to the prospect of working on adventure films. Claims and counter-claims of extreme violence and behavior are unlikely to work well with the family audience or with the Disney and Warner Brothers studios, owners of the JK Rowling franchise.
In the United States, the actor, who has admitted a history of drug and alcohol abuse, is also suing his ex-wife directly for $ 50 million for a Washington Post December 2018 article in which she said she was a survivor of domestic abuse. Any reader, Depp argues, would assume that he was the abuser. Victory in the UK next month could help with future vindication in America.
On Thursday, the London high court trial took an unexpected turn when Ryder, Depp’s ex-fiancée, and French singing star Paradis, Depp’s first wife and mother of their two children, did not appear to speak for him. . The duo had issued press releases saying that Depp was not a violent man and that both should speak as witnesses. “Ryder and Paradis’ statements were not part of the trial as they were not subject to cross-examination,” added the legal source. “They appear to have been used as part of a media campaign without having to appear in court.”
The decision not to appear in court disappointed those seeking an extra star power, but Heard’s legal team would have wanted the NGN attorneys to question these women about the terms of the end of their relationships with Depp. Heard cites 14 incidents of violence during their relationship, all of which Depp denies.
Ryder is now being acclaimed for his performance in the new HBO drama The plot against America, following his success in the series Strange things. Explicit support for Depp could be a dangerous move. Three other Depp witnesses did not appear last week, although there was strong supporting testimony from some of his friends and former employees. Isaac Baruch, an artist and longtime friend of Depp’s who lives as his guest in a Los Angeles penthouse, told the court Friday that he had seen no evidence of injury to Heard in May 2016 after the couple’s final breakup. .
Those in court that morning wondered if Depp might also not appear. The actor was late, explaining that he had attended a movie meeting in the morning in his hotel room. A court watcher said this weekend: “The security team and court officials were not happy, they have a lot to deal with when the stars come.”
Peripheral damage could also be inflicted on English-born Bettany, who plays Vision in the Marvel superhero franchise. One of Depp’s close friends, his name appeared in court due to crude messages in which Depp complained about his wife and spoke about drug use.
This week, Heard, who appears as an NGN witness, is expected to try to reclaim his original allegations about her ex-husband. Over the past week, Depp’s attorneys filed their own mistreatment claims against her, a strategy led by Depp’s legal adviser, US Attorney Adam Waldman.
Depp’s many fans around the world support his reputation and a group has regularly appeared outside of court. Heard’s entourage includes her younger sister Whitney and Amber’s girlfriend Bianca Butti, along with leading Australian attorney Jen Robinson, a friend of Amal Clooney’s.
This week, Heard, who will speak as a witness, is likely to suggest that Waldman and Depp have attempted to muddy the waters in a high-risk example of legal gaslighting. The case continues.
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