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Your army of true believers will not accept it. With its hidden hero contemplating defeat with his advisers, lawyers and friends, #JusticeforJohnny was trending on Twitter all day yesterday.
Fact is, 57-year-old Johnny Depp sought a legal battle in UK courts and lost.
He filed a lawsuit after The Sun called him a wife beater, and the 129-page sentence rejecting that claim is seen not as a victory for the newspaper, but for Amber Heard, his wife of just 15 chaotic months.
Depp’s losses are now numerous and deep. There is a genuine fear for the immediate well-being of a man who, the court heard, has long-standing and serious problems with drug and drinking addiction.
Quite simply, he staked everything to clear his name and lost.
Fact is, 57-year-old Johnny Depp (pictured in Pirates of the Caribbean) sought a legal battle in UK courts and lost.
Before the verdict, a friend said: ‘Being accused of being a wife beater is just a bridge too far, and you can’t let that hang over you for the rest of your life.’
Steven Gaydos, executive editor of the Variety Industry Bible, says: “He had no choice but to defend himself. He was correct in his assessment of the potential damage that the phrase ‘handcuff beater’ would have caused in his future. ‘
That was the reasoning behind the lawsuit, which will have cost him around £ 3 million in legal fees – he has to pay his own costs, plus those of The Sun editor News UK.
It is not the type of sum you can afford to lose as £ 500 million or more disappeared from your fortune by your own calculations, largely due to alleged financial mismanagement. He was on the brink of bankruptcy before this latest disaster.
He has assets – numerous properties in Los Angeles, an extension in France and his private island in the Caribbean – but the days of making £ 60 million a year are long gone and he has complained about owing millions to the tax collector.
He (in the photo of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) sued after The Sun called him a wife beater, and the 129-page sentence rejecting that claim is seen not as a victory for the newspaper, but for Amber Heard, his wife for just 15 chaotic months
Add in what is known as Depp’s ‘litigation train’, in reference to the numerous lawsuits brought by him, and you can see that financially you may still be in dire straits, particularly if you keep fighting in American courts, where costs they are far away. higher, as he promised to do yesterday, and he loses again.
But more than that, he seems definitely finished in Hollywood, his reputation hopelessly tainted by the sheer evil of domestic abuse that was detailed in court in July.
Depp and Heard met in 2011 when she was cast as his love interest in The Rum Diary. They were romantically linked for the first time in June 2012, just as Depp separated from Vanessa Paradis, his partner of 14 years and mother of their two children.
They got married in February 2015 on their island. Soon after, Depp was seen with an injured hand. It was attributed to a karting accident, but there were rumors of a domestic argument.
Heard filed a restraining order against Depp in May 2016, saying he was “ very scared ” of the star. Accusations arose that he had beaten her and she appeared in public with a bruised face.
Their divorce became final in early 2017, and Heard received a $ 7 million settlement that she donated to a hospital.
Depp’s losses (in the Fantastic Beasts photo) are now numerous and deep. There are genuine fears for the immediate welfare of a man who, the court heard, has long-standing and serious problems with drug and drinking addiction.
She became a figurehead for abused wives: In 2018 she wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post, titled: ‘Amber Heard: I spoke out against sexual violence and faced the wrath of our culture. That has to change. ‘
For now, Depp still has a following in his team of friends and lawyers, and in friends like ex-girlfriends Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis and former co-star Helena Bonham Carter, who have spoken for him.
Gina Deuters, wife of his assistant Stephen, posted yesterday on Instagram: ‘You will always have my love and my support. We will not stop fighting for justice. ‘
However, JK Rowling, who cast him as Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts films in 2018, a move that sparked The Sun article in the first place, remained silent yesterday.
She defended him after there were protests about his participation in the film, saying: ‘Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I not only felt comfortable with our original casting, but we were really happy to have Johnny play. an important character in movies. ‘
The irony is now filled with irony when Rowling, herself a victim of domestic abuse during her first marriage, watches her latest movie potentially derailed because she chose to believe in a man who has been convicted of it.
Also in a tough position is Warner Bros, which is making the third installment of Fantastic Beasts, mainly in Leavesden, Herts, on a budget of around £ 140 million.
They have stuck with the movie because of the huge success of the Harry Potter movies, which grossed billions and which everyone expected to see a repeat. However, any association with Depp could put that in jeopardy.
Media attorney Mark Stephens says: “ There seems to be great hope that you can still complete the filming, but I’m pretty sure your employers are looking to see if they have a morality clause that allows them to erase you from any movie. that has not been done. released yet.
“That’s what happened to Kevin Spacey and he didn’t come to court.” (The actor was ‘removed’ from projects, including House Of Cards, after numerous young men accused him of proposing to them and sexually assaulting them; all charges were dropped.)
Stephens adds: ‘Here the judge has broken down the evidence and found that Amber Heard was telling the truth and Depp was not. You will discover that it is not acceptable in the modern world.
Stephens continued: ‘His best way out of this is to not keep fighting as his lawyers suggest. The only way would be to accept that you have drug, alcohol and violence problems, go to rehab and show remorse for what you have done, seek help for your demons, and apologize.
‘If you do that, Hollywood will want to accept it. It becomes unacceptable as long as it remains in denial. ”
Depp’s downfall comes at a time when Hollywood is less likely to forgive than before.
The Titans have fallen, Harvey Weinstein the most prominent among them. The man who was once regarded as a movie producing God is now broke, ashamed, and incarcerated.
At the moment, Warner Bros is silent, at least in public.
They told me that filming for Fantastic Beasts, which began in September, is too advanced for Depp to be cut without months of re-filming.
The problem is that the rest of the cast, like Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law, may not be available for that; everyone expects the movie to end in late January or early February.
However, several sources speak of a serious case of nerves from the study. And after Fantastic Beasts, Depp can hardly expect to work anytime soon, at least not as the lead in a major movie.
A movie he made before the case, Minamata, just closed a distribution deal with MGM. Another, Waiting For The Barbarians, launched on streaming platforms this summer.
Disney is working on a sixth installment in the hugely lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean series, but no script has yet been approved according to producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Would the plot include a role for Captain Jack Sparrow? Surely the answer is no. The five Pirates films grossed more than $ 4.5 billion; They just don’t need Depp to keep going.
Depp will serve as executive producer on a drama series about the Muscle Shoals recording studio in Alabama, but otherwise his schedule seems sterile.
Some think that after court admissions about your drug use, you may even have a hard time traveling to some territories for work.
But one filmmaker warns that, after a period in the desert, he thinks Depp might return.
I tell you a name: Robert Downey Jr. [the actor who made millions as a youth, before running into trouble with drink and drugs and then cleaning up his act],’ he said.
“He was counted back and forth, but he paid the price for his recklessness and is now one of the biggest stars.
‘Okay yeah, Depp’s situation is different because of the wife-beating etiquette. That is going to be tough to overcome, but if you repent, there is a way back. ”
So who supports Depp? He remains close with his former partner Vanessa Paradis and spent time in France with her and their two adult children over the summer.
She also has a friend in British rock guitarist Jeff Beck, and spends long periods at Beck’s home in Robertsbridge, East Sussex.
His other great friend is film director Tim Burton, and some believe that he is currently staying in a rented house in North London with Burton.
Depp is the godfather of Burton’s two children with actress Helena Bonham Carter.
She said at the weekend: “None of this makes sense; I would never have gone to these extremes if I thought I was wrong.” Today has been silent.
Depp is due to report to Heard’s Virginia attorneys next week. He must testify, having accused her of defamation for her article in the Washington Post.
You want up to $ 50 million in damages; she is countering $ 100 million and says he tried to destroy her career.
The case is most likely to go to court in May next year.
Depp released an intriguing video on Instagram in September that showed him writing a note with a bold and seemingly unstable hand.
It said, ‘Hello everyone! I just wanted to thank you all once again for your constant and loyal support. . . I’m only here for you, and I’m only here for you! All thanks and love to you for everything, JD.
A rare display of vulnerability from a man who was once the height of genius. It’s enough to seduce Depp’s faithful, but can he convince someone else?
