Johnny Depp says he was a 'crash test dummy for #MeToo' after Amber Heard trial
Johnny Depp has looked back on his messy defamation trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard and claimed that he was used as a dummy to "test out" the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, the Hollywood actor said that there were people who "did him dirty" by not defending him during his intense legal battle with Heard in 2022. This public trial centered on allegations of domestic abuse that emerged after their 2017 divorce.
"I’ll tell you what hurts. There are people, and I’m thinking of three, who did me dirty. Those people were at my kids’ parties. Throwing them in the air. And, look, I understand people who could not stand up [for me] because the most frightening thing to them was making the right choice," Depp said.
"I was like a crash test dummy for #MeToo. It was before Harvey Weinstein. And I sponged it, took it all in. And so I wanted from the hundreds of people I’ve met in that industry to see who was playing it safe. Better go woke!" he continued.
The #MeToo movement is an awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, where survivors share their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment.
While the term was first used in 2006, the movement only became viral after multiple allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017.
Depp and Heard's trial came about after the actress published an op-ed in the Washington Post about experiencing abuse titled: "I spoke up against sexual violence—and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change."
Despite the actress making no mention of his name in the article, Depp sued Heard for defamation, with his legal team arguing that it contains a "clear implication that Mr. Depp is a domestic abuser." Heard subsequently filed a countersuit and alleged that Depp was orchestrating a "smear campaign" against her.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star told The Sunday Times that he decided to pursue the case as the issue "had gone far enough."
"I knew I’d have to semi-eviscerate myself. Everyone was saying, ‘It’ll go away!’ But I can’t trust that. What will go away? The fiction pawned around the f----g globe? No, it won’t," Depp said.
"If I don’t try to represent the truth, it will be like I’ve actually committed the acts I am accused of. And my kids will have to live with it. Their kids. Kids that I’ve met in hospitals. So the night before the trial in Virginia, I didn’t feel nervous. If I don’t have to memorize lines, if you’re just speaking the truth? Roll the dice," he continued.
While he acknowledged that none of it was going to be easy, he still wanted to "fight until the bitter f----g end."
"I have no regrets about anything — because, truly, what can we do about last week’s dinner? Not a f----ing thing," Depp said.
Depp and Heard's trial ended with the US jury finding both of them liable for defamation, but sided more strongly with Depp. The actor was awarded $15 million (P864 million) in damages while the actress was only awarded $2 million (P115 million).
Heard has since quietly relocated to Spain with her daughter Oonagh. Depp has meanwhile worked on projects such as Jeanne Du Barry and Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness since the trial.