7 hours ago
Johnny Depp: My friends betrayed me
Johnny Depp, the Hollywood actor, has claimed he was betrayed by his friends after being accused of abuse by his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The strongly denied claims were first levelled against Depp, 62, by Heard during divorce proceedings in 2016.
The actor's failed marriage to the 39-year-old actress made international headlines when details of alleged violence between the pair were aired in courts in the UK and US.
Depp has now criticised the behaviour of several close friends at the time and also claimed he had been a 'crash test dummy for the #MeToo movement'.
'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,' he told The Sunday Times.
'And, look, I understand people who could not stand up [for me], because the most frightening thing to them was making the right choice.'
One individual who spoke out against Depp despite their long working relationship was Tracey Jacobs, his agent of 30 years, who was sacked in 2016. She claimed during Depp's legal battles that studios were 'reluctant' to hire him because of his lateness.
Depp said of Jacobs: 'My loyalty is the last thing anybody could question. I was with one agent for 30 years, but she spoke in court about how difficult I was.'
His image came under global scrutiny when he brought a libel case against The Sun newspaper after he was described as a 'wife-beater' in a column.
Numerous alleged details of the couple's marriage were made public during the case, including claims of the actor having a finger severed, being struck by Heard, passing out drunk and finding her faeces in their bed.
Depp said he felt compelled to risk revealing details of his personal life, adding: 'Look, it 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.'
While a judge ruled against Depp in his High Court case against The Sun, the star won damages for defamation from Heard in June 2022 following a legal battle in the US.
But the allegations of abuse levelled against Depp by Heard continued to dog the film star, whose presence at the Cannes film festival in 2023 was opposed by several feminist groups in France.
Following a period away from major Hollywood productions, Depp has this year been working on his comeback film Day Drinker.
In the thriller, Depp will star as a mysterious guest on a private yacht who finds himself entangled with a criminal, played by Penelope Cruz.
