Amber Heard takes the stand: Inside her first day of testimony in Johnny Depp defamation trial
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Amber Heard took the stand for the first time in Johnny Depp's defamation lawsuit against her on Wednesday, sharing emotional testimony about how they met, the alleged abuse fueled by substance use that followed, accusations of infidelity, and more.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over her 2018 Washington Post op-ed chronicling her experiences as a domestic violence survivor. Though Heard never mentioned Depp by name, his lawyers maintain that references to him are clear, and that the op-ed damaged his career and reputation. Heard has filed a $100 million countersuit, alleging that Depp and his legal team defamed her by calling her abuse allegations a "sexual violence hoax."
Heard and Depp first met in 2008, on their way to making The Rum Diary, and married in 2015. Heard filed for divorce the following year and obtained a domestic violence restraining order against Depp, accusing him of physically and verbally abusing while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Depp has denied the allegations, and accused Heard of abuse in court last week.
Here are some key moments from Heard's first day of testimony.
ELIZABETH FRANTZ/POOL/AFP via Getty Amber Heard on the witness stand
Heard describes 'blurred lines' working on The Rum Diary
Heard recalled first meeting Depp to discuss a role in The Rum Diary, and said she found him "charismatic" and "well-read." She got the part, and while filming in Puerto Rico the two connected over a shared love of obscure books and blues music, Heard said, echoing details from Depp's testimony.
"I thought it was unusual and remarkable," she said of their connection, detailing a "flirtatious'" friendship: "I felt chemistry. I felt this other thing that went beyond the pale of my job. Johnny clearly felt that way about me too." During their first scene together, in which they shared a kiss, "It felt like those lines were blurred," Heard said of their personal and professional relationships.
She also related an incident in Depp's trailer when he "picked up the back of my robe with his boot… I turned around and giggled. I didn't know what to make of it at the time. He playfully pushed me down on the bed sofa in his trailer — playful and flirtatious — and he said, 'Young.'" But Heard and Depp were both in relationships at the time, she said. "I remember feeling intimidated and nervous about that."
Heard recalls the first time Depp allegedly hit her over his Winona Ryder tattoo
The Rum Diary was released in October 2011, and by 2012 Heard and Depp were in relationship. "It was always intense," she said. "It didn't become intense. It started that way. When I was with him, I felt that electricity in my body. I felt butterflies. I couldn't see straight. I was head-over-heels in love. He was also in love."
But according to Heard, their relationship turned violent. She testified that the first time Depp ever struck her was over his tattoo that referenced his ex-fiancée Winona Ryder. After Depp and Ryder split in 1993, he had the words "Winona Forever" altered to read "Wino Forever." Heard recalled sitting on the couch one day when Depp was drinking and presumably using cocaine. "I ask him about the tattoo he has on his arm, and to me it just looked like black marks," she testified. "I didn't know what it said. [It was] hard to read. He said, 'It says, Wino.' I didn't see that. I thought he was joking, so I laughed. I thought he was joking, and he slapped me across the face, and I laughed. I laughed because I didn't know what else to do [and thought it] might be a joke. I just stared at him. He says, 'You think it's so funny? You think you're a funny bitch?' and he slapped me again."
Heard said of the incident, "It's seemingly so stupid [and] insignificant, [but] it changed my life." She added, "I knew I had to leave, [but] I didn't want to leave him… And he starts crying — tears just falling out of his eyes — and he's touching my hands and he's saying, 'I'll never do that again. I put the f---er away. I thought I killed it.'"
Depp denied striking Heard over the tattoo during his own testimony last week.
Heard says Depp's substance use fueled his alleged abuse
Heard doubled down on her legal team's defense that Depp's use of drugs and alcohol contributed to his alleged abuse, describing "violence" and "rage" that he would display while under the influence. She referenced Adderall, cocaine, quaaludes, and alcohol, and said Depp's "drinking correlated with violence."
Heard accused Depp of throwing glass at her, destroying property and furniture, shoving her, striking her, and punching the wall next to her face during these incidents. She said that she and Depp's team often had to "clean up after him" and his "bowels." She added, "Then he would disappear, get clean and sober, and come back and tell me he cleaned himself up, and then he would go back to [being] this wonderful [person]."
Heard said of Depp's demeanor while under the influence, "I would feel so distant from that thing that I would not even recognize." She also recalled an incident in 2013 in which Depp allegedly performed a cavity search on her, convinced she had hidden his cocaine. "He was insinuating I was doing [cocaine and] shoved his fingers inside me," she said. "I just stood there staring at the stupid light [as he's] twisting his fingers around. I didn't say like, 'Stop,' or anything."
Heard recounts a 'revolving door' of cheating accusations
Heard said there was a "revolving door of accusations" of infidelity, with Depp often accusing her of sleeping with friends and ex-partners. A painting on her wall done by an artist ex-partner, Heard said, "convinced" Depp she was cheating. "He was demanding I take it down," she said. "He eventually takes it down and tried to burn it, but was unsuccessful."
Depp testified last week that he suspected Heard of having affairs with costars, including James Franco and Billy Bob Thornton. Heard spoke of "never-ending" fights about accusations that weren't true. A text from March 2013, previously shown during Depp's testimony, was resurfaced. "Just thought you should know that there exists a book titled Disco Bloodbath. That's all…" Depp wrote to Heard, who replied, "We need that book! Is it about last Friday night, by any chance?" Depp replied, "How can you make me smile about such a hideous moment?"
Heard testified that "last Friday night" alluded to when Depp allegedly backhanded her with a handful of rings after an argument about cheating accusations. "I remember feeling like my lip went into my teeth, and it got a little bit of blood on the wall," she said. "As hard as it is to explain this, I was so caught up in the relationship and defending his accusations that I didn't internalize… didn't make that big of a deal [of the situation]. I pride myself on being tough. My best way to cope is minimize it and make sure that he knows I'm tough and can't knock me down."
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