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Depp and Heard Face Uncertain Career Prospects after Trial

The Associated Press

 A jury’s finding that both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were defamed during their long-running public dispute capped a lurid six-week trial that also raised questions about whether the two actors can overcome tarnished reputations.

[...]

Depp said he never hit Heard and that she was the abuser, though Heard’s attorneys highlighted years-old text messages Depp sent apologizing to Heard for his behavior as well as profane texts he sent to a friend in which Depp said he wanted to kill Heard and defile her dead body.

Brett Ward, a family law attorney in New York, said Depp made himself a more believable witness by admitting to drug and alcohol use and that he could be a difficult person. But he said Depp also ran the risk of making those moments more memorable to the public than his film work.

“He says he did this for his children. Having watched the whole trial, I don’t think that he did any service to his children by airing all of this dirty laundry,” Ward said in an interview.

“Whether this was worthwhile for Johnny Depp, we will know in five years if he reestablishes himself as an A-list Hollywood actor. And if he doesn’t? I think he’s made a terrible mistake because most people aren’t going to remember his rather distinguished Hollywood career. They’re going to remember this trial.”

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"Depp and Heard Face Uncertain Career Prospects after Trial," by Denise Lavoie was published in The Associated Press on June 6, 2022.