The cross-examination of Johnny Depp continued on his second day of testimony in his libel trial against the Rupert Murdoch-owned British newspaper, The Sun. The Fantastic Beasts actor had filed the suit after the tabloid repeated claims by Depp's ex-wife, Aquaman actress, Amber Heard, that the Pirates of the Caribbean star was physically abusive towards her during their tumultuous, short-lived marriage.
On Wednesday, Sasha Wass, the attorney for News Group Newspapers (the division of Murdoch's New Corp that directly owns The Sun), grilled Depp about a number of his past behaviors, with her primary target being a series of text exchanges between the actor and his friend, Avengers and Wandavision star, Paul Bettany, where they made various disgusting jokes about Amber Heard.
Things opened up tamely enough as the two actors joked about how Depp should buy Heard a pet beaver and that he could then shave the beaver, so that he could start a website, "Johnny Depp Shaves Amber Heard's Beaver." He noted that they could do different variations, like "Johnny Depp Punches Amber Heard's Beaver" or "Johnny Depp Pokes Amber Heard's Beaver." Wass asked Depp if these interactions were respectful of Heard, Depp's girlfriend at the time, and Depp conceded that they were not.
The more disturbing series of jokes started when Bettany texted Depp to say, "I'm not sure we should burn Amber. She is delightful company and pleasing on the eye. We could of course do the English course of action and perform a drowning test. Thoughts? You have a swimming pool." Depp responded, "Let's drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she's dead." And Bettany retorted, "My thoughts entirely. Let's be certain before we pronounce her a witch."
Depp and Bettany felt that Heard was a "witch" due to her behavior towards Depp's sobriety. Depp explained, "I was resentful of the fact that Ms Heard was very aggressive and quite insulting about my use of alcohol or, if cocaine came into the picture, she did not like Mr Bettany and I'm afraid she didn't like me very much either and she was constantly harping on things that didn't exist." Depp explained that that included Heard's belief that he became a "monster" while he was on drugs and alcohol.
When pressed by Wass as to why wanting her husband to be sober was reason for Depp and Bettany to call her a witch, Depp explained that the issue was that she would give him grief about not being sober while she drank and did drugs herself in front of Depp. Heard also used to mock Depp for the tattoo Depp has that says "Wino Forever" (altered, as a joke, after Depp broke up with Winona Ryder, as the tattoo initially said "Winona Forever"). It was during one of these exchanges that Heard alleges that Depp struck her.
Depp denies every physically abusing Heard during their relationship.
Via Daily Mail.