Will you go and see Johnny Depp‘s latest film?
Probably not. No-one went to see his last one, Mordecai. No-one’s going to see his new one, Through The Looking Glass, either.
As he enters his 33rd year of movie making, the only role people want to see Depp – often feted as one of Hollywood’s finest actors – perform is that of a pantomime caricature. His mid-life money-maker is the dread-locked pirate Jack Sparrow, flouncing and stumbling around the world’s soundstages, making Keith Richards cringe.
Harsh? Perhaps.
But fair, because even though his name is no longer a guarantee of commercial success, even though his looks have faded, even though his private-life has become a slow-motion car-crash, it’s Johnny Depp who holds all the power in the ugly battle that’s currently playing out in the press across the globe.
Depp is accused of abusing his wife, actress Amber Heard, 30. She claims that she has “suffered through years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Johnny,” abuse that would flare up into ugly fights allegedly resulting in injuries to both parties.
Like that time filming on the latest Pirates movie on the Gold Coast was halted for a month because Depp broke his hand punching a wall. And like the incident that sparked Heard's sudden divorce proceedings, when, she alleges, he threw a phone at her head, bruising her cheekbone.
It was only six weeks ago that we were sniggering at Depp, a bloated and mumbling mess sitting next to his beautiful young wife, offering unconvincing excuses for flouting Australian law.
Hollywood loved it. He went on talk shows, dining out on insults aimed at uninspiring Australian politician Barnaby Joyce.
Now, it seems our amused irritation was misplaced. In a matter of days, Depp has gone from a joke to an accused violent offender, and a picture is emerging of a man who, after leaving his long-time partner and the mother of his children for a woman 23 years his junior, tried to control her. When he couldn't, he used alleged force, manipulation and a media campaign designed to smear her.
It was the story that captured the panel this week on the Mamamia Out Loud podcast. Post continues...
It will work. Depp is a Hollywood insider. He has all the powerful friends, the money, the reputation, the credibility, the army of lawyers, the megaphone of megafame. Depp is worth a reputed $400million, and the world's most esteemed directors queue up to work with him.
Amber Heard is already being painted as a gold-digger with a loose relationship with the truth. Her career as a model and actress is still in its early stages, and by speaking out, she is making an enemy out of one of the industry's most powerful men.
Johnny Depp doesn't talk about his private life, but he can crush his wife without saying a word.
Whatever the truth of what happened inside their relationship, he will win, she will lose.
Hollywood is very forgiving of men who treat women badly. Hello, Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, Steven Seagal, Micky Rourke, Christian Slater, Josh Brolin, Terrence Howard and Edward Furlong, all actors who have faced domestic violence charges.
You can call them "bad boys", you can call them "hellraisers", but if the allegations about Depp are true, he is none of those euphemistic things. He joins the ranks of bullies and abusers.
This isn't how any idealistic member of Generation X imagined things would work out for Johnny Depp. He was our 90s alt-pin-up: insanely beautiful, yes, but also an actor who made interesting career choices, shied away from mainstream blockbusters, wouldn't play the media game, took pride in being an outsider.
Now, he is a parody of the kind of star cynical Generation X couldn't stand. Still partying like he's 22, still treating women like ornaments, making terrible movies for the money, hiding out on his private island and surrounding himself with a boys' club of establishment power-players, Johnny Depp is turning out to be the classic Peter Pan Man, clinging to his 22-year-old self, unable to move forward.
Depp's former lovers, his children, his friends, have rushed to the defence of the "loving", "sweet" father and partner. As if a woman has never been struck by a seemingly loving partner before. As if damaged, abusive men simply grunt and punch their way through life, and are easy to spot from a distance.
Meanwhile, the Internet seethes with distrust for Heard and her income, her sexuality, even her grooming habits, are being dragged through a grubby kangaroo court of victim-blaming.
We don't need to worry about Johnny Depp's career. Hollywood has always been kind to dickheads.
It's the young woman who refused to follow his script who deserves our sympathy.
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Top Comments
She has text messages now. I believe Amber. No wonder women have trouble coming forward, when people will still believe the man over a woman with photographic evidence, text messages and witnesses.
I'm beginning to believe her as well.
Those text messages are probably not enough in a court, though I guess the court will be able to got more information about who Stephen is and more circumstances, because at the moment it's her talking to someone else.
I don't think that she will see justice done. He's too powerful and her name is mud, now. I really feel for her. It must have been hard for her to come forward and accuse such a well-loved actor, which is another reason why I think she is telling the truth.
I think there'll be some sort of settlement as part of the breakup which will include all of this, so while he'll have to pay she won't get validation.
Something like that.
Wow just wow! If he is a wife beater then I have no time for him, but until we know for certain then this kind of prejudicial article is uncalled for. Some of the others you listed above had definite proof, but so far this is a case of he says/she says. She may well be right maybe he is a monster but we don't know that for sure as yet, on the other hand she may be lying, but yet again we don't know that for sure yet.
As for the hand injury, I'm not sure if there is proof he did that hitting a wall, but so what if he did, I for one have thrown a number of things at walls or punched a wall in my life when I have been incredibly frustrated at something or someone, but I'm yet to hit a person or an animal (I have had pets none of which I have abused), and in fact it's an outlet rather than hitting someone I may hit a wall, just like some people have a punching bag that they do a round with to get their frustrations out. If you have never had a bad day and slammed a door or punched a wall then good for you you must have had a perfect life, there is a far leap from that to hitting a human being. But of course it is true that he may have also hit her but hitting a wall doesn't indicate that he hits people too.
I am not trying to defend him, I would be equally as defensive if this whole article was about her being a gold digger or something like that, when none of that is proven either. None of us know exactly what went on yet.
I do agree that the dogs thing was a celeb thinking they were above the law and that was wrong, but I had thought that they were both to blame for that. Once again being a bit of a entitled jerk doesn't equate to being a wife beater.
As for his movies being crap and his looks having faded, he actually looks pretty good for his age (not that that is particularly relevant), some of his movies I have hated, for instance I can't stand the Pirates series but I also hate Iron man, Batman etc, and any of that kind of overblown blockbuster type of movie, but I can still respect an actor's talent even if I don't like all of the movies they make.
Yes there are a number of male celebs who treat women (and other people) appallingly and still have careers, for instance I won't see a Mike Tyson film because of his 'proven' brutality of women, but that is the key, it should be proven before he we start boycotting people.
If this article instead had been about those men such as Tyson then I would have applauded it, yet he is a guy whose brutality is proven but I have never seen an article like this about him, indeed I seem to be the only person I know who boycotts his movies, yet unproven allegations about Depp come out and the outrage begins.
She has photos of multiple instances, plus text messages.
Photos and text messages can be faked. Innocent until proven guilty. Then if hes guilty nail him to the wall.
Except most women don't make this stuff up, the false reporting rate is the same as any other crime. So stats are on her side and I, for one, choose to believe her. Just like I'd believe someone who said their house had been broken into.
Innocent until proven guilty is the courtroom. The general public can hold and discuss whatever opinion they like.
I hope you are never on the receiving end of accusations such as these then. Anyone can accuse anyone else of anything and public opinion is infinitely more damaging than a courtroom decision. While I agree with you that most women do not lie about such charges, it does happen and i for one prefer to wait to see if he is guilty before i drag out the pitchforks and burn him at the stake. Everyone deserves to defend themselves regardless of the charges. It is a legal and ethical right.