On Thursday morning of last week, 39-degree temperatures didn't matter to the ever-increasing crowd of fans who began gathering in the early morning hours, because they would soon get a glimpse of Johnny Depp's face.
The crowd's anticipation, as well as the delighted screams when he appears - "We love you, Johnny!" "You're beautiful!" - stands in contrast to the disturbing allegations made against Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard in court over the past few weeks, which both have denied.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation after she stated in a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post that she had become a public figure representing domestic violence. After Depp's attorney called her claims a hoax, Heard sued for $100 million in defamation.
The trial has now shifted into heard's version of events, which may require Depp's fans to summon even more discipline to keep their feelings about Heard at bay. To put it mildly, they don't believe her.
Heard has faced online hatefulness for years, but it has recently reached a new high, particularly during Depp's appearance on the stand last month for more than seven hours of testimony.
Fans create super cuts from trial footage that are edited to make heard's accusations seem unfounded, and the hashtag #justiceforjohnnydepp has nearly 7 billion views on TikTok and regularly trends on Twitter.
Image-based memes of the trial have circulated online, complete with demeaning jokes about Heard, which has alarmed some viewers given the gravity of the allegations.
In comparison, the hashtag #justiceforamberheard has approximately 25 million views and includes a mix of clips defending the actress and outrageous jokes aimed at both Depp and Heard.
Johnny's fans will support him no matter the verdict.
They also don't think he did anything wrong. Multiple people interviewed for this story at the courthouse refuse to believe heard's allegations are true, and they dismiss the details of Depp's drug and alcohol use, which heard's attorneys have discussed extensively.
While they may be surprised to see his vulgar text messages calling heard various expletives or hear audio clips of him becoming enraged during the trial, some people identify more with Depp than heard.
According to Yahoo News, Pamela of Chantilly, who got close enough to Depp's car to leave him a supportive note, said she was surprised to hear some details, such as how the top of his finger was sliced off during an incident in March 2015.
Depp claimed Heard threw a vodka bottle at him, which she denies - and how he then dipped it in paint and started writing on lampshades. But I understand. I understand that dynamic, Jablonski said, adding that she has been in a crazy relationship relationship as well. He has no prior history. So I believe he is not guilty.
One of Depp's most vocal supporters on the internet is "The Walking Dead" star Laurie Holden, who recently tweeted the hashtag to her nearly 500,000 followers, along with the message "The truth is now being revealed and there will be justice." It has resulted in a petition on Change.org to have heard removed from the upcoming sequel to "Aquaman."
It was created by author Jeanne Larson, who writes under the pen name Jeannie Depp and did not respond to The Post's request for comment. It has been signed over 3 million times.
In short, support for Depp has spiked since this trial began, so regardless of how it ends, the actor has certainly secured more work and the public's acceptance in the future, everything else at this point is just white noise.
Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard is the case that has many people wondering what will happen next, it has had twists and turns throughout the development of the trial since everything that is said is under constant scrutiny from public opinion.
And during this public opinion debate, there have been experts and professionals that were called to the stand to share their diagnoses and intake on a certain matter, for example, the psychological assessment of both parties by different mental health pundits.
Psychological testimony.
Dawn Hughes was called to testify by the defendant's team, she mentioned that Heard had been diagnosed with PTSD because of the intimate partner violence that she allegedly experienced during her time with Johnny Depp.
Johnny Depp fans flooded the website.
While she was on the trial, specifically giving her professional opinion, her WebMD profile was bombarded with negative comments and reviews, there were so many that the website had to put it down to avoid more controversy.
She was said to be biased, against men, and unprofessional.
"Bad energy, vicious and hates men. ... this review was created by a woman," one of the reviews said.
Shannon curry gave a completely opposite diagnosis than Dawn.
When Depp's lawyer asked if from her professional standpoint she believed that Heard had PTSD, she mentioned that when Amber answered the questionnaire of 20 questions, she wrote yes to all, giving the impression that she wanted to be diagnosed no matter what, and that eventually after the assessment there were only 3 that actually could have validity for PTSD, however, most people have 3 or more symptoms.
Depp v Heard get ready for round two.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are starring in a legal drama about the breakdown of their turbulent marriage, despite the fact that acting roles are few. The writing is unattractive, the walk-on roles are unpredictable, and the lighting is unpleasant.
Among the allegations and counter-claims in the dueling defamation lawsuits being heard in a Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom is domestic violence, manipulation, obsession, drug addiction, and alcoholism.
Even if they are sitting 15 feet apart, separated by lawyers and a deep expanse of resentment, Depp and Heard, who were married for only three years, still know how to put on a show.
Depp's $50 million lawsuit against Heard, whom he claims libeled him in 2018 by writing an opinion piece in the Washington Post that falsely portrayed him as a domestic violence, has signaled that the actor, who has been effectively blacklisted by Hollywood, believes he has little left to lose.
Depp has accused Heard of fabricating domestic violence allegations against him in order to "shock" and "manipulate" the #MeToo movement. The jury has been told that she started the fights. Heard's attorneys claim in a $100 million countersuit that Depp is a "obsessed ex-husband hellbent on revenge" who punched, kicked, and assaulted his wife with a vodka bottle.
A trial full of A-list cameos.
In addition to the plaintiff and defendant, Judge Penney Azcarate has called actor James Franco, Paul Bettany, and billionare entrepreneur Elon Musk to testify. They will join employees, friends, doctors, and psychotherapists who have given Azcarate's courtroom a Hollywood make-believe feel.
Heard has maintained a calm demeanor in the face of daily attacks on her character and motivations. Depp's presentation of witnesses to support his libel claim one week into what is scheduled to be a seven-week trial is merely setting the stage for his testimony later on. That depends on whether the actor can portray his ex-wife as a schemer rather than a victim, as she claims.
"Amber Heard is not the star of this drama, though she might like to be," said Hollywood lawyer and commentator Allison Hope Weiner. "When he goes on the stand, it's him. It's going to be a hard act to follow. He's going to be very likable.
You must be logged in to post a comment.