In the years that have followed the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, it has become clear that neither party walked away in a very good light. Both actors and former partners had their names and images dragged through the mud to defend themselves against each other, and it has had a very big effect on their careers since. Depp, for one, is beginning to re-appear in bigger productions, including in Lionsgate’s Day Drinker next year opposite Penelope Cruz and Madelyn Cline. But Depp has now also spoken out about the trial and the effect it has had on his life, describing himself as a “crash test dummy for #MeToo”.
Speaking with The Times, Depp explained: “I’ll tell you what hurts. There are people, and I’m thinking of three, who did me dirty. Those people were at my kids’ parties. Throwing them in the air. And, look, I understand people who could not stand up [for me] because the most frightening thing to them was making the right choice. I was pre-#MeToo. I was like a crash test dummy for #MeToo. It was before Harvey Weinstein. And I sponged it, took it all in. And so I wanted from the hundreds of people I’ve met in that industry to see who was playing it safe. Better go woke!”
Depp also explained that he has “no regrets about anything — because, truly, what can we do about last week’s dinner? Not a f—ing thing.” He also explained that his return to the limelight is not a comeback because “I didn’t go anywhere,” adding that “if I had the chance to split I would never come back.”