Johnny Depp felt like a guinea pig for MeToo, the movement that started in 2017 due to allegations of sexual misconduct against film producer Harvey Weinstein. A year earlier, the actor was accused of domestic violence by his now ex-wife Amber Heard.
“I was pre-MeToo. I was a sort of guinea pig for MeToo. It was before Harvey Weinstein. But I took it all,” says the 62-year-old Depp in an interview with The Times.
The actor decided to go to court because of an article by Heard in The Washington Post. In it, she wrote about being a ‘survivor’ of domestic violence. She did not mention his name, but it was clear that she meant Depp. The actor missed out on film roles as a result.
“Everyone said: ‘It will pass.’ But I couldn’t rely on that,” says Depp. “If I don’t try to tell the truth, it’s as if I actually committed the facts I’m accused of. And my children and their children will have to live with that.”
The actor knew it wouldn’t be easy, but still experienced no nerves for the trial that took place in Virginia. “If you don’t have to remember text because you’re telling the truth, then you take the gamble.”
After a weeks-long trial, in which Depp and Heard revealed salient details about each other, a jury ruled in favor of the actor. Both actors appealed, but dropped it because they reached a settlement. In June 2023, Heard paid her ex an amount of 1 million dollars.