Has it really been a year? The legal battles between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard stretched across two continents, two lawsuits, and years of time. But one year ago was the beginning of the end when the defamation cases brought by each actor against the other finally began to be litigated in court. And one year later, things are apparently very different for both of them.
They do have one thing in common, as People reports both Depp and Heard are living in Europe. Heard moved to Spain after the verdict where she lives with her 2-year-old daughter. Depp has also spent his time in Europe. He was initially in France to film the movie Jeanne Du Barry, which he did right after he completed his musical tour with Jeff Beck. Depp is reportedly very excited about the film’s release which will take place at the Cannes Film Festival. It will be Depp’s comeback to the screen following all of his legal entanglements.
On the other side, while Amber Heard also has a big movie coming out later this year with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, she is apparently very focused on her daughter and being a mom. A source told People Heard has “new energy” now that she is focused on the things she loves.
While both Heard and Depp were found to have committed defamation by a jury, the bulk of the blame landed on Heard, as she was ultimately ordered to pay more than $10 million to Depp, while he was only expected to pay $2 million to her. Both sides appealed the verdict, but ultimately settled, with Heard paying $1 million to Depp, which he reportedly gave to charity.
What certainly seems clear is that both sides have moved on from their legal battles and neither is looking backward. Depp is looking to get his career back on track. While expectations were that he was out of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, recent comments from producer Jerry Bruckheimer have indicated that such an idea might not be quite as dead as previously thought.
Where we might see Amber Heard again, after the Aquaman sequel, is far less clear, but it seems that’s exactly the way she wants it. It doesn’t sound like she’s focused on work at all, and honestly, living in Spain and hanging out with your kid doesn’t sound like the worst gig.
The defamation trial was a massive media circus in its day, though it’s unclear just what the long-term repercussions of it all will be if there will be any. If Johnny Depp and Amber Heard do continue their careers in Hollywood, this case could become quite important to both of them.
