Johnny Depp Set To Take Stand Again In Trial Against Amber Heard After Detailing Substance Abuse And Denying Physical Assault

Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Actor Johnny Depp has been making a ton of headlines in recent years, not for his work on camera, but because of his ongoing legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. They’ve been duking it out in court for years, and now Depp has begun testifying for his defamation case against the Aquaman star. Depp is set to take the stand again today, after detailing substance abuse and denying allegations of physical assault.

Johnny Depp was on the stand for hours yesterday, where he largely spoke to his own personal history and difficult childhood. The New York Post has the transcriptions from Depp’s testimony, which definitely peeled back the curtain on the mysterious actor. He particularly opened up about his issues with substance abuse, sharing:

I’d done pretty much all the drugs I was aware of by the time I was 15 years old. It’s never been for the party effect. It’s been for trying to numb the things inside that can plague someone who has experienced trauma.

Well, there you have it. Clearly Johnny Depp has had a long and complicated history with drug use, but the Pirates of the Caribbean star helped to give context to said history. Because rather than trying to party and be a rockstar, Depp maintains that he was self-medicating in order to numb the childhood trauma that he lives with.

It might be surprising that Johnny Depp admitted so candidly that he’s been using drugs for decades, especially since Amber Heard has alleged abuse at the hands of the 58 year-old actor while he was intoxicated. Later in his testimony Depp touched on this, seemingly taking umbrage with the connection ex-wife is making, saying:

I think it was an easy target for her to hit. I am not some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time.

Johnny Depp is expected to dive deeper into his relationship with Amber Heard on his second day of testimony happening later today. He did briefly address some of his ex-wife’s allegations, specifically her claim that he physically abused her. As Edward Scissorhands himself shared:

My goal is the truth. One day you’re Cinderella and then in zero point six seconds you’re Quasimodo. I didn’t deserve that and neither did my children. Never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way nor have I ever struck any woman in my life.

Both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have slung a variety of wild allegations at each other, ranging from domestic violence to the infamous bed poop story. And smart money says that Depp’s second day of testimony will dive deeper into this aspect of the former couple’s split.

Professionally, Johnny Depp recently booked a new movie gig, while Amber Heard can be seen in Aquaman 2 on March 17th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.