(CNN) — After six weeks of testimony in a libel trial that has brought to light the good, the bad and the very ugly of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s previous relationship, the case is now before the jury.
Whatever the verdicts in Depp’s $50 million lawsuit and Heard’s $100 million countersuit, one more thing is certain: The fate of their respective careers will be decided in the court of public opinion, according to Hollywood insiders.
CNN spoke with six entertainment industry insiders for this story, some of whom spoke off the record to protect professional relationships.
Whether fair or unfair, the outpouring of support Depp has received on social media during the trial — especially on Tik-Tok — may serve him well in the future, a veteran publicist who has known Depp for years told CNN.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect before he took the stand, and if anything, I think this has done nothing but help his public image,” the source said.
Another top Hollywood publicist, who has not worked with either Depp or Heard, said none of their pictures have done well.
“Both are highly dysfunctional. Money is toxic and greed destroys. Nobody wins here,” said this publicist.
Johnny Depp walks out of court for the day during his libel trial with ex-wife Amber Heard last week.
An industry that forgives
Naturally, there are hurdles for both actors to overcome once their legal battle is over.
Heard testified that Depp was verbally and physically abusive. She also accused Depp of sexual violence during their relationship.
Depp claimed multiple times on the stand that he never hit a woman, denied Heard’s sexual assault allegation, and called himself a victim of domestic abuse by Heard, which she denies.
Depp and Heard met in 2009 on the set of his movie “The Rum Diary” and were married from 2015-2016 before divorcing.
The photographs, as well as audio and video recordings, painted a picture of two people in a relationship with what Laurel Anderson, a clinical psychologist who worked with Depp and Heard in 2015 as their marriage counselor, characterized as “mutual abuse,” in a testimony reproduced on April 14. (To illustrate how contentious this trial has been, the witness’ use of the term itself has drawn criticism.)
Entertainment agent Darryl Marshak thinks movie studios might, initially at least, be hesitant to get involved with actors embroiled in a controversy that has played out so publicly.
“Robert Downey Jr. won an Academy Award and then he aired his personal stuff to the world and people backed off,” said Marshak, who previously represented stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Hillary Swank. “I think Hollywood is a strange place. When you fan your dirty laundry in front of the machine, the executives, all the people who make the pieces move, recoil from a burning flame.”
Depp claims that a 2018 op-ed by Heard describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse” defamed him. She has starred in two movies since that op-ed, which she doesn’t mention by name, “Waiting for the Barbarians” and “Minamata,” both independent films.
Amber Heard during her testimony on May 5.
Heard — whose countersuit alleges she was smeared by a Depp lawyer who called her abuse allegations a “hoax” — will appear in the “Aquaman” sequel, which is slated for release in 2023.
Marshak believes Depp’s “incredible talent” will help him return to movie screens.
“Hollywood is also forgiving, and as it goes on, this goes off the air and Johnny can smoothly get back into the business. I think he’ll come back again,” he said. “Hollywood is a fickle place.”
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The courtroom performance of Depp and Heard’s legal teams, a live-streamed trial watched by millions, may also shape the industry’s perspective on the two stars.
“Globally, people have seemingly been polarized by the trial, we’ve seen this play out in the press before its culmination in the courtroom,” Amanda K. Ruisi, founder and president of AKR Public, told CNN. Relations and AKR Ventures.
Ruisi believes Depp’s representatives have been more effective.
“Mr. Depp’s legal and strategic communications team has done an incredible job of delivering a consistent message in the courtroom and in the media, which I believe has helped garner the support of his fan base.” .
Not that Depp supporters needed the push. The scales of justice on social media are heavily tilted in their favor, so much so that the imbalance has prompted headlines reflecting on why. A writer for The Cut asked, “Here’s a woman recounting, in agonizing detail, how an extremely famous man allegedly abused her. Why, in 2022, do so many people seem to hate her for it?”
Sociologist Nicole Bedera offered some theories, both in Twitter as in an article for Harper’s Bazaar, on why both survivors of domestic abuse and many women seem to support Depp.
“It can be frightening — and for victims, traumatic again — for women to empathize with a survivor of abuse. If violence really *is* everywhere and if you *feel* like it can happen to anyone, then many women will begin to worry that they will be next,” she wrote. “So is it surprising that so many women come to Depp’s defense? No. Not at all.”
Heard has had his fans, but notably less vocal than Depp, both in the entertainment business and in and around the courthouse.
Former Heard co-star David Krumholtz came to her defense publicly, actress Ellen Barkin testified for her defense team, and comedian Kathy Griffin, who wrote In response to a pre-trial tweet from Heard: “Thinking of you and sending all the love.”
For two working actors, the question once the court session adjourns is: will producers send them scripts as reliably as viewers have been tweeting them?
The future of franchises in danger?
The crux of Heard and Depp’s lawsuits lies in claims that their careers — specifically their futures in their respective film franchises — have been negatively affected.
Over the past several weeks of testimony, Depp’s team has tried to prove that Depp, who played Jack Sparrow in five films, was cut from a possible sixth film in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise due to Heard’s op-ed. .
Johnny Depp en “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”
Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, told The Times that “the future is still undecided” regarding Depp’s involvement in a possible next installment.
The producer said the creative team is “developing two ‘Pirates’ scripts,” one potentially starring Margot Robbie and “one without” Robbie.
The last movie was 2017’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.”
In a recorded statement played for the court, Depp’s former agent Christian Carino, who began representing Depp in October 2016 and even represented Depp and Heard at the same time, testified that the domestic violence allegations made by Heard against Depp they cost the actor a paycheck that would have been worth tens of millions of dollars.
And when an attorney for Heard pressed Carino about other problems Depp may have had while working on earlier “Pirates” movies, he dismissed them.
“I am aware that he is late, but he has been late in everything his whole life,” Carino said. “I think it’s problematic for everyone, but everyone has learned how to produce a movie to deal with it.”
Other witnesses saw his behavior as more damaging.
Tracey Jacobs, who testified in a recorded statement and represented Depp for 30 years as his talent agent before being fired, testified as a witness that she was honest with Depp about his being consistently late on stage and his behavior, including drug and alcohol use was hurting his career.
“His star had dimmed because it was getting harder and harder to get him a job given the reputation he’d gotten because of his tardiness and other things,” Jacobs testified. “People were talking and the question about her behavior was out there.”
A Hollywood director, who hasn’t worked with Depp but has met him, told CNN that he doesn’t think Depp will ever direct another major franchise.
“I think Johnny Depp will be able to participate in several independent films because he still has a big name and there is an audience for him, however, the studios will be more cautious for insurance reasons and the potential to stop protection and would be more concerned about the public reaction than by smaller independent companies,” he said.
Jason Momoa and Amber Heard in “Aquaman”
When it comes to Heard, the director believes the attention surrounding the trial hasn’t helped her image.
Currently, there is a petition to remove Heard from the upcoming “Aquaman” sequel, which has already been filmed and is in post-production. (CNN and Warner Bros. are part of Warner Bros. Discovery.)
That probably won’t happen. But Walter Hamada, head of DC Films, which produced “Aquaman,” testified that the creative team was concerned Heard would reprise his role in the franchise due to a lack of chemistry with co-star Jason Momoa.
He also said that the studio never planned to portray Heard as a co-star in the second film and that Heard’s role was not reduced in the next film, titled “Aquaman the Lost Kingdom.”
Regardless of the jury’s decision, Juda Engelmayer, founder of Herald PR, which has represented celebrities such as disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, told CNN that Depp’s time in court, which included quirky and memorable moments that involved doodles and jelly beans, it has reinforced its image.
“His testimony, whether true or staged, has sparked a resurgence of fans missing him,” he said. “From his reputation and career, the studios see that he still has a fan base,” he said.
Heard in court on May 24.
As for Heard, whose career was less established than Depp’s when they began their relationship and his troubling allegations, that’s harder to say, according to sources.
Nearly a decade ago, before the drama with Depp came to light, Heard told Vanity Fair that she was ready for the ups and downs of an acting career.
“Do you think you would have gone for it if you knew it was going to be quite the circus?” Heard was asked in a 2013 interview.
“Absolutely,” Heard replied. “I love the fight where you’re constantly…you’re constantly in a fight or flight state. It’s a constant fight. So I don’t know if I could have it any other way.”
CNN’s Sonia Moghe contributed to this report
