[***]The response was alarming. Our social media accounts were dominated by those who wanted to level further abuse at Heard. Since then, the public discourse surrounding Heard and Depp has reached fever-pitch, with much of the controversy surrounding Depp’s inclusion at Cannes Film Festival 2023.
[***]The festival opened with Depp’s new film, Jeanne du Barry, which received a seven-minute standing ovation. In response, #CannesYouNot trended on Twitter, with many of Heard’s supporters accusing Cannes of rewarding violence against women – in reference to the UK civil trial, which found that Depp had abused Heard.
[***]Over the weekend (Saturday, 20th May), the cast of Le Ravissement took to the stage ahead of their screening, with many wearing T-shirts that read, “I stand with Amber Heard.” Is public opinion finally shifting? And what do attitudes to Amber Heard say about society’s attitude towards victimhood in general?
[***]Read our original piece below…
[***]21 April 2022: Johnny Depp is presented with one of his own texts sent to Paul Bettany, which read, “Let’s burn Amber!!!” about his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Another reads, “I’ll smack the ugly c[***] around before I let her in, don’t worry.”
[***]In a less deranged world, perhaps it might have ended there.
[***]Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for defamation, arguing that when she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse,” she materially affected his reputation to advance her own career. The violent, misogynistic texts that Depp sent to his mates – plus an abundance of more damning evidence – weren’t enough to convince a jury that Amber was being truthful.
[***]At this point, however, the #JusticeForJohnny machine was powering full steam ahead, taking swathes of public figures and social media users along for the ride. Amber Heard’s testimony of being raped was turned into prime meme fodder (including by the likes of Doja Cat). At the same time, some innovative TikTok-ers created “Amber Heard Makeup tutorials,” using her claims of covering up bruises allegedly inflicted by Johnny as inspiration.
[***]Two months after the trial concluded, many of Depp’s fans – evidently pining for more entertainment at Amber’s expense – made the truly myopic decision to crowdfund the $3,300 cost to release 6600+ pages worth of recently unsealed trial documents, which appear to show – amongst plenty of filings that paint Depp in an unflattering light – how Depp’s legal team attempted to introduce nude photos of Amber into evidence.
[***]While ardent Depp fans remain defiant, their voices are no longer the loudest.
[***]Over 130 people, including feminist organisations and public figures (including Gloria Steinem), have signed an open letter (via NBC News) supporting Amber Heard.