The past couple of weeks have been very strange for people attentive to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard libel case that began on April 11, 2022. The jury reached a verdict on June 1, awarding Depp $15 million in damages. The high-profile defamation case held in Fairfax, Virginia, between Depp and his ex-wife, Heard, has been widely covered with fans massively divided on the subject, even after the verdict.
Depp sued Heard for $50 million in damages for defamation after her op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018 in which she called herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard countersued Depp for $100 million claiming she has endured domestic violence during their 15-month marriage. The seven-person jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in corrective damages; while Heard received $2 million in damages for three statements made by Depp’s former attorney Adam Waldman in 2020 to the Daily Mail, in which he called Heard’s claims of abuse a “hoax.”
Though many people are still debating whether the verdict was right or wrong, and how it will impact future domestic violence trials, Depp showed his gratitude through an official statement on his Instagram account, where he said that the best is yet to come and a new chapter has begun. Depp, who is considered one of the best actors in Hollywood, has faced backlash from the industry and lost many big projects including the third installment of Fantastic Beasts due to the trial.
Future in Hollywood
After the verdict, Johnny Depp said in a statement that he felt like the “jury gave me my life back.” However, many people feel like his career in Hollywood is still uncertain. Some experts have weighed in with skepticism, saying Depp’s career was dwindling even before the trial. Anyhow, given that he is a fantastic actor and many Hollywood titans have redeemed their careers after seismic controversies, it is fair to say that there is a chance for Depp to make a comeback.
Moreover, after losing big Hollywood projects due to the trial, Depp has been working on some independent movie projects. This has opened a whole other cinema industry for the 58-year-old actor. He is also working on multiple European movies, so we can certainly expect a comeback from the actor.
Depp’s memorable performances
Johnny Depp is one of the most diverse and coolest actors of his generation, who has played some of the most unforgettable and eccentric characters. Here are the four best performances of Johnny Depp that have won him millions of unwavering fans.
1. Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean Series) – The portrayal of boozy pirate Captain Jack Sparrow is hands down the best performance of Depp’s career till now. Depp added sheer breadth to the slurring, stumbling, and rum-guzzling pirate through humor and heart.
2. Edward Scissorhands (Edward Scissorhands) – Well, Tim Burton knows how to pick amazing, iconic characters and Depp knows how to play them. In their first collaboration Edward Scissorhands, the actor gave his all-time best performance as the titular character who is a synthetic man with scissor hands.
3. Tonto (The Lone Ranger) – Owing to his nearly unidentifiable transformation, The Lone Ranger is one of the best performances by Depp. His portrayal of a Comanche warrior, who helps a Texas Ranger take down a dangerous outlaw gang is still a favorite among fans.
4. Mad Hatter (Alice in the Wonderland) – Another brilliant performance has to be Mad Hatter from Alice in the Wonderland. The absolutely bonkers character paired with Depp’s incredible expressions made us fall in love with the red-haired hat maker.