2 SHADES OF GREY: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard look somber in three-piece suits at jury selection
Actor Johnny Depp's defamation trial against Amber Heard has begun in Fairfax, Virginia, with jury selection. Judge Penney Azcarate ordered deputies to ensure that the proceedings do not become a media circus, and the two of them were subsequently brought into the courthouse in secrecy. Both Depp and Heard were pictured looking somber.
Depp was seen wearing a gray suit and black tie, donning round-framed sunglasses. Heard was also pictured leaving the courthouse wearing a black blazer, vest, and pants with stripes, surrounded by a crowd and looking serious. The co-stars are again set to face each other as the trial begins, having been delayed during the Coronavirus pandemic. The trial will reportedly be lengthy, taking place over seven weeks with just a week's break in May. While the jury selection began on Monday, April 11, the trial is expected to fully get underway on Tuesday, April 12. Both the stars will appear in-person to give their testimonies.
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The former couple is preparing to square off over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post, where she called herself a domestic violence survivor. Depp has claimed that he was booted from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise because Heard's op-ed clearly implicated that he was the abuser. The article, however, did not mention Depp by name. The actor sued for $50 million and Heard countersued for $100 million, claiming Depp ran a smear campaign for years in an attempt to silence her and destroy her acting career.
Other high-profile stars came up in court during the UK trial, and the same is going to happen this time. James Franco and Elon Musk, for Heard, and Paul Bettany, for Depp, feature on witness lists for the US case. Also featured are representatives of the Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Court documents filed in March state that evidence will be given by Bettany, Franco, and Musk virtually. On the list are also family members, security guards, assistants, and others who worked around the ex-couple.
Depp and Heard began dating after meeting on the set of the 2011 film 'The Rum Diary'. They got married in Los Angeles in February 2015. In 2016, Heard obtained a restraining order against Depp, accusing him of abuse. Depp, however, denied the claims, saying that her accusations were a "choreographed hoax”. In 2019, the two settled their divorce out of court. At the time, Heard said she had donated her $7m (£5.5m) settlement to charity. Depp later accused her of lying about it.
Depp was recently removed from 'Fantastic Beasts 3: The Secrets of Dumbledore' by Warner Bros. In fact, he was removed from the franchise as a whole after being accused of being abusive toward Amber Heard during their marriage from 2017 to 2020. Warners Bros. remained silent on the issue, but actor Dan Fogler earlier took to social media to open up about the controversy. "What's best for Johnny and what’s best for the film may not be equal. The right decision may not be what’s fair. It’s not simple. I love Johnny and want him to be the best he can be. I selfishly want him at his best if I ever get to work with him again," he had said.