Johnny Depp's career will 'skyrocket' while Amber Heard will struggle after trial, claims PR expert

Leading PR executive Vanessa Munnings believes the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star will soon be flooded with job opportunities once the trial is over
PUBLISHED MAY 27, 2022
Johnny Depp (L) and Amber Heard (R) are pictured outside Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
Johnny Depp (L) and Amber Heard (R) are pictured outside Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

A leading PR expert is of the opinion that Johnny Depp will be inundated with acting gigs and celebrity offers after his defamation case against Amber Heard is settled.

Depp, 58, is suing Heard, 36, for more than $50 million after she penned an op-ed for the Washington Post in 2018, claiming to be a victim of domestic abuse. The article does not name Depp and Heard's lawyers have said it is protected by freedom of speech. However, Depp's legal team has argued that the implications were obvious and that it damaged their client's acting career. Heard has countersued for $100 million.

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That said, PR executive Vanessa Munnings believes the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star will soon be flooded with job opportunities once the trial is over. "Win or lose, Depp's career has been in free fall and it appeared nothing was going to change that," Munnings told the Daily Star. "But spend any amount of time on social media and you'll see public opinion stacked largely against his former wife, with the actor stifling laughter in court and Heard being named as an alleged homewrecker in what has become the goldfish bowl of their lives."

Johnny Depp is seen outside court for the start of a civil trial at Fairfax County Circuit Court on April 11, 2022, in Fairfax, Virginia. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

She continued, "Regardless of what either party has or hasn't done, stranger things have happened than a member of Hollywood glitterati surviving such a public circus and indeed legal allegations. You only have to Google to see how some megastars have overcome the stigma of court cases and go on to cash in super successful careers, with litigious backgrounds seemingly rubbed out."

The PR expert concluded, "My thoughts are that Depp's career will potentially skyrocket once again once criminal proceedings are over, while Heard, rightly or wrongly, has been painted into a corner and public opinion will continue to be against her."

Amber Heard is seen outside court for the start of a civil trial at Fairfax County Circuit Court on April 11, 2022, in Fairfax, Virginia. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

Depp shocked his fans in 2020 when he revealed that Warner Bros had asked him to resign after he lost his libel case against NGN in the UK. "I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request," the actor said in a statement to his fans.

MEAWW previously reported how Depp's former agent testified in court that the actor suffered a great loss professionally due to Heard's abuse allegations against him. Christian Carino explained that when he began representing Depp, his public reputation was "a shroud of mystery of who he was because he was not visible to the public,” but it “changed with the exposure that came with the lawsuits.”

Actor Johnny Depp, dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES took part today in 'Worlds, Galaxies, and Universes: Live Action at The Walt Disney Studios' presentation at Disney's D23 EXPO 2015 in Anaheim, Calif. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

An email exchange between Depp's publicist and a fellow CAA agent with a link to a news article showed that Depp would not be returning to the movie franchise. His publicist then asked if the word had come from Disney and the other agent responded with a negative. After presenting the email exchange in court, Depp's lawyers asked Carino to confirm that it was the agent’s opinion that Johnny had “lost” the movie because of Heard's abuse allegations. Based on his deposition, Carino indicated that Depp lost the yet-unmade 'Pirates 6' movie due to Heard's allegations based on “conversations with studios and other executives, both internal and external,” naming the movie's executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer and other CAA (Creative Artists Agency) colleagues. Meanwhile, the trial continues with the closing arguments scheduled for Friday, May 27.

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