With the Fairfax defamation case now in the backseat, the Johnny Depp fandom has essentially been quiet for some time. But the content and the controversy that had risen out of the April to June session of the publicized courtroom trial has delivered enough fodder for the public to be concerned about until the Depp-Heard Round 2 can begin.
Among the numerous testimonies that were delivered in court on behalf of the plaintiff, the Kate Moss statement was declared a definitive win for Depp’s team. But beyond that, Winona Ryder was a deciding force in the court of public opinion to drive the final nail in the coffin for Johnny Depp’s redemption.
Also read: The truth behind Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder’s Breakup
Winona Ryder Shifts the Sentiment in Favor of Johnny Depp
Winona Ryder had given a full statement at the time of the 2020 London libel trial. The defamation trial, however, witnessed the actress commenting outside of the courtroom and for reasons clearly understandable if one cared to read between the lines of her ambiguous claims. Condensed almost word for word from her libel trial statements, she claims:
“It’s very tricky… But I think because what is being said is so horrific and such a global issue for millions of women, obviously, I understand why people feel it is their business… I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said. I mean, he was never, never that way towards me. Never abusive at all towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves.
It’s hard because I feel like that’s my experience. And it’s been a very long time… I wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened. I’m not calling anyone a liar. I’m just saying, it’s difficult and upsetting for me to wrap my head around it… But that’s all I have to offer is my own experience, which was a very, very long time ago.”
Also read: Is Johnny Depp Reuniting With Ex-girlfriend Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice 2?
Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp have had a more than infamous relationship and a romance that went beyond the definitions of “whirlwind”. With the pair meeting at the premiere of Great Balls of Fire! in 1989, it was declared love at first sight, and five months later, the two were engaged. In 1993, the couple, who had become a media obsession with their every move creating a sensational frenzy for tabloids and journals, announced their split. Later, it would become clear that excessive exposure in the public eye via the media had played a defining factor in their breakup.
The Depp-Heard Trial Becomes a Case Study of Manipulation
Even though the trial provided enough evidence for the jury to reach a unanimous decision about Amber Heard defaming Johnny Depp in the 2018 op-ed, the other bits of texts, video footage, images, and audio recordings submitted alongside played in the public arena to determine who was more abusive toward the other. As things began getting out of hand, with recordings often reaching graphic crescendos, the mass sentiments soured further, making the lines of right and wrong as blurry as they could be.
Often dubbed as the celebrity trial of the century, the public televising of the courtroom drama was nothing short of misdirection and manipulation after it became clear that the jury verdict was dangerously close to being considered a formality in mass opinion since the public had already made up their minds about the plaintiff and the defendant. And even though the trial was about the defamation lawsuit, it proved to be an extension of the London libel case which had ended quite unfavorably for Johnny Depp and his Hollywood career.
Source: Time
