Johnny Depp’s agent says actor misplaced Pirates payday after Amber’s op-ed

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Johnny Depp‘s expertise agent took the stand this week with claims that Amber Heard‘s 2018 op-ed about being a survivor of home abuse was “catastrophic” to the actor’s film profession.

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Jack Whigham, Depp’s expertise supervisor from Inventive Artists Company, detailed the methods through which Heard’s opinion piece for The Washington Put up sullied the actor’s repute and led to the cancellation of a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film which might have seen the actor pocketing $22.5 million to reprise his position as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Depp, 58, is suing his 36-year-old ex-wife for $50 million claiming that Heard’s op-ed, whereas not naming him, irreparably broken his profession.

“After the op-ed, it was inconceivable to get him a studio movie,” Whigham stated.

Depp’s agent stated the actor had a verbal deal in place for Pirates 6, however that in 2019 producers opted to go in a “totally different course.” It was later introduced that actress Margot Robbie would lead an all-female reboot written by Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson.

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In her preliminary divorce submitting in 2016, Heard alleged she was abused. However after their 15-month marriage got here to an finish, Heard pocketed $7 million and withdrew her request for defense from Depp.

“Our relationship was intensely passionate and at occasions risky, however all the time sure by love,” the pair stated in a joint assertion on the time. “There was by no means an intent of bodily or emotional hurt.”

Whigham stated Depp continued to work after the break up, touchdown an $8 million payday for Metropolis of Lies, $10 million for Homicide on the Orient Specific and $13.5 million for enjoying the villain within the Harry Potter spinoff Implausible Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Depp, who hasn’t labored since 2019, made $3 million for Minamata and $1 million for Ready for the Barbarians.

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However underneath cross-examination, Whigham admitted that there was no contract in place for a sixth Pirates film.

“I’ve not seen ‘$22 million’ written down on a web page, you’re right about that,” he stated.

Throughout his testimony, Depp stated that he was open to creating extra Pirates motion pictures and that he wished to offer the character a “correct goodbye.”

Hollywood legal professional Richard Marks additionally took the stand to additional element how Heard’s opinion piece basically ended Depp’s capacity to land appearing jobs.

“You wouldn’t need negativity hiring an actor who quote-unquote had been cancelled,” Marks stated.

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Douglas Bania, an skilled in mental property damages, testified that Depp’s public picture took a success after the publication of Heard’s article. Folks “like him much less,” he stated.

Heard’s attorneys have pointed to Depp’s antics exterior of his marriage that result in the efficient cancellation of his profession, together with his battles with medicine and alcohol and his eccentric behaviour.

For his half, Depp maintains that he by no means hit Heard and has alleged she was the abuser throughout their relationship, which started after the pair met whereas filming 2011’s The Rum Diary.

A number of key witnesses have bolstered his declare, together with Malcolm Connolly, one in every of Depp’s bodyguards, who recounted situations the place Heard berated him calling him a “f—ing coward.” He additionally stated that he observed that Heard appeared to wish to “put on the pants” within the marriage.

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“It’s not my enterprise I simply do my job, however I may see he’s not completely happy,” Connolly stated, based on Newsweek. Commenting on bruises seen on Depp’s face, he stated, “He’s walked right into a door, or a door’s walked into him.”

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Travis McGivern, one other one in every of Depp’s safety crew, recounted a number of situations through which Heard was verbally and bodily abusive with one alternate leaving the actor with a “good little shiner.”

Based on the New York Put up, McGivern stated Heard referred to as the daddy of two a “deadbeat dad” and a “f—ing c—.”

“You title it, she spewed it,” he stated.

McGivern additionally testified how throughout one battle, Heard struck Depp within the face. “The preliminary look on (Depp’s) face form of mirrored mine,” he stated. “Like, ‘What simply occurred? The place did that come from?’”

Earlier within the trial, Depp revealed that he hid from Heard throughout an allegedly violent alternate whereas the couple lived in Australia in 2015 throughout the filming of the fifth Pirates film.

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“The home they’d rented for me in Australia was fairly a big place. I believe I ended up locking myself in at the very least 9 bedrooms, loos that day as she was banging on the doorways and screaming obscenities and desirous to have a bodily altercation,” Depp stated, based on the Put up.

Throughout his testimony final week, Depp denied ever hitting his former spouse and stated firstly of the trial that he’s suing Heard in a bid to “clear my title.”

However in 2020, Depp misplaced a libel case in opposition to Britain’s The Solar after it referred to as him a “wife-beater.”

After three weeks of hearings, Excessive Courtroom choose Andrew Nicol concluded Depp had violently assaulted his ex-wife, placing her in worry of her life.

Heard outlined 14 situations of violence when she stated the actor choked, punched, slapped, head-butted, throttled and kicked her, with Nicol discovering 12 of her accounts to be true.

Depp’s try and enchantment the decision in 2021 was denied.

On Tuesday, choose Penny Azcarate denied Heard’s bid to have the case tossed saying that enough proof had been offered by Depp’s attorneys to maintain the swimsuit ongoing.

Based on Deadline, Azcarate famous that “if there’s a scintilla of proof {that a} affordable juror may weigh, then the matter survives a movement to strike.”

Heard is predicted to testify Wednesday.

mdaniell@postmedia.com