Depp talks about how his new film Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness has helped him move forward from the tumultuous defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard that threatened to derail both their careers.
Johnny Depp is feeling lighter than ever and looking ahead, despite recent years seeing his personal life dragged through the mud in the media.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the director and star of Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness, was asked to compare the time his character spent “in the wilderness for a while,” to his own personal issues.
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“It was a vast wilderness and ultimately that vast wilderness taught me a whole lot,” Depp replied.
When asked what lessens he’s learned, the Pirates of the Caribbean star quipped, “Oh let’s see. Should this be funny or should it be true?”
When pressed, though, he expanded on comments he made in San Sebastian last month when he compared his personal life drama — that made headlines everywhere — to a soap opera.
“Honestly, I can sit here this very second and think about all the hit pieces, and how everybody was against me, and yeah yeah yeah he is off the map … endless stuff,” Depp told THR. “I can remember it all. Went through it all.”
“Some of it was not the most beautiful time, some of it was hilarious. Some of it was mad,” he continued. “The thing is, it simply just was, and it simply just is. So, for me, it happened. I learned, man.”
He went on to explained his approach to the experience, adding, “Everything that we experience, whether you’re given a snow cone or walking your dog, you learn something somewhere along the way. So I don’t have any ill feelings toward anyone. I don’t have this great reserve of hatred, because hatred requires caring. Why carry that baggage?”
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Soap Opera Life
There was certainly a lot of strong feelings and emotions when he was battling his ex-wife Amber Heard in dual defamation trials they’d filed against one another that exposed much of their tumultuous relationship. His case against her stemmed from a 2018 op-ed she posted in the Washington Post that did not name names, but most people connected the dots as she wrote “what it was like as a woman coming forward with allegations of domestic violence.”
Although she didn’t mention Depp’s name, he sued her for $50 million on the grounds of defamation, requesting punitive and compensatory damages. Heard went on to file her own countersuit in August 2020, accusing Depp of orchestrating “a false and defamatory smear campaign” against her with his defamation lawsuit.
When his defamation case finally went to trial in 2022, both Depp and Heard took the stand, sharing their perspective on their tumultuous relationship. During Depp’s testimony, he maintained that he had never hit Heard and instead, claimed that she gave him a “shiner” during their honeymoon. Meanwhile, Heard testified that he slapped her during the trip and later claimed that he sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle and threatened to kill her.
After six weeks of testimony and wall-to-wall media coverage, the jury ruled unanimously in favor of Johnny, saying that Amber made her allegations “with actual malice.” They also awarded $10 million dollars to Johnny in compensatory damages, plus $5 million in punitive damages. Since there’s a cap on punitive damages in Virginia, Amber will only pay $350,000 of that $5 million. Meanwhile, the jury decided statements made by Johnny’s lawyer Adam Waldman were defamatory — and awarded Amber $2 million in compensatory damages.
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Reclaiming Career
Since the rulings, Depp has been working hard to reclaim his career. He performed with Jeff Beck while awaiting the jury’s decision, appeared in a fashion show for Rihanna in November and the 2022 MTV VMAs.
He also got back to acting, earning a 7-minute ovation for his performance as King Louis XV in the French period film Jeanne Du Barry. Critics called it his comeback project, but Depp wasn’t too keen on that label.
Now, for his first directorial effort in 25 years, Depp is taking on the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliana. The international film, which also stars Al Pacino, was met with another warm ovation when it premiered at San Sebastian on September 24, where Depp compared his life to a soap opera.
While he’s again being praised for his performance, Depp told THR that its the work that helps him to move through that soap opera sometimes.
He said that dedicating himself to acting is “helpful in certain instances, especially when things are crumbling all around. It’s weird to be able to escape, not into a character, but it is good to be able to inhabit a character, and as everything is in your toolbox — some of that stuff can be used as available stimulus. Which is great.”
“So yeah. Everything has been … it has really, it just is,” he finally settled on. “And on some level, it is gonna be around, that kind of thing. It’s like OJ or something. But hey, it just happened. That’s all.”
