Look, I tried to fight it, but I fell deep down the rabbit hole of the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial. I’m not exactly proud to admit it, but one good thing has come of this mild obsession. I’m slowly making my way through Johnny Depp’s films — movies I, truthfully, had little interest in before — and finding some interesting similarities between courtroom Depp and the characters he has played.
Like most folks following the trial, I’m trying to deduce for myself what’s truth and what’s fiction. It seems to me that Amber Heard is either the worst actress in the world, or seriously disturbed. Adversely, Johnny Depp is either one of the greatest actors in the world, or seriously disturbed. Not that I have any say in the matter or could ever really know the truth, but I thought taking a closer look at some of his movies would give me a better sense, at least, of who courtroom Depp is.
Actors leave a trail of identity in the films they make. It stands to reason that why they choose a film says something about who they are, that the characters they choose to portray says something about who they are, and that how they choose to play out that character says something about who they are.
The Good Bad Guy
Depp does play a fair amount of “bad guy” characters (whether in perception or reality) who are never fully bad. Indeed, often misunderstood. They come from abusive or unstable upbringings, deal with addictions and obsessions, live as outcasts, tend to have above average intelligence or ability, and often sport an inflated view of self that gets lost in their sleuth charms, manipulation, and sadness-encumbered memories. The good kind of bad guys that actually have decent motives, the ones we hate to see apprehended in the end. Of course, this is just a small sampling.
Johnny Dillinger (Public Enemies) robs banks, but he won’t kidnap and he always lets the bank customer keep their money and his devotion to care for HIS GIRL.
George Jung (Blow) is a Boston native who didn’t want to grow up poor, and therefore became a drug trafficker and smuggler. A slippery slope if there ever was one. But he’s extremely loyal and eventually his motive for dealing shifts to building a new life with his daughter.
Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean) is a pirate with an obsessive need to possess the Black Pearl, by any means necessary, but softens for beautiful women and shows his heart isn’t all black.
Roux (Chocolat) is a Romani, a gypsy outcast. An example of the “perceived” bad guy, mysterious and misunderstood, but even though he’s treated like dirt by the villagers, he remains kind-hearted and lays low.
Charlie Mortdecai (Mortdecai) is a trafficker of stolen art, ridiculous and eccentrically self-inflated without meaning to be, but never fails to lavish affection on his wife.
One common thread through his films I’m (so far) noticing is that Depp’s characters tend to be the most tender towards women and children regardless of if he is a murderer, launderer, drug smuggler, pirate or peasant. Which is ironic, or at the very least interesting, in light of Amber Heard’s accusations against Depp.
Another common trait in many of his characters is the distaste for, and yet abundance of, attention.
Many of his characters strive to stay out of the the public eye, but somehow end up there. Some keep their heads down, just doing what they can (often something illegal) to ultimately live a life of quiet, solitude and comfort with the ones they love (Jung, Dillinger, Roux, etc.) but in the process find themselves garnering attention and hurting their loved ones.
Others sport flamboyant flairs for drama that put them in the much begrudged spotlight in which they happen to shine: Willy Wonka, Edward Scissorhands, Mad Hatter, Captain Jack Sparrow. And though not as well-steeped in fantasy and imagination but encompassing similar character quirks, foibles, and attributes as those, Mortdecai.
Courtroom Johnny
Throughout this trial, Depp has remained calm and together, often smiling, appropriately speaking in more hushed tones about his past experiences with a reverence for wrongdoing and the pain he endured or caused. What we see is a private man, a man who isn’t interested in the spotlight, who does not want attention on himself. And yet, that same man has millions watching him, tens of thousands tuning into his live courtroom proceedings, and hundreds writing articles about him (hi, it me).
Like many of the characters he plays, he is above average in his abilities, excellent at his craft despite lacking an Oscar and I would argue even shows higher levels of intelligence in his, shall we say, creatively crafted text messages. Is it too far to say that many of Depp’s messages about Amber Heard are like the X-Rated versions of a Rufio v. Peter Pan dinner insult circa Hook? Intelligence and good sense are two different things.
He has a checkered past, and a history of suing people — some say as a way to manipulate the attention back onto himself as a sympathetic figure. He has had self-proclaimed drug addictions and alcoholic tendencies. He has, at times, made extremely poor decisions (i.e. he married Amber Heard), has expressed disgustingly volatile thoughts that would suggest violence, and has endured struggles within himself which have undoubtedly affected those closest to him. Anyone who has ever had a family member or close friend struggling with addiction, past traumas or mental health can attest that no matter how self-directed a persons abuse, those around the self-abusing person are affected by the shrapnel in one way or another.
But Depp is also, like many of his characters, reportedly kind both in and out of the courtroom. He speaks thoughtfully, though haltingly, while on stand. He carries himself with moderate humility as he enters the courtroom (he’s been taped jesting with supporters and waving kindly with a slight bow of his head), and he contrasts Heard’s haughty, prim posture throughout the proceedings with a relaxed attitude more indicative of contentment than disrespect or facetiousness. As he has said, whatever happens in there, he was able to tell his side of the story. Despite his “doodling” and his sarcastic comedic relief, he emerges a sympathetic character in this courtroom drama.
Outside of the courtroom, he is generally described as loving and caring by those who are closest to him. And in many of his films, his characters have an almost worshipful attitude towards the leading lady, and sometimes, are so kind, passive, and loyal that the character will find themselves suffering abuse at the hand of the same woman, or others.
The Outsider motif we see in many of his films also rings true for Courtroom Depp. We know from his sisters testimony and interviews stretching back to the early 2000s that his upbringing was pretty rough. Depps’ sister has testified that their mother was often abusive. She described her as:
“…anxious, high strung. She screamed. She yelled. She hit. She threw things.”
He has, also, in at least one interview from the 2000s, expressed the beauty that is a woman caring for her child (4:34) with a sense of awe while speaking about his ex-wife Vanessa Paradis and their daughter Lily-Rose Depp. Having supposedly not seen that kind of loving behavior in his own mother, one might think Depp would develop a hatred against women, and a resentment against mother-like figures in his own lack. Instead, it seems like he has sought it out in other places, and has strived to make sure the people around him receive the care he never got. But as dogs return to their vomit (as my mother would say), so we often return to what we know despite its destructive effects on our lives.
I believe human beings are like trees. We never leave our childhood self behind us. We grow, but maintain the rings of our youth at our core. It is up to us whether or not we allow those small, first rings to define us, but not in our power to remove them. Sometimes, we do battle for life against the consequences of our early years. Maybe that will be Depp’s burden. I don’t know. But meanwhile in the courtroom, he exhibits a very passive, head-down styled behavior consistent with the a man who knows he’s not perfect, but this time is right. He stands as a good bad guy. Tune into the court proceedings, pull up some interviews. Courtroom Johnny is not entirely unlike his characters.
End Note: Why Do I Care?
Every time I mention Amber Heard or Johnny Depp in front of my father, who claims following this trial is a waste of my time, I get the dad-sigh. You know, the passive way Dad’s like to show their disapproval. To an extent, he’s right. My interest can easily spill over into vicarious living. But my reasons for taking an interest in the trial are such:
- I have seen too many women (and have been such a one) abuse the power their words and actions have on the “big and strong” men in their lives against whom they pit themselves in a battle of the sexes. I have seen, personally, too many women cry wolf and it damage imperfect, but good, men. I don’t know what the truth is in this trial, but I think the general message here is important. Women are also capable of abusing men in a myriad of ways, and they should not be excused simple because they are women. That’s ridiculous, and arguably, counter-feminist.
- Courtroom Depp kind of reminds me of some men I know. Men who need to own up to the healing of their personal trauma and stop expecting a woman to make it all go away. Hearing his story, I am sad and moved towards empathy, but also a little annoyed. Healing comes from personal hard-work, first and foremost. For any emotional, mental, or spiritual pain, no woman can fix that. Cycles and patterns repeat themselves until you deal with it.
- God knows why, the cultural phenomenon of this trial is just utterly fascinating to me.
Authors Note: Thank you for reading my article and I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to hold down those little clapping hands till they hit 50 and leave your thoughts or links to articles you’ve written or think might be of interest. If you’d like to see more of my writing, check out the related posts below.
Also This: Since I don’t know Johnny Depp, never will, and have never seen or interacted with him in person, my analysis and my opinion stated in this article are based on the Depp we see in the Live courtroom proceedings, and are identified as such.
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