Depp and Heard face uncertain career prospects after trial

FAIRFAX, Virginia (AP):

A jury’s finding that both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were defamed during their long-running public dispute capped a lurid six-week trial that also raised questions about whether the two actors can overcome tarnished reputations.

The verdict handed down on Wednesday in Virginia found that Depp had been defamed by three statements in an op-ed written by his ex-wife, in which Heard said she was an abuse victim. The jury awarded him more than US$10 million. Jurors also awarded Heard US$2 million, concluding that she was defamed by a lawyer for Depp who accused her of creating a detailed hoax surrounding the abuse allegations.

Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, said on ‘CBS Mornings’ that her client plans to file an appeal.

RESTORE REPUTATION

Depp had hoped the libel lawsuit would help restore his reputation. However, legal and entertainment experts said both actors’ reputations have been damaged by ugly details about their brief marriage that came out during the televised trial, watched by millions.

“Both of them will work again, but I think it will be a while before a major studio will consider them ‘safe’ enough to bet on,” said former entertainment lawyer Matthew Belloni, who writes about the business of Hollywood for the newsletter Puck. “The personal baggage that was revealed in this trial was just too icky for a studio to want to deal with.”

The case captivated viewers, who watched gavel-to-gavel television coverage, including impassioned followers on social media, who dissected the actors’ mannerisms, their wardrobe choices, and their use of alcohol and drugs.

Both performers emerge with unclear prospects. Depp, a three-time Best Actor Oscar nominee, was a bankable star until recent years, with credits including playing Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. However, he lost that role and was replaced in a Fantastic Beasts spin-off.

Heard’s acting career has been more modest, and her only two upcoming roles are in a small film and the upcoming Aquaman sequel due out next year.

Eric Rose, a crisis management and communications expert in Los Angeles, called the trial a “classic murder-suicide” in terms of damage to both careers.

“From a reputation-management perspective, there can be no winners,” he said. “They’ve bloodied each other up. It becomes more difficult now for studios to hire either actor, because you’re potentially alienating a large segment of your audience, who may not like the fact that you have retained either Johnny or Amber for a specific project because feelings are so strong now.”