The memeification of Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit towards Amber Heard continues on TikTok, as hordes of enthusiastic followers try to flatten an unsightly, difficult scenario right into a binary narrative of unhinged aggressor versus saintly sufferer.
Given the truth that the trial pits two Hollywood celebrities towards each other, and has been live-streaming on varied platforms since April 11, the trial has exploded right into a tradition battle battleground, as the general public initiatives their very own private experiences into the murky allegations of home abuse.
Within the courtroom of public opinion, Depp is popping out on high, having fun with the help of a devoted fanbase, who’ve been enthralled by his onscreen adventures for many years; it’s as if Captain Jack Sparrow himself is on trial, quite than the stranger who performed him. Heard, whose appearing performances by no means permeated public consciousness the way in which Depp’s did, doesn’t appear to be supported by a rabidly enthusiastic fanbase.
Consequently, Depp’s followers have been arduous at work, accumulating footage from the trial and splicing it as much as create simplistic narratives, that usually frame Depp because the charming, lovable hero of this story.
The small print which have emerged so far don’t precisely paint both get together in a flattering mild, however treating a home abuse case as if it is a sports activities sport has led to some deranged hypothesis going viral on-line, particularly on TikTok.
Whereas a few of these movies are so exaggerated that they are often greatest described as fan fiction, others have transcended into outright conspiracy theories.
One such principle went viral on TikTok just a few days in the past, proposing that Amber Heard’s lawyer is secretly a hardcore Johnny Depp fan, and presumably, solely took the job to be able to sabotage her personal consumer.
The “proof” for the speculation consists of footage from Depp’s Lone Ranger film premiere in London in 2013, the place devoted Depp followers waited for the actor to seem. One of many followers ready within the crowd is an unidentified girl with quick brown hair, who some TikTokers consider to be Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft. One of many first videos to spark conspiratorial hypothesis has been seen 2.9 million occasions, and has impressed several different copycat videos.
That’s it – a passing resemblance is all of the proof wanted to attach the dots. It’s the sort of freakish “plot twist” that will solely occur in a film, far faraway from the ugly actuality of the scenario.
In fact, the general public doesn’t know both of those individuals – we are able to solely decide them primarily based on their performances and public personas; it’s definitely not an appropriate house to debate the nuances of home abuse.
Because the trial is being more and more seen like a sordid piece of fiction quite than a messy, tragic scenario, a dysfunctional relationship that festered off-camera, the leap from fanfiction to unhinged conspiracy principle is alarming, however maybe, inevitable.