The Narcissism At The Heart Of The Johnny Depp And Amber Heard Trial

The trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard continues its downward plunge, airing each day doses of soiled laundry, bringing out the worst in its viewers.

Stay-streaming on a number of platforms, that includes a variety of movie star witnesses, the trial has been a sordid spectacle from the start, a merciless parody of actuality tv; few different occasions are able to sustaining this quantity of consideration for such an prolonged time period – movie star scandals normally fade as quick as they arrive on our timelines.

However the “serialized” nature of the case, the fixed drips of latest data, have turned this trial right into a goldmine of content material, launching small creators into the stratosphere – authorized consultants, armchair consultants, and gossip retailers are all armed with pickaxes, hacking away like there’s no tomorrow.

Amid the swirling social media hysteria, it’s simple to neglect what the trial is even about – defamation, regarding an op-ed Heard wrote in 2018 for The Washington Submit, by which she names herself as a determine of abuse, with out naming Depp. However Depp’s legal professionals argue that the implication was apparent, that Heard sabotaged Depp’s fame, and subsequently misplaced him a number of high-profile appearing roles, such because the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

The jury will quickly resolve if Depp was wronged, however within the court docket of public opinion, he has already achieved a warped victory.

Johnny Depp, a celebrity who has performed a number of iconic characters in household blockbusters, enjoys the benefit of a devoted fanbase he has cultivated for many years; the person is built-in into the childhood reminiscences of many, like Robin Williams and Mark Hamill.

No person desires to see their heroes fall, and Heard’s accusations in opposition to Depp sparked a defensive backlash that has since mutated right into a gleefully misogynistic witch hunt. As this trial has proceeded, Depp’s followers have normalized a stage of hatred and mockery of her that echoes the repulsive method by which the media and public bullied Britney Spears.

One notably egregious instance emerged on TikTok, the place audio of Heard describing the extent of Depp’s abuse was extensively used as a meme format, earlier than being eliminated by the platform.

Amber Heard is significantly youthful, a much less prolific, much less influential actor than Depp – she hasn’t constructed a lovable public persona, no goofy pirate alter-ego to melt the blows of abuse accusations. The start of the trial featured some fairly damning proof in opposition to her, corresponding to an audio recording of Heard admitting to hitting Depp, downplaying his harm, and gaslighting him.

However the two recorded one another fairly a bit, throughout their lowest moments, portray a extra sophisticated image. Intimate, intoxicated conversations, revoltingly misogynistic texts, outbursts of rage and violence, blades, broken bottles, intact bottles, and trashed resort rooms – as Heard’s crew brings out extra witnesses and proof, Depp’s historical past of instability is turning into clearer.

Depp’s followers, sensing the flip of the tide, are retreating into wilder conspiracy theories, rising more and more indifferent from actuality of their bid to show Depp’s innocence. Essentially the most devoted phase of his huge, formidable fandom may be very a lot “pro-Johnny,” however can be higher described as “anti-Amber.”

Depp’s fandom has been busy pumping out ludicrously one-sided propaganda, crafting an imaginative mythology round Heard which frames her as a wild caricature of the “loopy woman” – there’s an entire alternate universe on the market, the place Heard recites movie lines as proof, sniffs cocaine on the stand, uses prosthetics to create faux accidents, and even murdered her own mother in 2020 to cease her from testifying within the trial.

On a cultural stage, this has lengthy ceased to be about Heard and Depp – the 2 actors have transcended into symbols, their poisonous relationship weaved into the content material mill, rising as silky, easy-to-digest narratives.

Like nearly all of on-line discourse, #MeToo struggles with nuance – many of the tales out of Hollywood characteristic villains as one-dimensional as their big-screen counterparts, hideously predatory personalities abusing their energy, leaving scores of victims of their wake (and even then, there was a reactionary backlash in opposition to the ladies who dared communicate out).

There have been no high-profile instances that spark a wholesome discourse regarding abuse in opposition to males, who typically suffer in silence. Missing an outlet, abused males and sympathetic ladies have rallied behind Depp, whereas misogynists appearing in dangerous religion have additionally answered the decision to arms, seizing the chance to completely harm the #MeToo motion.

Experts confirm that the harm has been finished, as abused ladies are watching the collective bullying of Amber Heard, and selecting to remain silent, moderately than endure the same internet hate campaign.

Depp’s case might set a precedent for abusers to sue their victims – it’s already began with Marilyn Manson, Depp’s shut pal, who has been accused of rape by several women, and is now suing certainly one of his accusers, Evan Rachel Wooden, for defamation. Depp’s followers have since rallied behind Manson.

Enjoyable reality – Manson is godfather to Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose, who just lately suffered a pile-on from Depp’s followers, who angrily accused her of not publicly supporting her father.

After weeks of mudslinging, each celebrities are completely stained; Depp has misplaced Pirates of the Caribbean, and Improbable Beasts, whereas Heard’s future in Aquaman appears bleak. As soon as this trial concludes, casting both of the 2 actors might be seen as an inherently political assertion, sure to spark controversy.

This trial merely doesn’t present an excellent area for discussing the nuances of home abuse or gendered violence – it’s a messy, disjointed narrative that provides no life classes. However that doesn’t change the truth that the occasions of this trial will ripple by way of our tradition and negatively have an effect on the best way the general public perceives abuse allegations in opposition to highly effective, widespread males.

The grotesque particulars of Depp and Heard’s toxic relationship didn’t have to be publicized to the world – however that is, seemingly, precisely what Depp needed.

In any case, Depp retains dragging Heard into the courtroom, searching for as public a platform as doable; this trial follows his unsuccessful try to sue for libel within the UK, the place a judge ruled it was correct to explain Depp as a “wife-beater,” discovering that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents of home violence in opposition to Heard had occurred.

On this trial, when Depp took to the stand to testify, he admitted that the explanation he introduced this case to court docket was:

“It was the one time I used to be in a position to struggle again and use my very own voice.”

However why ought to we, the general public, give a single shit about Depp’s fame? The person has been self-sabotaging his personal profession lengthy earlier than he met Amber Heard – his many excesses and on-set misbehaviour have been well-documented in The Hollywood Reporter.

There have been many sick jokes made throughout this trial, however the sickest joke of all is likely to be the truth that this entire ordeal was seemingly sparked by Disney firing Depp from the function of Captain Jack Sparrow. According to Depp, he by no means obtained to offer his character a “correct goodbye.”

Nevermind the truth that Depp has performed this character a minimum of 5 instances, every efficiency extra phoned-in than the final, to the purpose the place Depp reportedly employed a sound engineer to feed him his traces by way of an earpiece, so he didn’t should hassle memorizing them, all whereas being paid hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.

I don’t know which of those two narcissistic celebrities was a worse companion – however I do know who needed to make these sordid particulars public.