These are the makings of a PR nightmare, enough to ruin even the biggest star’s career. But for Johnny Depp, these headlines have become his reality, as the damaged A-lister undergoes a messy trial in the public eye where he has repeatedly denied abusing his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Warner Bros. declined to comment on Depp’s involvement in the next “Fantastic Beasts” film, in light of the libel trial. Disney, Dior, and Depp’s publicist Robin Baum did not respond to request for comment. Depp’s agency, CAA, was not available for comment. “It’s obviously damaging to him, but how damaging is the question,” says high-profile attorney and women’s rights activist, Gloria Allred, who declined to comment on her reported consultation meeting with Heard in 2016 when the actress was divorcing Depp. Allred never retained the actress as a client, and has no affiliation to either party.
“With most celebrity clients, everything is very personal because it’s their own name that’s being publicized and it’s their own personal brand, so they feel very invested,” says Jennifer Ko Craft, entertainment attorney at Dickinson Wright in Las Vegas, who has extensive experience working with high-profile stars, including Shaquille O’Neal and the Kardashian-Jenner family, who are among her clients.
Allred notes that a common thread of recent cases involving famous men during the #MeToo movement has been the large number of accusers coming forward, establishing a pattern against the accused. Depp has filed his own $50 million defamation case against Heard with the trial currently set to begin in Fairfax County, Virginia, in January of next year. During the U.K. trial, Depp accused Heard of punching him and giving him a black eye, and back in 2009, Heard was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence after an altercation with her ex-girlfriend, though no charges were ultimately filed.
However, a handful of crew members that worked on films throughout the “Pirates” franchise, and asked to remain anonymous for this piece, told Variety that Depp was very polite, professional and lovely, and acted friendly towards kids on-set. After the backlash and negative press with “Fantastic Beasts” – don’t forget that jarring “Rolling Stone” interview – Depp may pose too much of a liability to major movie studios in the socially-conscious atmosphere of 2020.