Johnny Depp’s dramatic, public rehashing of his and Amber Heard’s relationship continued Wednesday in court, as the former couple battles in a vicious libel lawsuit.
In the video broadcast of the testimony, Heard, 35, was shown parallel to Depp, 58, reacting to his statements and appearing to be taking notes.
“Ms. Heard was unable to be wrong,” Depp said at the beginning of his testimony. He added that Heard would resort to “demeaning name-calling,” which “would escalate to full-scale arguments.”
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor continued, “If there is a dialogue between two people, both people need to speak but there was no way to fit a word in.”
“I was having difficulty in my mind and my heart dealing with that kind of barrage,” Depp expressed.
More than a week into the trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, Depp is the first half of the divorced couple to take the stand and testify against his former spouse.
Depp is suing Heard, 35, for $50 million, alleging she defamed him in an opinion column she published in The Washington Post (which is printed in Fairfax County) in December 2018. In the column, she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.
More:Johnny Depp’s friend rejects Amber Heard’s abuse claim as ‘malicious lie’
Depp, who opened up about his childhood abuse in testimony on Tuesday, continued on Wednesday, telling the courtroom, “You start to realize you’re in a relationship with your mother.”
He claimed Heard would often use the personal things he shared about his life as “ammunition” and that it “sent me into a tailspin of confusion, depression.”
In arguments, Depp said he would remove himself from their arguments by leaving the room or locking himself in the bathroom, for instance, to avoid being confrontational. That avoidance was a coping mechanism he said he learned when he was younger.
“I was sure that it was going to escalate into violence which it oftentimes did,” he said of when he would emerge. “Ms. Heard in her frustration and rage would strike out. She would … it could begin with a shove, she would throw the TV remote at my head, it could be throwing a glass of wine at my face. But, all in all, it was just constant.”
He later added, “Why would you hit someone to make them agree with you?”
When asked why he stayed with Heard, Depp said, “That’s a very complicated answer. I can only say that I stayed through all that, I’m sure it’s somehow related to my father remaining stoic as my mother would beat him to death. I’m sure it had something to do with having been in a beautiful, wonderful 14-15 year relationship with the mother of my children, raising those kids.”
Depp shares daughter Lily-Rose, 22, and son Jack Depp, 20 with Vanessa Paradis.
“I stayed, I suppose because my father stayed,” he added. “I didn’t want to fail. I wanted to try to make it work. I thought maybe I could help her.”
Depp revealed his mother had attempted suicide a few times, something that Heard had allegedly threatened. “Ms. Heard had spoken about suicide on a couple of occasions, so that was also a factor,” he said of remaining in the relationship.
Highlights from Depp’s first day of testimony:Johnny Depp takes the stand in Amber Heard trial, says claims have ‘no truth’
Johnny Depp says in first day of testimony he never ‘struck any women’ in his life
Depp opened his testimony Tuesday by calling Heard’s Washington Post story “heinous,” adding, “I never struck Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any women in my life.”
He recapped the early days of his relationship with Heard, whom Depp dubbed “too good to be true.” There were small indicators early on that suggested rocky times ahead, he said.
The actor maintained he decided to take the stand to prove Heard’s claims have “no truth to it whatsoever” and because he feels a responsibility to “stand up for my children,” referring to daughter Lily-Rose, 22, and son Jack Depp, 20.
“I thought it was diabolical that my children would have to go to school, have their friends or people in the school approach them with the infamous People magazine cover with Ms. Heard with a dark bruise on her face,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star said. “I didn’t deserve that nor did my children nor did the people who have believed in me for all those years.”
All the major moments from Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s libel trial, including Depp taking the stand
Depp opens up about substance abuse, oxycodone addiction
He also admitted to having been addicted to pain medication for about five years after receiving a prescription when he hurt his back while filming “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” but said he detoxed from the drugs during his relationship with Heard and has not taken opiates since.
Heard’s allegations of his substance abuse have been “grossly embellished,” Depp argued, claiming there have been no moments where he’s been out of control.
“I’m not some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time,” Depp said, though he admitted to doing “a line or two” of cocaine with Heard’s sister, Whitney.
“The characterization of my ‘substance abuse’ that’s been delivered by Ms. Heard is grossly embellished,” he added. “And I’m sorry to say, but a lot of it is just plainly false. I think that it was an easy target for her to hit.”
During the second day of his testimony, Depp stated that he stopped drinking and doing drugs (aside from the ones prescribed) at Heard’s request. When he asked her to do the same in support, Depp claimed his ex-wife asserted that she wasn’t an addict and therefore did not need to stop consuming substances.
Depp alleged he had seen Heard drink alcohol and take MDMA (ecstasy or molly), mushrooms and speed (amphetamines).
Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff, Maria Puente, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism