It’s been three months since the dramatic defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard came to a close – but public interest has shown no signs of waning.
On Tuesday, the infamous case will return to the spotlight once again in a new two-part documentary series airing on Discovery+.
Johnny vs Amber: The US Trial features two episodes: the first showing Mr Depp’s side of the story and the second showing Ms Heard’s.
For Mr Depp’s episode, filmmakers were given behind-the-scenes access to the Pirates star’s legal team as they discussed their strategy in the case and argued that he was the victim of false accusations and abuse at the hands of Ms Heard.
Meanwhile, the Aquaman actor’s team did not grant access to the documentary-makers, with her story instead being told by commentators and experts. The show also takes a look at the public frenzy and social media backlash she faced throughout the trial.
The Independent was given advance access to the screenings. Here are the key takeaways:
Depp’s attorneys seen calling Kate Moss to testify
Mr Depp’s attorneys are captured on camera calling Kate Moss and urging her to testify in the televised trial.
Attorney Camille Vasquez – who gained a bizarre fan following during the trial – is seen telling the cameras that they worried the supermodel wouldn’t agree to take the stand because she is “an extremely private person”.
“I hoped we’d be able to convince Kate Moss to testify but everything I knew about Kate indicated she likely wouldn’t, because she’s an extremely private person and she has nothing to gain to testify,” she says. In behind-the-scenes footage, Ms Vasquez is then seen on the phone to what appears to be Ms Moss or her representative.
“Any questions I can answer, if I can get a commitment from you as early as possible tomorrow, you can just send me a text,” she says.
There is no reply from the person on the other end of the phone.
Ms Moss, who dated Mr Depp between 1994 and 1998, did decide to testify.
In a dramatic moment of the trial, she told the court that her ex-boyfriend was never violent towards her and dismissed a long-running rumour that Mr Depp had once pushed her down the stairs.
During the trial, Ms Heard referred to the rumour, prompting an open celebration in the courtroom from Mr Depp’s attorney Benjamin Chew – as this then enabled his team to call the supermodel to testify.
Ms Moss testified that she did fall down a set of stairs while the couple were on holiday in Jamaica and that Mr Depp cared for her at the time.
“He never pushed me, kicked me or threw me down any stairs,” she said.
Depp’s attorneys say he is ‘not like Cosby or Weinstein’
Mr Depp’s attorneys are seen arguing that his defamation case is “not MeToo” and that the Pirates of the Caribbean star is “not like Bill Cosby or Harvey Weinstein”.
“This isn’t like Bill Cosby. This isn’t like Harvey Weinstein,” says Mr Chew.
“We make that point strongly as – in every other case – once you have a credible accusation, you have dozens more.”
At another point in the series, Ms Vasquez tells the camera that there needs to be “due process” along with the need to believe victims who come forward with accusations.
“Yeah there’s the MeToo movement, yes you should believe victims that come forward but there also needs to be due process,” she says.
“There needs to be an investigation before we cancel someone and ruin somebody’s life as that’s not fair.”
Later in the episode, Ms Vasquez is heard questioning whether the case would have even reached court if the gender roles had been reversed.
The legal team are discussing audio recordings played in court of the former couple arguing. In one of the clips, Ms Heard is heard admitting that she was “hitting” Mr Depp as she calls him “a baby”.
“Imagine if it was Johnny Depp saying to Amber Heard ‘I’m not punching you, I’m hitting you’,” says Ms Vasquez to her team. “‘Grow up Amber. Stop being such a baby.’ Guess what? We wouldn’t be here right now if it was a man saying that to a woman.”
She adds: “We wouldn’t be here. This wouldn’t be a case if we had those tapes and the roles were reversed.”
The team discusses that this was an issue that “resonated” with Mr Depp, as Jessica Meyers – another member of his legal team – says: “And now she’s claiming to be a public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Mr Chew fires back at the suggestion: “Give me a break.”
As the lawyers prepared for closing arguments, Ms Meyers says to her teammates that no other women “came out of the woodwork” to accuse the Hollywood star of abuse.
“The op-ed was published in the context of the MeToo movement and it’s always struck me that this is a woman who stood up as part of the MeToo movement and said this man abused me,” said Ms Meyers.
“There are no MeToos. There are no other women that said ‘yes he also abused me.’ It’s not like other women came out of the woodwork.”
Depp’s team was worried Heard seemed ‘credible’
At one point in the first episode, Mr Depp’s legal team admits that they were worried that Ms Heard could appear “credible” to the jury.
“Halfway through the case we were worried about Amber, because during the deposition there were times, there were moments, when she came across credible,” said Mr Chew.
“We felt that somebody needed to explain to the jury why someone as presentable as Amber Heard would make up these horrific stories of abuse.”
Mr Depp’s team responded by calling psychologist Shannon Curry to the stand who testified that she diagnosed Ms Heard with two psychiatric diagnoses – borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.
Dr Curry, who was hired by Mr Depp’s team and made the diagnosis based on Ms Heard’s previous psychological assessments, testified that people with personality disorders can be “abusive to thier partners”.
Anti-Heard backlash ‘proves her op ed is true,’ says Lisa Bloom
In the second episode, Lisa Bloom, a high-profile attorney representing victims of domestic violence, says that the backlash against Ms Heard during the trial proves her op ed to be “true”.
“Ironically, it ultimately proves the truth of Amber Heard’s original article,” she says.
“Which is essentially that I spoke out against domestic violence and I paid a price for it.
“And that’s what this trial and the social media hate shows that happened.”
Mr Depp sued his ex-wife for defamation over a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post where she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse and spoke of feeling “the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out”.
The six-week trial became the focus of an intense online obsession, with social media users sharing edited clips of the courtroom drama, memes and conspiracies about the case. The online frenzy was dramatically skewed in favour of Mr Depp, with dominant hashtags including #amberheardisaliar and #justiceforjohnnydepp.
Outside the courtroom, diehard Mr Depp fans also camped out for weeks to try to catch a glimpse of the star.
Episode two takes a look at the social media obsession with the case and the backlash against Ms Heard, who became the subject of derogatory memes and videos.
Ms Bloom casts doubt on the idea that the social media frenzy did not reach the jurors or weigh on their decision.
“It’s impossible for me to believe that none of the jurors went on social media for six weeks. I have not been off social media for six wks since social media began,” she says, adding that even if they tried to avoid reading about the case it was impossible to avoid.
Depp was ‘probably’ acting on the stand, says Bloom
Mr Depp was “probably” acting on the witness stand and was “disrespectful” by failing to show up when the verdict was delivered, according to Ms Bloom.
“Was he acting on the stand?” she asks in episode two.
“Probably. Certainly he could control himself and stay calm. Those of us who are not actors would have a harder time.”
Her comments came as the episode honed in on Mr Depp’s cross-examination where he was presented with text messages he had sent which appeared to cast doubt on his purported image as a “southern gentleman”.
In one of the text messages to Elton John, he referred to his ex-partner and mother of his children Vanessa Paradis as a “French extortionist and ex c***”.
In another message to Paul Bettany, he discusses wanting to “drown” and “burn” Ms Heard prior to their wedding.
“I will f*** her burnt corpse afterward to make sure she is dead,” he wrote.
When confronted with his messages on the witness stand and asked if he believes he “lives up to the standards of a southern gentleman”, Mr Depp calmly replied: “I’ve done my best all my life.”
“We should not forget that he is an actor... regarded as one of the best actors of his generation,” Ms Bloom tells the filmmakers.
Ms Bloom also branded Mr Depp “disrespectful” for not showing up to hear the verdict – something she says is “one of the most stressful” experiences for anyone to go through.
“Johnny Depp wasn’t even there … how disrespectful is that?” she asks.
