A Captain Jack Sparrow lookalike has shared how the explosive Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial in the US is affecting his bookings as an entertainer.
The Pirates of the Caribbean lookalike Simon Newton sat down with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield for Thursday’s instalment of the show.
The Captain Jack lookalike stood in for Johnny Depp on the fourth instalment of the franchise as well as on the 2016 film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which saw Depp play Gellert Grindelwald.
Lookalike Simon said the “direct ramification” was that when Depp was fired from the Harry Potter prequel franchise, so was he.
Johnny is suing Amber for defamation over a 2018 article she wrote in The Washington Post, which his lawyers say falsely implies he physically and sexually abused her.
He is suing her for more than £38 million, saying her domestic abuse claims have harmed his career and reputation.
Amber has filed a countersuit against Johnny, seeking almost £78 million in damages and saying his legal team falsely accused her of fabricating claims against the actor.
Touching on the trial, Holly asked: “For your career and what you do, is this a real worry as you watch what unfolds over there?”
Simon said that he saw a spike of bookings at the start of the trial, but that he has overall lost out on clients.
He explained: “A lot of my bookings are for private events - weddings, parties, that kind of thing - and I think people who love Jack Sparrow are still going to book Jack Sparrow.
“Where it affects me more is the big corporate events where people might be more concerned about their reputation.”
He continued: “I’m quite lucky to a degree because there’s a separation between playing a character like Jack Sparrow, which people have grown up with and loved. Even though he created the character, there’s still a disconnect.”
The This Morning hosts then asked the Captain Jack Sparrow lookalike about his interactions with fans and members of the public on the street and whether there is a “difference” in the wake of the trial.
Simon explained that he noticed a change after The Sun article which referred to Depp as a “wife beater” was first published.
The article later became the subject of a libel case brought by Depp, after it claimed he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard, which he denies. The Sun said the article was accurate.
Judge Mr Justice Nicol said The Sun had proved what was in the article to be "substantially true".
Simon said on This Morning: “I was doing a walk around acting in some town centre and it was all quite light-hearted, but you get occasional comments like ‘You don’t beat your wife as well, do you?’”
Opening up about his experience meeting Depp on set, Simon added: “He’s pretty much like you see on a chat show - quite quiet and reserved with that quirky sense of humour. Obviously, we didn’t exactly sit around and chat all day.”
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV and ITV Hub.
