Johnny Depp turned up to perform alongside Jeff Beck in Sheffield on Sunday (29 May), following the closing arguments in his $50m defamation trial against Amber Heard.
Jurors began deliberation on the lawsuit filed by Depp against his ex-wife last week, after the actors’ attorneys delivered their closing arguments at the district court in Virginia’s Fairfax County.
Depp is suing Heard for alleged defamation over an op-ed she wrote in 2018 in The Washington Post, titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
While Depp was not named in the op-ed, he claims her allegations made it difficult for him to land movie roles.
Heard countersued her ex-husband, accusing him of allegedly orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his own lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment.”
Following the six-week trial, Depp – who began his career as a musician and founded the band the Hollywood Vampires with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry in 2015 – and Beck performed their 2020 collaboration “Isolation”, a reworking of a John Lennon song from 1970. They also performed covers of “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, and Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing.”
According to a Deadline report, Depp could also join Beck on his next two tour stops at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Monday (May 30) and Tuesday (May 31).
After beginning deliberations on the high-profile civil suit, which was broadcast live, jurors will have a three-day weekend in observance of Memorial Day before resuming on Tuesday, 31 May.
If the jury concludes that Heard defamed him, the Aquaman star will be ordered to pay Depp compensation for loss of earnings – although the court may recommend he is awarded more or less than the $50m he is seeking.
