Johnny Depp missed out on an £18 million ($22.5m) fee for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and it was “impossible” to land him a major Hollywood film part after Amber Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse, according to his agent.
Depp claims he was dropped as swashbuckling pirate Jack Sparrow and “cancelled” after Heard wrote a 2018 op-ed piece for the Washington Post, alleging she had been the victim of physical and sexual violence.
Giving evidence at the former couple’s libel battle, agent Jack Whigham said Depp did not appear in any studio films between December 2018 and October 2020 and funding for independent movie Minamata was almost withdrawn in light of Heard’s allegations.
“It was catastrophic because it was coming from a first person account”, he said. “It was not from a journalist, not someone observing, it was from someone saying this happened to me.”
Mr Whigham said Depp had struck an £18 million ($22.5m) “verbal agreement” with Disney to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6, but he was told in 2019 the studio had decided to go in a “different direction”.
The agent said actress Margot Robbie had been picked to lead the film instead of Depp, and he described the impact of the op-ed on production of Minamata, which also stars Bill Nighy and singer Katherine Jenkins.
“The op-ed came out in December right as we were going on Christmas break. Minamata was supposed to start in January. It was very, very difficult to keep Minamata together”, he said.
“The financing became shaky, Johnny’s fee came down in order to save the movie.”
The court heard evidence of Depp’s lucrative film career, including a £10 million ($13.5m) fee for starring in Fantastic Beats – The Crime of Grindelwald, £8 million ($10m) for Agatha Christie mystery Murder on the Orient Express, and £6.5 million ($8m) for his role in 2018 film City of Lies.
Entertainment lawyer Richard Marks said Heard’s op-ed “created a cancel situation” for Depp and “harmed his reputation and ability to get work in the Hollywood industry”.
He said the Aquaman actress “called out Hollywood” for supporting Depp in the wake of their 2016 divorce when she had first made allegations of domestic violence.
“Amber Heard is saying, I was abused, Hollywood stood up for my abuser, not me the victim. Hollywood got the subject matter of the op-ed loud and clear”, said Mr Marks.
Depp is suing his ex-wife for $50 million in the libel lawsuit, claiming that although he was not named in the article it was clear Heard was referring to their marriage.
Heard is countersuing for $100 million, insisting the allegations of abuse are true and accusing Depp of wrongly calling her a liar.
Earlier in the trial, one of Depp’s security guards, Travis McGivern, described arguments at the star’s Los Angeles penthouse and claimed to have witnessed Heard calling the actor “washed up” and a “f***ing deadbeat dad”.
He said he regularly had to remove Depp from the home to get away from Heard’s torrents of abuse, and recalled a row on March 23, 2015 when he was called on at 4am.
Mr McGivern said he saw Heard throw a can of Red Bull at Depp, striking him on the back, in the midst of “verbal vitriol” between the couple.
He said Depp “was mad, he was upset, especially after she tried to spit on him” and went upstairs to trash Heard’s closet, and he said Heard then attacked the star.
“She was agitated - Mr Depp was agitated. I felt it was time to get Mr Depp out of the situation”, he said. “I stepped in between Ms Heard and Mr Depp, telling Mr Depp we were leaving and it wasn’t up to him anymore.
“At that point out of the corner of my eye I saw a fist and an arm come across my right shoulder and I heard and saw a closed fist contact Mr Depp in the left side of his face.”
The court was told Heard admits throwing the punch but did it to protect her sister Whitney who had been pushed by Depp.
The trial continues.
