How My Opinion of Johnny Depp Changed

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard pose for a photograph at a celebrity event. Photo by GabboT.

The views in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Broke-Ass Stuart or his editors.

We can all agree that the trial of Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard is a unique and cultural moment. Saturday Night Live recently parodied the drama, recycling the spectacle and multiplying the number of times it appears in my feed. I can’t wait for the inevitable docu-series and its fresh, new perspective. For now the trial continues, and support for Depp on the internet has been overwhelming. It’s possible he could win, and let’s be honest: it’s wildly entertaining. This factor plays a major role in the trial’s outcome in that it ultimately comes down to a court of public opinion.

I spent a day watching large portions of Depp’s testimony and cross-examination early in the trial, riveted by the window to their strange, tempestuous marriage. I already knew I was extremely partial towards him. Johnny Depp’s weird indie movies all debuted by the time I was thirteen, and then Pirates of the Caribbean cemented my love for him. I’ve seen nearly all his movies (yes, even Arizona Dream). I even knew that my awareness of this bias probably wasn’t enough to remain neutral. Trials can become a Rorschach test, where one’s willingness to believe or disbelieve hinges on opinion.

Despite having this all at the forefront of my mind, I still felt unsure about whether to believe Heard. What if she was taking advantage of someone with a terrible substance abuse problem? People frequently adopt strong views based on the media they consume, which is why it’s important we investigate how that occurs. I have since changed my views entirely, illuminated not by the destination but the journey itself. 

Thanks to the state of the media in America, I deeply resent it when the public jumps to conclusions.

This celebrity trial offered a glimpse of this process at work. Issues are so quickly politicized that one often feels forced to choose sides before they’ve had a chance to engage with the rhetoric and ideology. I also hate that women and people of color feel pressure to sustain media attention just for a chance of getting justice. The media should not be a substitute for the justice system. Initially I assumed the general public considered Johnny Depp yet another #MeToo, but my skepticism led me to wonder about the granular details. I’m confident this wasn’t the popular opinion, but with so many of us getting our news from competing outlets, it’s easy to feel manipulated.

This happens all the time among liberals attempting to rebel against the media that surrounds us, and to separate ourselves from the mainstream, we create an artificial binary. The opposition is dismissed, and those with nuanced views are punished by their own peers. A reluctance to associate with an opposing viewpoint prevents us from diving deeper into our own problems. 

Amber Heard’s behavior is triggering.

I’ve experienced some toxic female friendships. The recordings of Heard’s nasty language, dramatic hot-and-cold text messages, the passive and aggressive acts—all very reminiscent of those experiences with other women. I doubt I’m the only one who reacted this way. Besides, Johnny Depp has acted in some of my favorite movies, and my visceral reaction to him is warm and fuzzy.

But Depp got to testify first.

The evidence he provided paints an unflattering portrait of Amber Heard, one indicative of a personality disorder. Given my inclination towards Depp, who set the trial’s tone by going first, it didn’t seem all that impossible she was fabricating things.

YouTube algorithms are insanely diabolical.

I watched long segments of uncut video purportedly direct from the court, so I figured I could draw my own conclusions from their contents. While I tried to maintain my skepticism during both accounts, I tended towards Depp’s innocence because the evidence against Heard seemed more damning. As I clicked on more Depp-focused footage, I noticed clips were getting shorter and more curated. Eventually I stumbled onto meme-ified edits like this, and I began to realize what was going on.

I read the comments.

I read the comments. I know you’re not supposed to do that. Nevertheless I scrolled deeper and deeper into the dark recesses of YouTube commentary and noticed just how similar the sentiments were. “She’s so awful, poor Johnny was suffering from substance abuse and instead of helping him, she recorded him.” The near-absence of statements in Heard’s favor struck me as odd given how controversial virtually everything online becomes.

I turned to Google.

I turned to Google. Phrasing makes all the difference. An article by NPR tells of Anti-Heard sentiments being actively pushed by Men’s Rights and Anti-Feminist activists. USA Today identified Johnny Depp’s toxic fandom as a culprit of social media smear campaigns against Amber Heard. Of course the point of view I adopted which seemed so ubiquitous was in fact manufactured, installed with upsettingly accurate precision. A recent piece in the New Yorker dug into Depp’s history with Heard and presents less than favorable evidence.

A combination of bias, skepticism, and personal experience blended with a highly manipulated internet algorithm had instilled in me a false sense of having come to my own conclusion. Is Heard telling the truth, or is Johnny Depp just a better actor? I believe Amber Heard, and the onslaught of hate she’s receiving is unacceptable. I also believe some of what Depp said—Heard may indeed be abusive, but that doesn’t mean she’s lying.

Regardless, I hope they both get the help they need.

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