Johnny Depp has had a rollercoaster of a time since profitable $8.35 million in his defamation regulation go well with towards ex-wife Amber Heard on June 1.
On the one hand, court docket paperwork unsealed this week revealed that his former lover Ellen Barkin mentioned in a deposition that, throughout their relationship, he was “verbally abusive,” drank an excessive amount of purple wine and gave the actress a Quaalude the first time they had sex. His alleged erectile dysfunction was exposed, as had been crude texts with Marilyn Manson.
Individually, Depp and guitarist Jeff Beck had been accused of plagiarizing the poetry of a convicted assassin in a brand new track that they recorded collectively.
However final week, the actor was driving excessive on headlines touting a $3.6 million sale of his paintings — titled “Friends & Heroes,” it options pop-art renderings of Al Pacino, Bob Dylan, Elizabeth Taylor and Keith Richards.
In keeping with Fortress High quality Artwork gallery in London — the place the 780-piece present was mounted and offered out “nearly instantly” — the wild curiosity got here as a shock. “I don’t assume anybody was speaking [ahead of time] about our website crashing or the work promoting out in a couple of hours,” a gallery spokesman informed The Submit.
“The trial could have put an accelerant on it as a result of folks assume he’s a hero,” a Depp insider informed The Submit. “However folks have all the time purchased into what Johnny does.”
Depp has additionally been basking within the onstage highlight at concerts with Beck and his contract was renewed because the spokesmodel for Sauvage: In keeping with the Wall Street Journal, as Depp’s trial wound down in June, Sauvage was the highest promoting man’s eau de parfum on Sephora.com.
He’s even again earlier than the cameras, with a starring function in “Jeanne du Barry,” which started taking pictures Monday.
That it’s a European movie might be not a coincidence, because the actor had been pressed to resign from “Implausible Beasts” in 2020 and was made to stroll the plank for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise (earlier than reportedly being wooed back in June).
“Being in Europe is enterprise as typical for Johnny,” a good friend of Depp informed The Submit. “He was not canceled or shamed there. So he continues to be extra snug [in Europe] than within the US.”
All this high-profile exercise might be seen as a calculated celebration of his launch from the shackles of litigation, however the insider known as the timing “serendipitous. This isn’t a victory lap. That is Johnny lastly having the ability to return and lead his life buoyed by a landslide jury decision that overwhelmingly proved Amber Heard’s allegations to be false.”
Heard’s consultant didn’t reply to a request for remark.
“These plans had been well-laid lengthy earlier than the trial,” the Depp insider added. “The tour and film had been already scheduled. When it comes to the artwork, he has been portray and giving work to folks for so long as I’ve identified him. He by no means isn’t portray.”
A gallery spokesperson confirmed to The Submit of the artwork sale, “It’s a case of doing it when the gallery was prepared and when Johnny was prepared. The timing was determined earlier than everybody knew the [trial] end result.”
The album recorded with Beck, “18,” launched July 15, has “been within the works, on two continents, for fairly a while,” mentioned the insider. “Johnny first got here to Hollywood with a band and rock ‘n’ roll has been his lifelong love.”
In actual fact, when the Beck touring schedule conflicted with the top of the trial, Depp selected a aspect for his sense of dedication.
“He was not there for the decision as a result of he had already made plans to tour with Jeff Beck,” the insider mentioned of the dozen-plus reside performances Depp performed with the rocker. “Johnny missed the primary evening of the tour so he might be within the courtroom for the closing arguments. However he would by no means let Jeff down. The arguments concluded and he received to the tour as quickly as he presumably may.”
At a Prague gig, on July 11, Depp’s trial lawyer Camille Vasquez was within the crowd and went backstage previous to the present. She was vacationing together with her boyfriend and had junior members of her authorized workforce in tow. The legal professional was seen handing Depp what gave the impression to be an ornate necklace and the star smiled broadly as he held it aloft for adoring onlookers.
Although Vasquez was hugged and warmly acquired, a educated supply informed The Submit that there isn’t any fact to on-line rumors of romance between the 2.
“Camille did an awesome job … however he and Camille had been by no means good buddies. Johnny was combating for his life and she or he was underneath his make use of to get it accomplished,” the supply mentioned. “If you happen to’re in a foxhole, it’s possible you’ll not exit for beers with the opposite folks within the foxhole, however you all need to win.”
About six weeks earlier, when the authorized victory got here by, Depp discovered about it whereas on tour in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Depp’s good friend informed The Submit that the actor watched it on tv, surrounded by buddies. “Greater than something,” mentioned the good friend, “he had a way of aid. They celebrated that evening.”
Requested if bottles of bubbly had been popped, the good friend replied, “I don’t know that he had alcohol. It was aid and validation.”
Added the insider, “Johnny celebrated the win by moving into one thing he loves as a lot as something: enjoying music and supporting the document that he made with Jeff. Someday after the decision, he performed and a radical swell of help greeted him.”
It was reported within the UK that some 200 fans mobbed Depp outside the venue and women needed to be held again from grabbing on the actor.
“Johnny takes it in stride and does what he all the time does,” mentioned the knowledgable supply. “He goes out and sees the followers and indicators issues and makes himself current to the individuals who all the time supported him.”
The trial got here with no scarcity of soiled laundry aired — together with allegations of Depp throwing a booze bottle and Heard cutting off the tip of the actor’s finger — however the supply mentioned that Depp hunkered down and accepted it.
“It’s crucial that he knew the world noticed the whole lot come out,” mentioned the supply. “Johnny by no means wavered because the world was lastly permitted to know what he all the time knew [about the situation with Heard]. Then an American jury agreed with him on all of his claims. He was vindicated. How would you’re feeling?”
As for Depp’s present state, bodily and mentally, the insider mentioned, “Contemplate that he’s gone from a trial to a rock ‘n’ roll tour to a film, with no breaks in between and no time to replicate, I’m positive he’s exhausted, however … he’s working exhausting on the issues he loves.”
