iO Tillett Wright, Amber Heard's friend testified in court that he often discussed the couple's fights with Depp.
Trigger warning: This story contains themes of physical and sexual abuse that some readers may find distressing.
Johnny Depp joked about hitting wife Amber Heard on their wedding day, testified iO Tillett Wright, a close friend of Heard. "As we were walking back from the ceremony [to the reception] ... I was walking with Johnny and congratulating him that they pulled it off and they did it, you know. And he said, 'We're married — now I can punch her in the face and nobody can do anything about it,'" testified Wright.
The pre-recorded deposition from Heard's friend from January was played during the trial at the Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom on Tuesday. Wright also said he became close with Depp as well with time, often discussing the friction in the couple's relationship. Wright was privy to the problems in their marriage but stated that he never personally witnessed physical abuse, reported PEOPLE. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met during the filming of "Rum Diary" in 2011 before getting married in February 2015.
Wright also described Depp as "paranoid" at times during their relationship. "In the very beginning, [Depp] expressed that ... he was so in love that it made him feel crazy," said Wright, adding that Depp suspected her of cheating on him. "He expressed that he thought she was cheating on him and sleeping with her costars. I said to him, 'Listen, I know her, I think, pretty well and I talk to her a lot. I think if she was having an affair I would be one of the very few people that she would tell about it. I don't hold secrets or lies for anybody, and I would tell you if that was happening so you could make your own decisions,'" he said.
"'But as far as I know that's really not the case. She's really in love with you. And I think that she also is worried that you are having affairs because both of you are used to being sex symbols on earth. Both of you need to accept the fact that you're really in love with each other and lean in and be together and love each other.'" Wright said Depp's jealousy strained their relationship."[Depp] told me that sometimes his jealousy would make him feel crazy and outside himself and that he had to get it under control. And that it would cause them to fight," said Wright.
Amber Heard wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 detailing the domestic and sexual abuse she suffered. Heard didn't name her ex-husband Depp but the Pirates of the Caribbean actor sued her to "clear the record" of the domestic violence allegations made against him. "Never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life," said Depp under oath.
Heard responded by countersuing Depp for claiming her domestic abuse allegations were "fake" and a "hoax." In her testimony, she wrote, "I come from nothing. All I have is my integrity. All I have is my name — and that's exactly what he promised to take from me."
Depp came under heavy fire after Heard's lawyer shared graphic texts he sent Paul Bettany in 2014. "Let's drown her before we burn her!!! I will (expletive) her burnt corpse. Afterward to make sure she's dead," read the text messages of Depp referring to Heard, reported CBS News. Depp apologized for the vulgar language and said "in the heat of the pain I was feeling, I went to dark places."
Heard and Depp accused each other of cheating during the course of their relationship. Heard alleged that Depp visited an ex straight after their marriage. "I saw that he had gone to her house after we had gotten married. Upon touching down in Los Angeles, I think it was the next day he went to this woman's house that he has this sexual relationship with," said Heard in court.
Depp alleged that Heard cheated on him with her friend and their neighbor James Franco. Heard said she met Franco the night before she filed for divorce on May 23, 2016. "He was my friend. And he lived next door, quite literally next door. And I, frankly, had exhausted my support network with my usual friends and was happy to welcome as much friendship at that time as I could possibly get."
If you are being subjected to sexual assault, or know of anyone who is, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673)
References
https://people.com/movies/johnny-depp-joked-about-punching-amber-heard-in-face-on-wedding-day-friend-testifies/
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-text-messages-testimony/
Cover Image Source: Left: Getty Images | Photo by Stuart C. Wilson; Right: Getty Images | Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic
