Johnny Depp asked his ex-wife Amber Heard to cut him with a knife, an audio recording that was played during the actor’s libel trial against the publishers of The Sun has revealed. In the recording, the actor says he wants Heard’s mark on his body and then demands that the young woman cut him or he would do it himself in order for "the pain to go away". The woman can be heard saying: "please don’t cut yourself. I know it hurts. I feel the same".
The tape was reportedly made on July 2016, two months after Heard filed for a divorce from Depp. The actor confirmed that it was him in the recording. Part of it was posted on social media
SHOCKING audio of Johnny Depp repeatedly begs Amber Heard to cut him as he holds knife and says: "If you don’t, I will" #JusticeForAmberHeard #wearewithyouamberheard pic.twitter.com/flcV11lpHk
— Amber Heard Italia Fans (@AmberHeardIT) July 10, 2020
During the court hearing, the actor addressed a "faeces incident". Depp said that he understood his marriage with Heard was over when he found faeces in his bed, which the actor claims belonged to his ex-wife or one of her friends. Depp also said that Amber described the incident as "just a shameless prank". The court hearing revealed that after the incident, Depp called his ex-wife "Amber Turd".
The news has caused a stir on social media, with users accusing Amber Heard of manipulation and wanting to portray Depp as a monster.
Johnny was having a self confessed breakdown because of all the abuse he endured throughout their marriage and he resorted to self harm. What does Amber Heard do to help?...She records his suffering to use against him to try and make the public see him as a monster.
— 740304 (@Quoth67) July 11, 2020
The poor man sounds so downtrodden and broken.
— Cameron Geddes 🏴 (@Zero_1343) July 11, 2020
Other netizens said that previous audio recordings in which Heard admitted that she had started a fight and hit Depp as well as other evidence against her would hurt victims of domestic violence and called for the public to pay more attention to physical abuse against men.
More importantly, going forward, how will her lies hurt domestic violence victims, as she has removed the unspoken rule that women don't lie.
— Gail Ann Fuller (@GailAnnFuller) July 11, 2020
Accountability for female abusers is always lacking. Maybe this case will change things, but doubt it. The amount of male suicides each year thanks to societies hypocritical double standards tells us all we need to know about equality.
— PMA opinions (@PaulMichael2020) July 11, 2020
Many users noted that although the actor is not an angel, they did not believe he had been abusive towards his ex-wife, voicing support for Depp.
She seems an incredibly manipulative and despicable individual. I doubt Johnny Depp is an angel but I also doubt he is abusive.
— 80sirishlegend (@80sirishlegend) July 11, 2020
Hope he wins. Be justice
— Matthew Coutts (@MatthewCoutts4) July 11, 2020
Still others applauded Depp’s sense of humour and the play on words he used to describe his ex-wife.
Amber Turd pic.twitter.com/vqqT86gM1H
— QI 🇭🇰 (@quodinfrequens) July 10, 2020
Depp met Heard in 2009 on the set of The Rum Diary, in which the two starred. They started dating and living together three years later. They married in 2015, but 15 months later the actress filed for a divorce and accused Depp of physically abusing her. The actor vehemently denied the allegation and called it a hoax. The couple reached a $7 million settlement in August 2016 that said the marriage had been bound by love and that there was no intent to cause physical or emotional harm.
But in 2019, Heard penned an op-ed in The Washington Post where she spoke about being a victim of domestic violence. She didn’t mention Depp by name, but the actor filed a $50 million defamation case, saying it was clear that Heard meant him. The actor claims Heard fabricated evidence against him by painting bruises and was herself violent during their marriage. Depp claimed he had to undergo surgery on his finger after it was cut by a glass bottle that Heard threw at him. Depp’s legal team presented photos of the severed finger and audio tapes during which Heard admitted to hitting the actor.
Depp’s former wife Vanessa Paradis, with whom he lived for 14 years and has two children, is expected to testify via videoconference next week. Paradis, Depp’s former girlfriends Kate Moss and Winona Ryder, as well as his colleagues Penelope Cruz have previously defended the actor and said that Heard’s accusations were impossible to believe.
