London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

Johnny Depp: Don't judge me over abuse case

Johnny Depp: Don't judge me over abuse case

Johnny Depp has said he will not let the high-profile legal battles with his ex-wife Amber Heard define him, and asked people not to judge him over it.

Last year a US jury found that Heard had defamed the Pirates of the Caribbean star in an article in which she called herself a victim of abuse.

It came after a UK court ruled that an earlier article, which described him as a wife beater, was accurate.

Depp spoke to the BBC as he appeared at the Cannes Film Festival.

His role as Louis XV in the French language film Jeanne du Barry, which opened the prestigious French film festival, is widely seen as his big comeback.

It is his first major role since losing his part in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, following a High Court libel trial over a Sun newspaper article which claimed he had assaulted Heard.

He lost the case, with a judge finding that the newspaper article was "substantially true".

Interviewed by Tom Brook of BBC's Talking Movies, Depp said: "Comeback is a weird thing because... I didn't go anywhere.

"People may have made sure that I was not looked at favourably - powerful press, powerful media, for whatever reasons."

Conflicting accounts of Depp and Heard's five year relationship were heard during the two court cases, with both accusing the other of misbehaviour and violence.

Depp strongly denied his ex-wife's claims that he had subjected her to emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

After losing the defamation case in 2022 over an article she wrote for the Washington Post, Heard said she has lost faith in the US justice system.

Aquaman star Amber Heard took the stand inthe US defamation case


Depp told the BBC people should look at their own family members before they judge him.

"I suggest before people start pointing fingers and making judgement on others that they have no idea about, I would say, everybody, take one day off of work, stay at home, start your investigation of everyone in your family," he added.

"Start with your father. Look way back. Dad always been just a wonderful guy, has he? Your uncles, look at your brothers. Look around you first before you start passing judgement on someone that you have no idea what that person has been through, who they are."

At the height of his courtroom battles with his ex-wife, the future of Depp's movie career appeared to be in jeopardy.

But before the premiere of his latest film at Cannes on Tuesday, he was met by large numbers of fans for whom he signed autographs and took selfies.

Johnny Depp was met by hoardes of fans at Cannes Film Festival


Jeanne du Barry tells the story of a woman - played by director Maïwenn - born into poverty who becomes the French king's final mistress.

The film received a standing ovation but critics have been more lukewarm in their assessment, with some stating he looked uncomfortable in the role.

His presence at Cannes and the inclusion of his new film has been criticised by supporters of Heard, leading to the hashtag #CannesYouNot on social media.

However festival director Thierry Fremaux has strongly defended his choice to include the film and many have welcomed Depp's return.

Asked about being a controversial figure, Depp said he had been considered controversial throughout his career.

"I was probably more far more controversial many years ago than anything now," he added. "But things go in whatever direction they go, more than anything all the weirdness has been cleared up, so it's done.

"I'm certainly not gonna allow this thing to define anything that I've done before, anything that I'm doing now or what I'm going to do - it doesn't exist for me."

Depp alongside Jeanne du Barry actor and director Maïwenn at its premiere at Cannes

Maïwenn as the titular Jeanne du Barry with Depp as Louis XV


A jury found that Heard defamed Depp in a Washington Post article, following a six week trial in the US state of Virginia last summer.

Jurors awarded him $15m (£12m) in compensation and punitive damages.

The Aquaman actress settled the defamation suit for $1m (£820,000) but said it was "not an act of concession".

"Even if my US appeal is successful, the best outcome would be a retrial," she said. "I simply cannot go through that."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×