Johnny Depp’s Lawyers Worried About His ‘Temper’ During Amber Heard Trial

The actor sued his ex-wife for defamation after she referred to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse in a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post.

As part of his defense, Johnny Depp testified during the trial, a move his lawyers were reportedly worried about due to fears he might lose his temper on the stand.

Speaking on A&E’s “Interrogation Raw: Celebrity Under Oath,” two lawyers who helped Johnny Depp win his defamation case against Amber Heard admitted they were initially scared they had made the wrong decision by allowing the actor to testify during the trial.

“The one thing that we’re concerned about is whether he might lose his temper,” said one of the lawyers, Benjamin Chew, per Page Six.

Chew then explained that it is typically the strategy of the “other side” to do “everything possible” to provoke Depp into showing anger.

If successful, the strategy could have potentially swayed the jury into believing Heard’s claims of domestic violence, as mentioned in the op-ed that prompted the defamation trial.

However, despite the risks associated with Depp testifying, Chew and the other lawyers agreed to the move, hoping it would “humanize” him before the jury and help them understand why “hitting the woman he loved was something he’s just not capable of.”

When Depp eventually gave his testimony in April 2022, his lawyers’ fears were allayed, with the actor not only remaining calm but also destabilizing the approach of Heard’s lawyer, Ben Rottenborn.

During his testimony, he chose to answer some of Heard’s lawyer’s questions with jokes, such as, “I did assault a couple of cabinets, but I did not assault Ms. Heard,” when a video of him was played where he appeared to be acting erratically, according to Vulture.

He also responded with “I mean, isn’t happy hour anytime?” when Rottenborn asked if the actor “sometimes drink whiskey in the mornings.”

According to Chew, by using humor, Depp was able to “really undermine whatever serious point Amber’s counsel was trying to make.”

Chew added, “One of the things that lawyers try to do on cross-examination is to maintain control of the witness. That’s something that Johnny simply did not allow Heard’s attorney to do.”

At the end of the trial, Depp emerged victorious, with the jury awarding him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

In a statement after the verdict, he thanked the jury for the decision, saying they “gave me my life back.”

He added, “From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me.”

Meanwhile, Heard, via her rep, expressed disappointment with the decision and described it as a setback for women.

She shared, “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.”

“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women,” Heard added. “It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”

Heard had initially planned to appeal the verdict but eventually agreed to settle with Depp for

for $1 million in December 2022.

Following the trial, she moved to Madrid, Spain, with her first daughter, Oonagh Paige, whom she welcomed in April 2021 via surrogacy.

Recently, it was announced that the actress is expecting baby No. 2, although few details were revealed due to privacy reasons.

“It is still quite early in the pregnancy, so you will appreciate that we do not want to go into much detail at this stage,” Heard’s rep shared at the time, per People Magazine. “Suffice to say that Amber is delighted both for herself and Oonagh Paige.”