Amber warning
AS HOLLYWOOD STAR SPEAKS OUT FOLLOWING DEFAMATION VERDICT, WHAT IT COULD MEAN FOR OTHER WOMEN IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE
TWO weeks after her £8.6m 8 6m defadef mation court case loss to Johnny Depp, Amber Heard resurfaced this week to accuse the jury of falling for the “fantastic actor”.
The fame-hungry actress refused to stay quiet for long, giving her first TV interview during which she suggested employees of her ex only gave evidence on his behalf as they were being paid.
“I’ll put it this way, how could they make a judgment? How could they not come to that conclusion [that I couldn’t be believed]?” she said.
“They had sat in those seats and heard over three weeks of nonstop, relentless testimony from paid employees and towards the end of the trial, randos, as I say.
“He’s a beloved character, and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”
Heard went on to say she didn’t blame the jury for the decision but said she would stand by her evidence “to my dying day”.
For six weeks, the televised circus took viewers on a spectacular roller-coaster lunging from laughout-loud lunacy to harrowing testimony, providing a lifetime of internet memes along the way.
But whatever your thoughts are on the verdict and Heard’s assertion this week that Depp lied on the stand, there is no getting away from the fact the case has severe repercussions for all.
It was a surprising decision, but few can escape the actress’s lack of credibility on the stand. Despite being far from Hollywood’s finest leading lady, her performance was awful. The exaggerated huffing and puffing, the crying with no tears and the endless talking to the jury clearly went against her.
Her portrayal as the “poster woman” for domestic abuse left many cringing in disbelief as the court heard a recording of her admitting to hitting Depp.
It led to the seven-member jury not just finding in a drug-addled booze-fuelled male’s favour but sending a much greater message far beyond the Virginia Court’s four walls.
They delivered a telling blow to the #MeToo movement – the female-empowered revolution that became drunk on its own unrestrained power.
Once a muchneeded redress for all women truly abused by men, it slowly became hijacked by those seeking retribution, often with little but resentment driving their claims.
There is no doubt #MeToo morphed into a monster and sometimes punished people who’ve had the misfortune of being born with XY chromosomes.
For every Harvey Weinstein, rightly removed from his position of power and put in a cell where they belong, there is a man cancelled on unproven allegations.
For every Bill Cosby, there’s another who has had to battle public disgrace and careerwrecking allegations based on complaints of flirtation with coworkers.
On Tuesday, during the TV interview, Heard said: “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. 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.”
The reality is, the only thing that set women back was Heard herself.
There is no getting away from the fact the case has severe repercussions for all...