Agent: Depp’s star power dimmed due to behaviour
LOS ANGELES: Johnny Depp’s longtime agent testified that his star power declined over the course of years due to his erratic behaviour, and that he once asked his agency to give him Us$20mil (Rm88mil) because he needed money.
Tracey Jacobs, a top agent at United Talent Agency, represented Depp for 30 years until he fired her – and his longtime lawyer and management firm – in 2016.
Jacobs appeared by video deposition on Thursday, the 19th day of Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, whom he accuses of destroying his career with false claims of domestic violence.
Jacobs testified that over the last 10 years of her representation of him, Depp would show up late to set. He got a reputation that made it harder to get jobs for him, she said.
“Initially crews loved him,” she said. “He was always so great with the crew. But crews don’t love sitting around for hours and hours waiting for the star to show up.”
Jacobs said sometimes she would get yelled at, and that she tried to impress on Depp that he was hurting his career. She also noted an increased use of alcohol and drugs.
At one time, she said Depp had been “the biggest star in the world”, but that was no longer true by the time he fired her in October 2016.
“His star had dimmed due to it getting harder to get him jobs,” Jacobs said.
Heard’s lawyers also called Joel Mandel, Depp’s former business manager, to testify about his out-ofcontrol spending.
Mandel testified that Depp began to lead a “more expensive life” after the huge success of Pirates of the Caribbean in 2003. But in later years, Depp’s income waned as other films did not do as well.
“The spending levels had grown very, very, very large,” he said.
“It required that level of incredibly high income to be maintained. When it dropped off, the disconnect became untenable.”
In 2015, Mandel warned Depp that he was in “dire” financial condition. Depp fired Mandel in March 2016 and later sued him.
Mandel’s company countersued, alleging that Depp was responsible for his financial problems. That litigation was settled in 2018.—