Depp vs Heard has revealed the ugly truth about being famous
In Oz, the curtain has been drawn back on the wizard, and it turns out he looks an awful lot like Johnny Depp. The ups and downs of the actor’s libel trial have been as gripping as any movie he has starred in and, if they were to be turned into one, I’m pretty sure it would smash all box office records.
To recap: Depp has been suing The Sun newspaper for libel, after it alleged he was a wife-beater. His brief marriage to the actress Amber Heard was the focus of the claims, and no detail was spared. Someone – or something – had defecated on the marital bed. Pictures of lines of cocaine and pints of whisky were shown to the High Court. Explosive emails between A-list actors were revealed. Episodes of inebriated violence were discussed. The judge will now take the coming weeks to deliberate over a verdict, which he is not expected to return with until September.
The trial has confirmed many things we long suspected about Hollywood: namely, that it’s a horror of a place to make a living. I watched the trial through my hands, saddened by what I read. I couldn’t help thinking that both Depp and Heard would have been better off taking their troubles to rehab than to the High Court. But we must hope it at least shows people how absolutely ugly fame is, and how unworthy it is of pursuit. To rise to the top, you are almost inevitably damaged by what you must witness on the way there.
I hope Depp and Heard get the help they so clearly need – for these Hollywood stars may be some of the richest people on the planet, but I suspect they are also some of the most mentally unwell.