Johnny Depp Feels He Was a ‘Crash Test Dummy for MeToo’ and His Former Inner Circle ‘Did Me Dirty’

Johnny Depp is speaking candidly about how his career changed following his trial against Amber Heard, saying he was a “crash test dummy” for the MeToo movement.

In a new interview with The Sunday Times, the 62-year-old actor spoke about the assault allegations his ex-wife Heard, 39, made against him following their divorce in 2017. Depp claimed that certain people, whom he did not name in the interview, “did him dirty” by not standing up for him in the face of Heard’s allegations.

“As weird as I am, certain things can be trusted,” he told the U.K. outlet. “And my loyalty is the last thing anybody could question. I was with one agent for 30 years, but she spoke in court about how difficult I was. That’s death by confetti, these fake motherf—— who lie to you, celebrate you, say all sorts of horror behind your back, yet keep the money — that confetti machine going — because what do they want? Dough.”

“I’ll tell you what hurts,” Depp continued. “There are people, and I’m thinking of three, who did me dirty. Those people were at my kids’ parties. Throwing them in the air. And, look, I understand people who could not stand up [for me], because the most frightening thing to them was making the right choice. I was pre-MeToo. I was like a crash test dummy for MeToo.”

“It was before Harvey Weinstein. And I sponged it, took it all in,“ the actor explained, referring to the movement that began in 2017 when several women accused Weinstein of sex crimes (Weinstein was most recently found guilty of one count of a criminal sex act and not guilty for another count) and spoke out about their experiences of sexual assault or harassment in entertainment.

“I wanted from the hundreds of people I’ve met in that industry to see who was playing it safe,“ he added. “Better go woke!”

Depp sued Heard in Virginia over a Washington Post op-ed she wrote about domestic abuse, though she didn’t mention him by name in the article. The verdict came on June 1, 2022: Depp won his defamation claims, and Heard won one of her three counterclaims. The two later reached a settlement, and she paid him $1 million.

In a statement directly after the verdict, Heard, who now lives a quiet life in Spain, said she was “heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband.” She also felt the outcome “sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”

Depp said at the time that the “jury gave me my life back.”

He added, “Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”

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Elsewhere in his wide-ranging conversation with The Sunday Times, Depp spoke about his so-called “comeback” in Hollywood over the last several years.

“Honestly? I didn’t go anywhere,” he said, referring to the movies he’s done in recent years, including Minamata and Jeanne du Barry, as well as commercials for Dior and his upcoming film Day Drinker. “If I actually had the chance to split, I would never come back.”