In May of 2016, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp announced their divorce after being married for 15 months. The 53-year-old actor and 30-year-old actress did not have a clean-cut separation. There were domestic violence accusations (which were dismissed), restraining orders (which have expired), and divorce settlements (which have been donated to respective charities).
Over the summer, pieces were written about the state of Depp's career following the very public and very not-okay allegations against him (drug abuse, alcoholism, physical abuse). Now, nearly five months later, we have our answer: Depp suffered little to no repercussions for any of the stories that came out about him. Maybe a bruised ego, and a few (million dollar) checks were written out to clear his name, but in Hollywood's eyes, he's still Depp, the actor, and quite in demand.
In the words of Disney's CEO Bob Iger, Depp and his characters are separate people and he's "not worried about it." It being his personal problems. At the moment, Depp is slated to appear in four upcoming films. The fifth, Murder On The Orient Express, was announced on September 29. Depp will star in the movie adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic 1934 crime novel alongside Stars Wars' Daisy Ridley, and Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children's Judi Dench. He will play the murder victim. Earlier this month it was announced that he would play a police detective in movie about the Tupac/ Notorious B.I.G. murders, LAbyrinth. The other three films (Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Gnomeo & Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes, and Invisible Man) were all announced before the allegations from Heard were made public, and it seems that they were never in jeopardy despite the stories surrounding his behavior. It's astonishing how forgiving Hollywood is of such matters. It's as though the director, and close friend of Depp, Tim Burton's words reflect the entire industry's viewpoint on volatile marriages. In an interview with The Daily Beast about his latest movie, Burton said, “I always take it with a grain of salt and everything ends up working itself out. But I love him. I love everyone.” This attitude towards domestic violence is damning for women who are trapped in abusive relationships (although, yes, Heard's case was dismissed, that doesn't mean it didn't happen). I for one need to have Depp prove himself before he's back in the good graces of his peers and of his fans. We all should.
In the words of Disney's CEO Bob Iger, Depp and his characters are separate people and he's "not worried about it." It being his personal problems. At the moment, Depp is slated to appear in four upcoming films. The fifth, Murder On The Orient Express, was announced on September 29. Depp will star in the movie adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic 1934 crime novel alongside Stars Wars' Daisy Ridley, and Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children's Judi Dench. He will play the murder victim. Earlier this month it was announced that he would play a police detective in movie about the Tupac/ Notorious B.I.G. murders, LAbyrinth. The other three films (Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Gnomeo & Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes, and Invisible Man) were all announced before the allegations from Heard were made public, and it seems that they were never in jeopardy despite the stories surrounding his behavior. It's astonishing how forgiving Hollywood is of such matters. It's as though the director, and close friend of Depp, Tim Burton's words reflect the entire industry's viewpoint on volatile marriages. In an interview with The Daily Beast about his latest movie, Burton said, “I always take it with a grain of salt and everything ends up working itself out. But I love him. I love everyone.” This attitude towards domestic violence is damning for women who are trapped in abusive relationships (although, yes, Heard's case was dismissed, that doesn't mean it didn't happen). I for one need to have Depp prove himself before he's back in the good graces of his peers and of his fans. We all should.