Johnny Depp took the stand on Tuesday in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Before his cross-examination takes place Wednesday, Depp’s testimony touched on his relationship with his children, the impact of Heard’s 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post—in which the actor was not named—and his focus on “clearing the record.”
“Truth is the only thing i’m interested in. Lies will get you nowhere, but lies build upon lies and build upon lies,” Depp said, per Variety. “I’m obsessed with the truth.”
Depp denied that he was violent toward Heard, who has accused him of striking her, choking her, and kicking her, as well as sexually assaulting her in 2015. In the Washington Post op-ed that the defamation trial stemmed from, Heard wrote that she was a domestic-abuse victim, and at the start of the trial, she accused her ex-husband—who has also accused her of being violent—of sexual assault, which a rep for Depp has denied.
“Nothing of the kind ever happened,” Depp said in court. “Never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way. Nor have I ever struck any woman in my life.”
Depp also spoke about abuse he dealt with growing up with his mother in Kentucky before touching on his own children, and how they’ve seen media coverage about his relationship with Heard. As he pointed out, he felt like he quickly went from “Cinderella” to “Quasimodo,” in terms of public perception.
“I felt it my responsibility to stand up not only for myself in that instance, but stand up for my children,” Depp testified. “I thought it was diabolical that my children would have to go to school and have their friends or people in the school approach them with the infamous People magazine cover with Ms. Heard with a dark bruise on her face.”
Earlier in the trial on Monday, per Consequence of Sound, concierge doctor David Kipper and nurse Debbie Lloyd testified about a finger wound Depp reportedly had after he accused Heard of throwing a bottle at him. Heard instead argues Depp injured his finger by smashing a phone, while Kipper claims Depp’s chef found the finger in the kitchen where there was broken glass present. The trial between the former couple, who divorced in 2016, began last week.
