Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard: Audio Recordings Play in Court as Depp Denies Putting Cigarettes Out on Heard
Johnny Depp's examination on the stand has concluded in the trial that seems to be dragging endlessly on. Audio recordings
Ivy Griffith
Johnny Depp's examination on the stand has concluded in the trial that seems to be dragging endlessly on. Audio recordings of interactions between the pair has raised questions – and denials.
In one particular recording, Amber Heard can be heard telling Depp to put his cigarettes out on someone else, but Depp strongly denies ever putting any out on her in the first place. Depp then hurls an insult at Heard, raising the question: who's lying about the events? Body language experts and fans have weighed in on the trial and for many, the new recordings change nothing.
Putting Cigarettes Out on Heard?
The first challenge for both sides is to prove that what's in the recordings is not – or is – the truth as it's presented.
The one recording currently making the rounds on social media comes from Heard, per Too Fab, "In the first audio recording, Amber can be heard saying, 'Go put your f—ing cigarettes out on someone else, you f—ing have consequences for your actions. That's it!' He responds by shouting, 'Shut up, fat a–!'
When asked about the exchange on the stand, Depp said he believed it 'was another grossly exaggerated moment of Ms. Heard,' adding, 'I did not put out a cigarette out on her or throw a cigarette at her.'"
According to Depp, the recordings misrepresent what happened – which critics say is possible. Heard brought the recordings to submit, so they can contain what she wants them to – and nothing he wants them to.
Too Fab adds, "The next clip, he can be heard telling her, 'Walking away is necessary, especially between you and I. It is of upmost importance. The next move, if I don't walk away, it's just gonna be a blood bath. Like it was on the island, of course. It's not worth it.' She responds by saying 'no one in their right mind is going to choose a blood bath over walking away.'
In another clip, Heard tells Depp he always 'gets a stab in when you can, you throw a swing when you can … when better than when I'm on the flood, because that's when it's really good to hit someone.'
Depp can be heard calling Heard a 'f—ing c—' in another recording, before he says, 'this is not healthy, you stupid f—. This is not healthy!'"
The island Depp refers to may mean a vacation he says they took with Paul Bettany, his wife Jennifer Connelly, and their four kids. According to Depp, Bettany's friendship was a threat to Heard – and she turned aggressive towards the actor and his oldest child. Bettany in the past has said that he and Depp were not friends while he was married to Heard, and that texts used in court were in 2013, from before their 2015 marriage.
The texts in question refer to ones sent from Depp to Bettany in which Depp said, "Let's drown her before we burn her!!! will f— her burnt corpse afterward to make sure she's dead."
Depp claims they were just making (albeit poorly conceived) jokes in reference to a Monty Python skit. The Monty Python skit refers to a scene where the characters talk about burning and drowning witches. Depp says Bettany and he bonded over dry humor.
Bettany is expected to take the stand later in the trial.
What Does Their Body Language Say About Them?
Body language experts have been called to weigh in on the plaintiff and defendant, and one in particular has some heavy-hitting analysis of the pair. Body Language expert, author and retired ATF investigator Jeanine Driver sat down with CourtTV to examine both Depp and Heard's reactions to some of the recordings they heard and during testimony. Driver observed from within the courtroom, and offers this analysis per CourtTV:
- Heard: Of Heard's body language, Driver uses the word "contempt." "It's called contempt. It's on the left side of her face there, it's moral superiority. It's out of place on a battered woman." Driver points out that sadness and fear have not made an appearance on Heard's face in the courtroom, but contempt has; "it's almost like, 'I got you'." Later, they play a video of Heard reacting to a recording of herself accusing Depp of taking a swing when she's down. Driver explains, "When we touch our face, we do this when there's a spike in stress and anxiety." Driver adds, "What Amber Heard does seconds later is she then puts her hand up by her forehead. And when she does this, this is indicative of shame." What's missing here is sadness, I'm not seeing deep swallows, I'm not seeing the corner of her mouth curve down, I'm not seeing her eyebrows pull together and up which is all microaggressions of sadness."
- Depp: While speaking about what it felt like to be hit with Heard's op-ed two years after divorce, Depp smiles briefly, twice. And for that, Driver explains, there's a simple reason. "You've seen this throughout the trial… any time he's talked about the abuse from his mother as a kid. This right here, this smile, science has shown us; when people feel weak or vulnerable or emasculated, they'll often smile in those moments. Why? To overcome the pain that they're experiencing. It's almost like a way not to let us see how much suffering they're in. It's become a defense mechanism."
Driver's analysis seems to line up with what many fans are saying: Heard seems cold and detached from the entire court case, almost contemptuous. Depp, on the other hand, seems shaken and tired.
What’s Next For the Trial
The trial is expected to last six weeks, and will pull many more famous faces to the stand.
The big challenge now for Heard is to prove that her recordings are all-encompassing and paint an accurate picture of both events and of her and Depp's personalities at the time.
Depp has to prove that they were selectively recorded to show her in the best possible light and as a victim – and that they don't tell the complete picture. Depp also has to answer for texts like what he sent to Bettany which are incongruous with his defense that he was never abusive to his ex-wife.
It's a bizarre case to see play out in the public in such grueling detail, and people are divided across the internet as to who was the aggressor and who the victim.
But one thing everyone can agree to is that there's more to come, and there's more than anyone realized was beneath the surface of this turbulent former relationship. With several more weeks to go, it's unclear how the suit will conclude. Depp already lost a similar suit against Heard in the UK for publishing a similar article with The Sun.
However, Depp hopes that this time things are different and that this time his whole story is told. From how much new evidence is being shared, that seems to be exactly what's happening.