Johnny Depp Testifies: ‘I Went from Cinderella to Quasimodo Following Amber Heard Allegations’

Johnny Depp took the stand today in Fairfax, Virginia!

Depp shared his side of the story in his $50-million defamation trial against ex Amber Heard.

Depp denied “striking Miss Heard in any way” or any women in his life.

Johnny referenced Heard’s op-ed in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse without mentioning his name. He testified that he felt the need to stand up for himself after the op-ed made the rounds.

Calling Heard’s allegations “untrue,” Depp stressed, “It was my responsibility… to clear my name, to clear my children of this hard thing that they were having to read about their father.”

He added, “My goal is the truth because it killed me that people that I had spoken with… All I could think of was the people would think I was a fraud and that I lied to them. I had to wait for my opportunity to address the charges, which were criminal charges and they weren’t true.”

“It’s been six years of trying times,” Johnny said. “One day you’re Cinderella and then in zero point six seconds you’re Quasimodo. I didn’t deserve that and neither did my children.”

He noted that he is a “private person” and felt very exposed while sharing all the intimate details about his relationship with Heard. He went on, “I can’t say I’m embarrassed because it’s the right thing.”

Johnny also discussed wanting to “shield” his children from all the media frenzy.

Depp also opened up about his traumatizing childhood, calling his mother “unpredictable.” He testified, “She had the ability to be as cruel as anyone can be with all of us… she could become quite violent… she was quite cruel… Though there was physical abuse, which could be in the form of an ashtray flung at you… you could get beat with a high-heel shoe… in our house, we were never exposed to any safety or security… I started to be able to observe, I could start to see when she was about to head into a situation where she was going to get riled up.”

Depp claimed that his mother was physically, verbally and emotionally abusive to him and his siblings. He recalled her calling him “cockeyed” for having a lazy eye.

Johnny described his dad as “a kind man,” who is “very shy.” Calling his father stoic when his mother would deliver the pain, he added, “There was never a moment where my father lost control or attacked my mother… or said a bad thing to my mother.”

Johnny admitted that when he was five, he would wonder why his dad didn’t leave his mom amid the alleged abuse.

When asked how many times he saw his dad strike a wall, he said, “Two to three times at tops.”

Depp testified that his dad was never abusive towards him or his siblings, but was at the mercy of his mom, who would make him “inflict the punishment.”

Johnny revealed that his dad left when he was 15, which lead to his mom’s “deep dark depression.” He shared, “One afternoon, I woke up and walked out into the living room and I saw my mother… like a slow-motion crawl… I knew that something was dreadful wrong… as I was about to call, my uncle and two paramedics came and threw her on the gurney and whisked her to the hospital to pump her stomach. She had swallowed a multitude of pills.”

Depp admitted that he was initially “disappointed” with his dad when he left their family.

As for what he has learned from his childhood, he said that he was “wrong” about his first impression of his dad’s exit.

According to Depp, his best lessons in life, he learned from his childhood. He noted that he raised his kids the opposite of how his mom raised him.

Depp stressed the importance of giving his kids options and never threatening them or raising his voice.

As for the beginnings of his relationship with Heard, Depp said, “She was attentive, she was loving, she was smart, she was kind, she was funny, she was understanding, we had many things in common… for that year and a half, it was amazing, there were a couple of things that stuck in my head, that I noticed, that might be a little bit of a dilemma at some point. When I’d come home from work, I’d come into the house or hotel, she’d sit me down on the couch and give me a glass of wine… she’d take off my boots and put them to the side… I’ve never experienced that before… and it became a routine.”

Johnny recalled one time when Amber was “visibly shaken or upset” when he took his boots off once when she was on the phone.

Depp called Heard a “different person” after a year and a half together.

Depp described himself as an introvert and he was “uncomfortable” with fame at the start of his Hollywood career. He noted, “It was very odd… I don’t think it’s something that one can get used to. I’m glad I’m not used to it because I don’t think I’d be the same person.”

Johnny revealed that he read a lot of books to improve his acting skills and learn how to react as a character. He noted that his role in “The Platoon” was the first one where he actually felt like he was a serious actor.

Depp also recalled how his life changed after the success of the first “Pirates of the Caribbean,” testifying that he had to “hire more security guards,” since people are trying to trespass on his property or getting followed by “hordes of paparazzi.” He said, “I wanted to make sure my kids were safe.”

He noted that he had to be “strategic” on how he took the kids out for a movie or park.

Depp detailed his security’s roles, like getting him from place to place without creating much of fuss, as well as helping him navigate crowds.

After more an hour of testimony, a break was initiated.

Following the break, Johnny admitted feeling “ashamed” and “embarrassed” by the content of his text messages. He elaborated, “The heat of the pain that I was feeling went to dark place… Sometimes pain has to be dealt with [with] humor. Sometimes very dark humor. Sometimes words are used to express what you’re feeling at the time. It’s like growing up, you learn from those mistakes, you learn those things and you move forward… that’s how you understand your own vernacular… I think to be expressive in my writing. After the unfortunate words of Miss Heard made their way into my heart and my head, those are two very opposing things. You’re trying to expressing something to your friends. Sometimes you’re exaggerating something that you’ve done, just to make him understand.”

Depp discussed his history of substance abuse, which began at an early age. He recalled giving his mom “her nerve pills” when he was 5.

Eventually, he would give his mom the nerve pills and he’d pop one into his mouth, so he could escape “feeling so much and the chaotic nature of what we were living through.” He started taking the pills at 11.

“I can’t say I’m proud to admitting to that,” Depp went on. “I’ve taken these substances on and off over the years to numb… myself of the ghosts, the wraiths that were still with me from my youth… it was essentially self-medication, one of those ‘get me out of here’ moments and where you want to escape from is your own brain, your own head.”

Depp noted that he “wasn’t shy” about trying substances to “take the edge off.” He admitted to doing all the drugs he could by the time he was 15.

He did note that that there were years where he wouldn’t touch the drugs or alcohol.

“The characterization of my substance abuse that has been delivered by Miss Heard is grossly embellished and I’m sorry to say, a lot of it is plainly false. I think that it was easy target for her to hit,” Depp argued. “I am not some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time. In fact, in Australia, I had been off of alcohol for 18 months.”

Depp had “quite a number” of periods of sobriety, like when he did “Donnie Brasco.” He said, “There has been no abuse on film sets. There’s been no moment where I would be considered out of control.”

He recalled drinking wine with Heard and her friends, saying, “They used to tease me for a ludicrous tolerance, because I never appeared loaded or high… Even if I felt a little spinny.”

Depp admitted to be addicted to Roxycodone for “four or five years.” He said, “When I was working on ‘Pirates 4,’ there was a scene where I had to grab this gold and red stately chair rand pick it up and chuck it at this window. I did it and as I swung it, I felt this electricity from the bottom of my spine to my leg… I had done something. I saw a chiropractor to no avail. I saw a doctor, the only pain medicine she prescribed to me was Roxycodone.”

He emphasized, “It’s not like you take those pills to get high. Once the addiction grabs hold of you… you are taking those pills to get well or to get better. 'Cause if you’re without the pill, your body will [go through withdrawals].”

He stressed that he didn’t like “being dependent on these pills.”

According to Depp, the addiction was before his relationship with Heard. He detoxed when he got into a relationship with her.

He also noted that he’s never taken opiates again because he doesn’t want to experience the “horror of detoxing.”

Depp revealed that he met Heard to discuss “The Rum Diary.” He said, “She came to my office, I gave her one look, that’s the Chenault that Hunter wants. We spoke and she was as sweet as pie. She was smart… I gave her suggestions of films on what we were looking for.”

Depp wanted to stress the importance of “stillness” during his meeting with Amber, saying, “I thought I could help her with the idea of stillness.”

They had “very few interactions” while working on the movie until they had a kissing scene.

They eventually kissed off-screen in the trailer. At the time, Amber was married and Johnny was still in a relationship with Vanessa Paradis.

According to Depp, they didn’t pursue each other until two years later.

Johnny was introduced to Amber’s inner circle “immediately” after they started dating.