Johnny Depp faced withering cross-examination Thursday in the defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, whose attorneys questioned the actor about his history of drinking, drug use and grisly text messages he sent to friends about his then-wife.
“‘I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead.’ That’s what you said you would do after you burned her and after you drowned her — did I read that right?” Heard’s lawyer J. Benjamin Rottenborn asked Depp.
“You certainly did, yes sir,” Depp said.
Rottenborn also questioned Depp about text messages the actor sent to his bodyguard in 2013 saying, “I’ll smack the ugly c*** around before I let her in” and “Did that worthless hooker arrive?”
“And you think that you live up the standards of a southern gentleman?” Rottenborn asked Depp.
“Yes — raised to be a southern gentleman. That is to say, when chivalry was still alive and allowed,” Depp said.
Depp has filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard, claiming she libeled him in a 2018 op-ed piece for The Washington Post about domestic violence. In the article, she said she was a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp has flatly denied ever striking Heard, saying her allegations were “not based in any species of truth.” The actor’s friends, family and employees have testified so far that Heard was the aggressor in their relationship, and physically assaulted him several times.
Several of Depp’s famous friends came up in testimony, including Marilyn Manson.
“One of your good friends you have taken drugs with is Marilyn Manson, right?” Rottenborn asked.
“Yes, we drank together. We’ve had cocaine together maybe a couple times. I once gave Marilyn Manson a pill so that he would stop talking so much,” Depp said.
A photo taken at Depp’s house in 2013 appearing to show lines of cocaine and a glass of whiskey was also introduced in court. The actor tried to joke about the photo, which was taken at 8:30 a.m.
“Isn’t happy hour anytime?” Depp asked.
He also made light of his wild past, saying he has “assaulted a couch or two” when asked by Rottenborn about previously trashing hotel rooms. Audio of Depp moaning on a private plane, sounding as if he was passed out, was also played in court.