Johnny Depp denies hitting Amber Hard and claims that he was the one who was most often violent.
Washington:
Johnny Depp’s career and financial situation were already in serious trouble before his then-wife Amber Hard accused him of domestic violence in 2016, his former agent and business manager testified on Thursday.
Depp’s former agent, Tracy Jacobs, says the actor, who represented her in Hollywood for three decades, “became the biggest star in the world.”
But the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star’s reputation began to fade after 2010 because of his “amateur behavior,” Jacobs said.
The United Talent Agency (UTA) agent said in a videotaped statement on the 19th in a defamation suit filed by Depp, 58, against his ex-wife.
Hard filed for a temporary restraining order against Depp in May 2016, citing domestic violence and subsequently filed for divorce.
Depp sued Hard for an op-ed he wrote for the Washington Post in December 2018 where he described himself as a “public figure representing domestic violence.”
Hard, who starred in “Aquaman,” did not name Depp in the op-ed, but filed a lawsuit against him alleging he was a domestic abuser and seeking $ 50 million in damages.
The 36-year-old Texas-born Hard filed a counter-suit, seeking 100 million and claiming he suffered “a lot of physical violence and torture” at his hands.
Depp, during his four days at the Witness stand, denied hitting Hard, claiming that he was the one who often acted violently.
Depp’s lawyers have complained that allegations of domestic violence have tarnished his reputation, but his former agent said his star has already begun to erode.
He said Depp’s “amateur behavior” included drug and alcohol use and “being late to set consistently in every movie.”
“The crew doesn’t like to sit for hours on end to show the movie star,” he said. “It’s a small community and it makes people reluctant to use it to the end.”
Jacobs added that Depp was in such “financial frustration” in January 2016 that he approached the company and demanded $ 20 million.
“The question was not asked as a loan,” he said.
Jacobs said his partners told Depp that the company was “not a bank” but they helped him secure a loan through Bank of America.
– ‘Extremely anxious’ –
Josh Mandel, Depp’s former business manager, was also asked about the actor’s financial situation.
Mandel said he was “extremely concerned” about Depp’s financial situation in 2015.
There were “constant” conversations with Depp about cutting his spending, he said, but it “never seemed to happen.”
“There was no follow-up,” he said.
“It became clear over time that there were problems with alcohol and drugs,” he said. “And that translates into more erratic behavior.”
Depp at one point was spending $ 300,000 a month on full-time staff and $ 100,000 a month on doctors and nurses hired to ensure his restraint, he said.
Mandel estimates that Depp has earned about $ 600 million in the decades since his representation.
Depp fired Mandel in 2016 and later sued the actor. They settled the case in 2018.
Jacobs was also fired by Depp in 2016.
Asked why Depp fired him, Jacobs said: “I really don’t know. I just know he’s basically finished everyone in his life.”
Depp’s lawyers put experts on the stand who testified that the actor lost millions due to domestic abuse allegations, including a $ 22.5-million pay-day for the sixth installment of “Pirates.”
Depp filed a defamation suit in the United States after losing a separate defamation suit in London in November 2020, accusing The Sun of calling him “wife-Peter.”
Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, and Hard met on the set of “The Ram Diary” in 2009 and married in February 2015. Their divorce was finalized two years later.
Judge Penny Azcaret set May 27 as the final verdict in the case, after which it will go to jury.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published from a syndicated feed.)
