Johnny Depp testified that Amber Heard was jealous of his friendship with Paul Bettany and saw him as a 'threat'
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Jacob Shamsian,Ashley Collman
Apr 26, 2022, 03:24 IST
Actor Johnny Depp reacts as he testifies in the courtroom during the defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., April 25, 2022.Steve Helber/Pool via REUTERS
Johnny Depp testified that Amber Heard was envious of his friendship with Paul Bettany.
"For her, he was a threat and would take me away from her," he said.
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Amber Heard envied the "instant connection" Johnny Depp had with his friend, actor Paul Bettany, and saw him as a "threat" to their relationship, Depp testified in his defamation trial Monday.
According to Depp, on his fourth day on the witness stand, his ex-wife acted aggressively if Depp showed the "Wandavision" actor too much attention.
"Ms. Heard despised Mr. Bettany because we had become such close friends," Depp said. "For her, he was a threat and would take me away from her."
"If Paul Bettany was getting the attention from me, that was a showstopper," he continued. "It would cause all kinds of unpleasantries."
Depp has been testifying at the trial for his lawsuit against Heard. He sued her in 2019, alleging she defamed him by describing herself as a victim of domestic violence in a Washington Post op-ed. According to Depp, Heard physically and verbally abused him, not the other way around. Heard has denied the allegations and countersued, alleging Depp abused her on at least 10 distinct occasions.
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Depp said he met Bettany on the set of their 2010 movie "The Tourist" and became fast friends. Text messages between them were entered into evidence in the trial and at an earlier one in the UK, against a British tabloid that sided with Heard, for a case that Depp lost.
In the text messages, Depp talked about consuming copious amounts of drugs and alcohol. The two also exchanged messages about drowning and burning Heard.
"Let's drown her before we burn her!!! I will fuck her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she's dead," Depp wrote in one text message.
"That was one of the things we connected on," Depp said. "Even if it was an unpleasant situation, we would do our best to deal with it with humor as opposed to a constant complaint, or whining."
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But the relationship between Heard and Bettany, Depp testified, was "abominable."
Depp recounted an episode where he and Heard were vacationing with Bettany, his wife, actress Jennifer Connelly and four children on an island. Bettany and Heard were debating an issue and Heard became "quite rude" and "mean" and talked over Bettany, according to Depp.
At some point, Bettany's 18-year-old stepson entered the conversation, Depp said.
"Ms. Heard demeaned that young man to the point where he burst into tears and walked away," Depp said.
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