The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial has been an endless source of high-stakes drama for several weeks now.
Both sides have leveled numerous shocking allegations, and we’re not halfway through the proceedings, which are scheduled to last for six weeks.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million for defamation, alleging that she did irreparable damage to his career by penning a Washington Post op-ed in which she categorized herself as a victim of domestic abuse.
In a way, there are two trials going on here, as it’s the court of public opinion that will decide if either of these actors — both of whom have now been accused of shocking acts of abuse — will ever be employable again.
In that sense, Depp is at an advantage by presenting his side first.
Interest in stories like this tends to wane as the days turn into weeks, and the trial might be more than a month old by the time Heard takes the stand.
And already, it seems that social media commenters are decidedly Team Johnny.
In fact, on Twitter and elsewhere, this week’s commentary has been light on analysis of new testimony, and heavy on the fawning praise for Johnny’s attire and courtroom demeanor.
Today, for example, the two viral stories surrounding the case involve the woman who brought her alpacas to the courthouse to brighten Depp’s day (below) and the content of Johnny’s courtroom sketches.
Earlier this week, Depp was seen doodling something, and then passing the drawing onto his lawyer, Benjamin Chew.
Chew put on his glasses and seemed to approve of the sketch, and that was the end of the exchange.
The next day, Depp was spotted doodling with colored markers.
And because obsession over this trial is nearing OJ-levels, observers have desperately attempting to puzzle out the nature of the actor’s drawings.
The earlier artwork seemed to depict a woman, and naturally, many jumped to the conclusion that Depp was testing his courtroom sketch artist skills by drawing Heard.
But despite thousands of ultra-zoomed-in pics, it’s still not possible to discern the identity of Depp’s muse.
As for what was actually discussed in court this week, Depp’s team called two witnesses, both of whom offered their own unflattering depictions of Heard.
The jury heard from Tara Roberts, the manager of Depp’s Bahamas property, who alleged that Heard threw a can of paint thinner at Depp during a heated argument.
Also taking the stand was Dr. Shannon Curry, a clinical and forensic psychologist who spent 12 hours evaluating Heard and shared her findings with the court.
“The evaluation, we spent 12 hours directly with one another. The results of Ms. Heard’s evaluations supported two diagnoses: Borderline Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder,” Curry said.
“One of the hallmark characteristics of Histrionic Personality Disorder is an overly dramatic presentation … it tends to be very flowery, it uses a lot of descriptive words and it can go on for quite some time but really lacks any substance, so at the end you’re left wondering what was just said,” she continued, adding:
“That occurred a number of times.”
Curry also claimed that she witnessed several abrupt changes in Heard’s mood during their evaluation.
“She would suddenly be one way and then she would be very animated or very sad and when people are displaying emotions with this personality disorder, there’s a sense of shallowness to it,” she explained.
“People who are observing them may feel like they’re almost play acting … part of it is the rapidness with which the person can switch emotions and also the lack of substance.”
The jury will get a chance to decide for themselves when Heard eventually takes the stand.
And we’re sure the eyes of the world will be on Depp’s sketch pad during her testimony.