Penélope Cruz and Winona Ryder have submitted declarations in support to Johnny Depp in his ongoing defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp sued Heard in 2019 after she wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post, in which she characterized herself as a victim of domestic abuse.
Ryder, who had a four-year relationship with Depp, wrote in the documents: “I am aware of the violence allegations that have been made publicly for the last few years by Johnny Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard. I do not want to call anyone a liar but from my experience of Johnny, it is impossible to believe that such horrific allegations are true. I find it extremely upsetting knowing him as I do,” she said
Cruz, 45, wrote that she had not witnessed Depp, whom she met when she was 19, engaging in violent behavior, saying: “Many years have passed and I have not only made 3 movies with him, but I also count on him as a great friend. I’ve always been impressed by his kindness, his brilliant mind, his talent, and his peculiar sense of humor.”
Heard and Depp married in 2015. In May 2016, she filed for a domestic violence restraining order against him, accusing him of abusing her. Depp denied the claims. The former couple settled their divorce out of court and both actors signed NDAs barring them from discussing their relationship publicly. However, Depp’s lawyers filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard in 2019 over her Dec. 18, 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post titled, “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
Depp also sued U.K. tabloid The Sun in 2018 for libel over a story that called the actor a “wife-beater.” The trial is expected to begin on March 23 and last for two weeks.
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