Johnny Depp is currently undergoing a trial as part of his libel action against The Sun, the publication that called him a “wife-beater” in a 2018 article.
The defendants continue to accuse the Pirates of the Caribbean star of abusing his then-wife Amber Heard, but the people close to the former couple all seem to concur that Depp wasn’t the kind of person to hurt someone, not to mention that none of them have ever seen him lay a finger on the Aquaman actress. Nevertheless, Heard appeared in the London High Court this week to testify, alleging that her ex-husband once held her hostage for three days and attempted to physically hurt her by throwing bottles at the London Fields star “like grenades.”
The incident, which took place in Australia in 2015, has been the subject of much controversy over the past week. Even Malcolm Connolly, Depp’s bodyguard who escorted him out of the couple’s rented apartment, has testified that the American thespian was in distress when he found him, with his finger severed and a cigarette burn on his face.
Now, another one of Depp’s security guards, Rick Wood, whom he hired in 2015 when he was shooting Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales down under, has said the following about his former employer:
“He stays in character so he’s pretty much Jack Sparrow – great bloke. I couldn’t see it in him and in my industry you know who’s a wife-beater and who’s not,” Wood recently revealed.
Of course, this isn’t surprising to Johnny Depp‘s most devout fans. But the folks at Disney should actually take note, since they’re reportedly considering whether to ask him back as Captain Jack Sparrow in future installments now that the actor is facing scrutiny for his libel action against News Group Newspapers, who are representing The Sun.
At any rate, it’ll be a while until the court reaches a final consensus, but we’ll be sure to let you know if we learn of any new developments in the meantime.