As you’ve probably heard by now, Amber Heard has accused Johnny Depp of physically abusing her throughout their 15-month marriage.
Insiders say Depp and Heard will likely reach a settlement soon, which means the matter will probably never be decided by a judge.
The case is ongoing in the court of public opinion, however, and thus far, it seems the jury is pretty evenly split.
But when it comes to the estimation of his fellow celebrities, Depp has the clear upper hand.
Having spent the past several decades in the industry, Johnny has lots of famous friend, several of whom have rushed to his defense.
Benicio Del Toro dismissed Heard as “twisted.”
Comedian Doug Stanhope accused her of blackmail.
Vanessa Paradis and other ex-partners of Depp came forward to defend the actor and, in some cases, subtly suggest that Heard is lying.
Now, Winona Ryder, who was engaged to Depp for several years in the early ’90s, has come forward to offer an account of her time the screen legend.
Unlike so many who came before her, however, Ryder isn’t pretending to know the truth or downplaying the situation.
In a recent interview with Time, Ryder expressed her shock that a man she knew so well for so long has been accused of something so horrific:
“I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said. He was never, never that way towards me. Never abusive at all towards me.
“I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves.
“I wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened. I’m not calling anyone a liar. I’m just saying, it’s difficult and upsetting for me to wrap my head around it.
“Look, it was a long time ago, but we were together for four years, and it was a big relationship for me. Imagine if someone you dated when you were – I was 17 when I met him – was accused of that.
“It’s just shocking. I have never seen him be violent toward a person before.
“It’s just hard to picture. The only word I can come up with is unimaginable. You know with certain people you hear something and go, ‘I can see that.’ But this isn’t that. I can only offer my own experience. It’s such a serious, horrible thing to be accused of.”
Obviously, not being abusive in one relationship is no guarantee that one will never be abusive, and Ryder doesn’t seem to think that’s the case.
She’s simply expressing the reaction felt by so many fans of Depp’s – utter shock that his name is being mentioned in connection with such awful crimes.