Amber Heard would like to make something abundantly clear:
She is not behind the leak of a damning Johnny Depp video that went public late last week.
The actress, who is in the middle of a legal dispute with her estranged husband over his alleged abuse of her during their 15-month marriage, has released a statement just one day after ugly footage of Depp went viral.
In the video (below), Depp is clearly agitated.
He’s upset. He’s angry. He’s pouring himself a large glass of red wine and he’s screaming at Heard.
The footage was filmed several months ago and it features Heard trying to understand what has Depp in such a state.
They aren’t in the middle of a fight, Heard tells him, asking her husband how much he’s had to drink.
“Did something happen to you this morning?” Depp responds, while violently shutting cabinet doors and breaking glasses.
He seems to be implying that he has every right to be in this mood because something bad happened to him and she just doesn’t understand.
This obviously isn’t proof of the abuse alleged by Heard, but it doesn’t paint Depp in a very positive light, either:
There’s no doubt that Heard filmed the encounter.
Depp even comes across her cell phone in “Record” mode toward the end of the footage.
But Heard has now told E! News that she isn’t the only who released this video online.
“I am not responsible for the release of the video. It was not what I wanted and I am doing what I can to force the media to take it off the internet,” Heard says.
“I underestimated the toll that this difficult few months have taken on me, emotionally and physically, and the efforts made by the media to intimidate and discredit me.”
She continued:
“It is for that reason, and my desire to make the healthiest choice for myself, and hopefully for Johnny, that I am attempting to resolve this matter in the most private way possible.”
Insiders close to Depp have told TMZ that the video in question is “heavily edited,” claiming there are portions where Amber is smiling and “egging [Depp] on.”
Earlier this month, Heard said she had proof that Depp hit her, a startling allegation she first made to the world on May 21 of this year.
A judge recently postponed a scheduled divorce/domestic violence hearing between the stars until Wednesday in order to allow both sides more time to finish their depositions.
If the case does end up going to trial, E! News reports that Heard’s witness list includes seven people, including close pals Raquel Pennington and iO Tillet Wright.
Meanwhile, Depp’s list consists of 23 people, including his long-time girlfriend Vanessa Paradis, who is also the mother of his two kids.
Heard and Depp met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011.
They got married in February of 2015.
While sparks flew immediately between the actress and the actor, a source told People Magazine that there was always something “toxic” about their relationship.
On May 27, Heard entered a Los Angeles courthouse with a black eye and filed for a temporary restraining order against the actor.
She claimed at the time that he had been both “verbally and physically abusive” to her throughout the “entirety” of their relationship.
The same source mentioned above explained to People that Heard’s independent side and Depp’s insecurities led to jealousy and serious dysfunction during their marriage.
“Johnny tends to get moody and difficult and go into himself when things aren’t right in a relationship,” this insider said.
“When he gets like that, he can act nasty. It doesn’t made for a good marriage.”
That seems to be clear. But did it make for a violent marriage?
That question may soon be answered once and for all.