In 2018, The Washington Post published an OpEd written by Aquaman actress Amber Heard. In the OpEd, Heard said that she was a victim of sexual violence throughout her life. This includes the time that she was married to Pirates of the Caribbean star, Johnny Depp, but she never specifically said his name in the article. The backlash against Depp was swift and brutal. The actor was dropped from both Pirates of the Caribbean 6 — which was reportedly in the works — and the Fantastic Beasts franchise Fantastic Beasts was a Harry Potter spinoff where Depp played Gellert Grindelwald and was poised to star in the third film.
In 2019, Depp sued Heard for $50 million, claiming that she defamed his character and ruined his career in Hollywood. Heard fought back and countersued Depp for $100 million, also for defamation. The trial lasted more than six weeks and, in the end, Depp was awarded more than $10 million by a jury. Heard was awarded $2 million. After the judgment was made, it was revealed that Depp agreed to take just $1 million from Heard, instead of $10 million.
The trial between Heard and Depp was an expensive one. Add to that, the fact that Depp wasn’t getting any real work, and things got even worse. Depp also has a history of extravagant and “reckless” spending, which now seems to be coming back to bite him. According to a report from The New York Post, Depp was forced to take out a $10 million loan in order to prevent the foreclosure of several homes he owns.
Per The New York Post:
Records show that his smaller house on N. Sweetzer Avenue, which faced foreclosure back in 2016 in the amount of $4.28 million, was in full reconveyance after the actor paid what was due.
Depp took out the massive loan back in March on the other home — known for its uncanny resemblance to a gothic replica of a Bavarian castle.
That castle-shaped home went into a $5 million default in 2018.
According to the Daily Mail, Depp was forced to take out the eight-figure home loan with City National Bank — nicknamed the “bank to the stars” for its bumper borrowing deals to A-listers — after blowing his $650 million fortune on litigation with Amber Heard and other reckless spending.
During the trial, Depp claimed that being dropped from Pirates of the Caribbean 6 cost him $22 million. He also said that he would never work with Disney again. However, he recently appears to have changed his tune, saying “Never say never” when it comes to what studios he will work with in the future. Disney has also indicated that it would be willing to work with Depp.
Depp recently starred in the film Jeanne Du Barry, where he played King Louis XV. He is also voicing Johnny Puff in the new film Johnny Puff: Secret Mission, which is scheduled to be released later this year.
