The Newest Bombshells From Amber Heard’s Testimony In The Depp vs Heard Trial

Now that this circus of a trial has been put on a hiatus until next Monday, it’s the perfect time to analyze the information Amber Heard has given us so far. Her accounts of the violent incidents previously mentioned by Johnny Depp are quite different, in terms of who is the victim and who is the aggressor. 

Heard burst into tears several times while recounting events in which she alleges she was physically and sexually assaulted. While these emotions were convincing to some, they were downright offputting to most, who perceived them to be nothing short of the worst acting performance of her career. Body language experts have even begun to cast doubt on Heard’s testimony, insisting that she appears to be the aggressor in the relationship. 

Amber Heard’s Testimony about Kate Moss Opens Door for Previous Domestic Violence Charges

Heard admitted to hitting Depp in an incident she claims is the only time she ever landed a blow, despite previously admitting to hitting him on a separate occasion. As she tells the story of how Depp allegedly flew up the stairs after Heard called him a pussy for throwing a Red Bull can at her, she claims that he grabbed her hair to pull her down the stairs and hit her in the face with his casted hand. At this point, Heard claims that her sister Whitney ran in between them to protect Heard and upon seeing Depp swing at her sister while she had her back to the stairs, Heard says, “I don’t even wait – I don’t hesitate, I don’t wait, I just instantly think of Kate Moss and stairs and I swung at him. In all of my relationship to date with Johnny, I hadn’t landed a blow, and I for the first time hit him, like actually hit him, square in the face.” 

When Heard mentioned Kate Moss, Depp’s lawyer Ben Chew looked around at Depp and his fellow lawyers and gave a celebratory fist in the air, indicating that Heard has just unwittingly opened Pandora’s box. After doing some digging, the most likely explanation is that in civil litigation, you can't bring up something that the parties did before the incident to show previous bad acts because it's prejudicial. However, since Heard brought Kate Moss up herself, this opens the door for exploring previous relationships, including Heard's previous charge for domestic violence against her former girlfriend Tasya van Ree. It also means Kate Moss may be called in to testify. (It’s rumored that Depp once pushed former girlfriend Kate Moss down a flight of stairs.)

New Testimony about Sexual Assault with a Glass Bottle

Heard gave accounts of repeated sexual assault, including one in which she alleges Depp conducted a cavity search. As she detailed how he ripped her underwear off and shoved his fingers inside her, she says she didn’t tell him to stop. As Heard recounted these details, Depp appeared confused. Another horrific incident of sexual assault was described, but it’s setting off alarm bells everywhere. Heard launched a new sexual assault claim that had previously not been mentioned to date. 

She claims Depp sexually assaulted her with a glass bottle in 2015, saying she “thought he was punching her” because she “felt this pressure on her pubic bone.” After looking around at the broken bottles in the room, she insists she wasn’t sure if the bottle inside her was broken because she couldn’t feel pain or anything. Heard seems to claim she has repressed memories because she says she doesn’t remember how it ended or how she got off the countertop where she was lying but does recall the aftermath. She ran to the bathroom and was allegedly retching, lost control of her bladder, and was bleeding. This story in particular is curious because she never needed medical attention despite claiming to sustain a very serious and brutal injury. When asked if she was in pain, she responded that she “didn’t think about that” and she was just heartbroken. She continued, “Eventually, I realized that I could be hurt because I was bleeding. But I convinced myself it wasn't broken – that the bottle wasn't broken or else it would be a lot worse. The discomfort I was feeling afterwards just paled in comparison to how scared, shocked I was, scared."

Heard says she doesn’t remember how it ended and she never needed medical attention.

Victims of sexual assault have taken to Twitter to voice their disbelief in this retelling of accounts, insisting it’s simply not possible that she could focus on anything but sheer pain and that she would require immediate medical assistance as well as have permanent scarring. After testifying to this assault, Heard was later shown pictures of bottles sitting on a table, which elicited an emotional reaction. Here, she insisted that she had just realized that one of those bottles was the one Depp used to sexually assault her and that this was the first time she was seeing it. The bottle in question had a square body, which she cited as being the reason she felt pressure around her pubic bone.

Testimony or Acting? Accusations of Plagiarized Testimony and Mimicking

Videos, memes, and quotes, both real and fake, have been circulating online from Heard’s testimony. Many have been pointing to film scrips and plots that they believe Heard is plagiarizing or subconsciously reciting in place of her testimony. One such meme in which Heard appears to quote The Talented Mr. Ripley line by line has been disproved as a fake, but many hold the belief that the concept of her pulling tidbits from the plot of the movie still rings true. Heard did utter a phrase that is vaguely similar to the lines in that movie, but it may be reaching to say that it was directly plagiarized from the film. Other lines from her testimony were far more similar to dialogue in films than this specific one that went viral.

There have been mashups on TikTok and YouTube of Heard uttering phrases that are eerily similar to lines in various films and shows, which could be a coincidence. However, one running joke that has become a serious concern and is no longer a joke, is the idea that Heard was influenced by the plot of the film Gone Girl. Users online who believe Heard has created a hoax to defame Depp have pointed to similarities between Heard and the character Amy Dunne, including framing the man she loves, faking bruises, and using other men to corroborate her story, and as of late, being sexually assaulted with a bottle. 

This mimicking could be a strategy, or it could be subconscious behavior due to a personality disorder. 

Whether or not Heard has plagiarized ideas or quotes from films, we previously heard testimony from psychologist Dr. Curry on Heard’s mental state as someone with Borderline Histrionic Personality Disorder. Some key characteristics of this combined disorder are attention-seeking, mimicking, overly dramatic presentation with flowery speech that goes on for a long time but lacks substance, and shallow and rapidly shifting emotions. We’ve seen Heard explicitly mimicking Depp throughout the trial with her clothing choices. 

Depp has shown up to the court in a certain suit with specific details, and Heard has shown up in the same suit the very next day, down to the exact details of the tie. This is peculiar behavior from someone who claims to live in fear of their abuser. While Depp never looks at Heard, she constantly looks directly at Depp and has her body turned toward him in court. These details have been noticed by onlookers and have caused people to speculate if they are intimidation tactics. 

Heard’s testimony followed Dr. Curry’s, and she even sported the same very specific hairstyle as her on the stand. She had previously mimicked Depp's hairstyle, who wore a ponytail for the first time, followed by Heard the next day. This mimicking could be a strategy, or it could be subconscious behavior due to a personality disorder. Given that Dr. Curry has testified that one of the prime features of Borderline Personality Disorder is an unstable sense of self, which can cause mimicry of others, this could explain why Heard may be knowingly or unknowingly imitating lines from movies, down to the inflection and style of delivery. 

Amber Heard Testifies about Johnny Depp’s Jealousy

Heard repeatedly cited Depp’s alleged jealousy throughout their relationship. She alleges that he tried to stop her from taking roles that were considered objectifying or where she would have a kiss or a sex scene with other men. This then escalated, she claims, into him controlling her clothing choices, preventing her from wearing anything revealing or low cut. Heard claims that Depp was paranoid that she was cheating on him with men and women, including her former partner Tasya van Ree because she had a painting van Ree made hung up in her house. This led him to accuse her of having an affair, she claims. 

Later on, when she was working on a film with James Franco, she claims that Depp was paranoid she was having an affair with him, and upon learning they had a kissing scene, would taunt her, asking her if she liked it and calling her a slut and a go-getter. Heard claims she tried to get away from him berating her on a plane, but he followed her and slapped her in front of his friend. She then claims that as she tried to walk away, he kicked her in the back with his boot, causing her to fall to the floor, but no one on the plane did anything. 

CCTV shows Heard sneaking James Franco and Elon Musk into her and Depp’s penthouse.

While Heard claims that Depp was just paranoid that she was cheating on him, CCTV shows her sneaking James Franco and Elon Musk into her and Depp’s penthouse while Depp was out of town. The concierge has testified to the fact that Musk had his own key fob and access to the garage and would stay overnight when Depp was out of town. 

Heard also insists she had to dress conservatively and turn down roles that could be considered sexual. This, despite taking on a role in Magic Mike XXL in 2015, which included scenes like Channing Tatum giving her a lap dance. She also wore backless and low-cut dresses on the red carpet. This isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with that, but it does contradict her claims that she covered up and veered away from sexual roles.

Body Language Experts Cast Doubt on Amber Heard’s Testimony

Body language experts have called Heard’s credibility into question after analyzing her pattern of speech, excessive detail about irrelevant things, the words she uses to describe physical attacks, and her attempts to cry. At one point, she even grabs a handkerchief to “blow her nose,” but she holds it there for quite a while until a photographer captures her photograph. 

Videos online of Heard inhaling from the tissue call into question whether she was snorting something. Some have speculated that it could be cocaine, while others suggest it could be something to induce crying.

On 7 News, body language and communications expert Dr. Louise Mahler described Heard’s performance as uncredible because she seems to be attempting to force herself to cry on demand by suddenly heaving, yet she is unsuccessful in producing authentic tears. Mahler also points out that Heard has a lot of tension in her jaw when Heard is trying to recall her emotional state in these situations and that it appears to be manufactured. 

Dr. Mahler has stated, “Every single thing that Amber Heard does, to me, lacks credibility.” She goes on to cite Heard’s incredible detail about irrelevant facts like the dirty carpet or the L-shaped bar and where Depp was standing. However, when she goes on to talk about the alleged abuse, she uses language like “it looked like he was hitting me” or “he kind of held me down” or “it felt like he was on top of me” which is suspicious language that suggests she isn’t recalling actually experiencing these things. Mahler’s impression of Depp’s testimony, however, is that he appears credible because his style of speech is consistent and he straightforwardly answers when asked if he has hit a woman. He doesn’t beat around the bush.

Closing Thoughts

As Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez predicted in the opening statement, Heard was preparing to give the performance of her life, and that she did. The only problem is, most people think it’s a particularly bad one. We have yet to see any evidence that Depp has ever placed hands on Heard, while we have witness testimony and audio recordings of Heard admitting to hitting and taunting Depp for fleeing. Heard is set to withstand cross-examination from Camille Vasquez next week. It’s a great strategy to use a woman to press Heard on any potential false statements, including the claim that Depp pushed Kate Moss down the stairs.

Get caught up on all the testimony here and here and here.

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