Being a lawyer, the last thing I ever want to watch is a legal show. Too much like being at the office. However, I made the mistatke of turning on the TV and saw this man with a pony tail, tattoos and jewery testifying. I'm not into Hollywood and all the glam and I really didn't know who this guy was. I was curious though as to how the lawyers let him go and on when he answered questions. Soon I realized this was the Depp/Heard trial.
It was downhill from there on out.
I was addicted to the circus--and stunned by it. I soon realized that there are many people in our local jails who are living the same lifestyle as Depp and Heard but they don't have the money to be passed out in a 5 star luxury hotel--they are stoned in a flop house somewhere. It amazed me that these folks that have the money to live a great life are living a low life.
I watched the vast majority of the train wreck and have these observations:
1. Isn't it interesting that if you have money you can find an expert to back your position? Everyone in this business knows that. It's sad but true. Everything from therapists to orthopedic surgeons testified to support their sides view.
2.There was a storm of hateful posts about Heard claiming she was a psychotic while there was a sea of fans worshiping Depp.It seemed that quite a few people "didn't like Heard" and it seemed as the basis for their voting for Depp. My question is: Maybe you don't like someone for whatever reason but can't that person still be telling the truth?
The flip side of that is, Depps fan's were awash in idol worship and did not believe for one minute Depp could have done anything Heard said. The vast majority of the fans/haters on both sides have no personal knowledge of either Heard or Depp but are relying on media or their own projections as to who these folks are behind closed doors. Sadly we saw alot of who they are and it wasn't very impressive.
3. Depp, I would wager, when he is clean and sober, is probably a very kind person and very charming. It's easy to see why he appears to be well liked. However, when drugs and alcohol are involved--and it appears that no one is contesting he has a severe problem- people change. That great person can become not a very nice person. The evidence on both sides seemed to show that Depp has a dark side that comes out at times.
4. From the evidence I heard I anticipated not a good outcome for either. They really cancel each other out when you get down to the bottom line. A commentator made the remark that despite who won or lost they both may find that their careers are severely damaged since companies like Disney and others don't want associated with people who live this kind of life. It's not very family oriented and the stigma of the actors may reflect back on the company.
5. I watched Heard and Depp testify. I wonder how anyone could turn their back on everything Heard said? People will say she's crazy. If she's that crazy how is she walking the streets? I'm pretty jaded after practicing law for over 30 years and her testimony was impactful. Why would she go through all this, the strain of trial and the hate of the Depp fans if it's all a lie? What does she get?
5. Where does this leave women? Heard goes out on a limb and takes on this battle and suffers a huge loss. How did the jury disregard all that testimony? Does it not fit in line with who they "think" Depp is? It reminds me of the OJ Simpson case. People couldn't believe Simpson would do such a thing as murder his ex wife because he had a public persona as a really likeable and good guy. Same with Depp. I will always remember seeing a huge group of Depp fans watching the verdict on TV and cheering. They have no clue who either one of these people are behind closed doors.
In this business you find that many times the truth is in the middle. Neither party is absolutely right when stating their position. Frm what I saw and heard I would say they both came into this fight with unclean hands. i had hoped that the jury would give them both little to nothing since they seemed to cancel each other out. Sadly they didn't.
I'm not siding with either party. I just know how the business works. I fear that Heard may have been OJ'd and where does that leave women?