When Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindlewald had released, film critics had accepted with guilt in their hearts that it was Depp who managed to save the sinking ship with one speech that took place in Paris.
Before the declaration of the UK Court, author JK Rowling, and Warner Bros were shamed to the core by a certain crowd on social media for hiring an actor who back then had been allegedly accused of being a wife-beater.
There were fans of Johnny Depp who weren't ready to accept the charges in the past or now. When the UK court had declared that The Sun magazine had substantial evidence strong enough to call Johnny Depp a wife-beater, it was when that the actor formally had to step down from the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Johnny Depp had a completely different approach, which wasn't anyway close to that of an abusive man. Time and again a set of dedicated fans of Johnny Depp, use the hashtag trend, 'Justice For Johnny Depp,' hoping that this might make Hollywood aware that he is not alone in his fight against Amber Heard.
The regular visits to Court will always remain a risky journey for Johnny Depp. It is easier for the world to see the A-lister, the highest-paid actor from Hollywood as the oppressor, while the lesser famous Amber Heard as the victim. In 2021, in the US he has a $50 million defamation case against Amber Heard, where she declared herself as a victim of domestic abuse. Every verdict will have an impact on Johnny Depp's image, career and the next court case.
Johnny Depp: The Desirable Man
Before his worst phase in Hollywood, Johnny Depp was well known for his eloquence. The A-lister who had a great sense of fashion, perfect comic timing, the non-photoshopped, a brilliant actor who deserved to be thrown an Oscar for his performances.
Johnny Depp became an alpha male guy for most people who were born in the 90s. The girls wished to have an ever so perfect boyfriend like Johnny Depp, and men wished to be an ever-so-perfect man like Johnny Depp. The actor always had his own unique quality which made him famous; An artist, an A-lister all the while being a humble partner to Vanessa Paradis (1998-2012). He had the respect of his fans, mainly since he was completely opposite from that of his other A-lister crowd.
Depp was not just a celebrity but a cultural figure of modern American, who had money, class, style, and standard. He started his career in 1987 with 21 Jump Street, and the show had largely been a hit only for Depp. He was called a 'difficult' man since he had refused to do scenes that did not match with his morals, but to fans, he appeared as an artist with integrity.
As an actor, he willingly chose to be the face of the characters with unconventional habits and faces, popularly in Edward Scissorhands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice In Paradis, Pirates of the Caribbean, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Finding Neverland. He didn't do roles based on what would 'sell', rather wrapped an entire generation of the audience with him and raised their standards.
What followed later were a series of affairs with women from Hollywood. He married for a brief period of time when he was 20, later got separated. Time and again he would get formally engaged to some actresses. Sherilyn Fenn, Jennifer Grey and Winona Ryder.
When one relationship failed, he went for another, but never gave up hope on finding love and that is how fans perceived him. A romantic icon, who kept in touch with his crazy side. Then came a phase when he started dating models. Kate Moss would hold him tight at red carpets, later the two would destroy hotels all in the name of wackiness.
But his stubborn fans managed to find an excuse for him before he could: That's what artists do. Break conventional structures with the hope to build new ones. After all, that was what he was doing in his films too wasn't he? He would put on a different face and make the pretty ladies in the film fall for him. Depp was unapologetically lavish and Hollywood loved him. He was fun, uncontroversial and one needn't have to feel guilty for loving him.
Johnny Depp: The loving partner of Vanessa Paradis
Johnny-Vanessa had become a couple-goal for fans across the world. The two did not marry but raised two children, Lily and Jack. Time and again he would admire the French beauty and soon he became a family man. It seemed as if Depp finally found a way to be completely honest with himself and his fans. He no longer had to keep an image rather be the original man without a pretty curtain to cover his flaws. Till 2012, it seemed that he found his happy ending in Hollywood, all the while being a talented A-lister whose name would appear on Forbes' rich list of highest-paid actors.
Johnny Depp: The Rum Diary
It was on the sets of Rum Diary where Depp had met Amber Heard and then history happened. They met in 2011, and in 2012 Depp announced his separation with Paradis and his new girlfriend was Amber Heard. As an actor, he started acting unprofessionally on sets. He would arrive late on the sets of Pirates of Caribbean (fifth franchise), stating a hand injury, which later Heard had stated occurred when the actor punched his fist on the wall after a fight. He would drink heavily and have assistants around him who would constantly remind him of his lines through an earpiece.
His hardcore fans would pin the blame on Amber Heard, stating that leaving Paradis and his children for a young, blonde, woman had its own share of consequences, which eventually affected his career. Fans and most Hollywood goers had different expectations from Depp. They never thought Depp's celebrity downfall to happen this way, but with more dignity. That he wouldn't be dropped off from a film while being mired in drugs, divorce, and court battles.
