Fees for Johnny Depp's 2017 films topped $30 million but the star hasn't signed a Hollywood studio deal since an op-ed by his ex-wife, Amber Heard, accusing him of domestic abuse , detailed his agent on Monday.
Jack Whigham, who has represented the star since October 2016, testified by video in a court in suburban Washington, where a high-profile trial between the former spouses has been held for three weeks.
In December 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement, the actress had published an editorial in the
Washington Post
, in which she described herself as a victim of domestic violence without, however, citing her former husband.
To discover
LIVE - War in Ukraine: follow the evolution of the conflict minute by minute
YOUR COMMUNE - The results of the second round of the presidential election in your area
Read alsoElon Musk will not testify in the defamation lawsuit for Amber Heard against Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp, who denies ever raising a hand on a woman, sued her for defamation.
Accusing him of having ruined his reputation and his career, he claims 50 million dollars in damages.
She counter-attacked and claims 100 million dollars.
These staggering sums are up to the old stamps of the hero of
Edward Scissorhands.
According to his agent, the actor earned $8 million for the movie
City of Lies,
$10 million for
Murder on the Orient Express
and $13.5 million for the second installment of
Fantastic Beasts
in 2017.
In 2018, he
"wanted to take some time for himself"
, and shot
"only"
two independent films in the fall:
The Professor
for 3.5 million and
Waiting for the Barbarians
for a million, added Jack Whighham.
But
“an agreement had been reached”
for him to take over the role of Jack Sparrow in the sixth installment of
Pirates of the Caribbean
for 22.5 million dollars.
According to Jack Whigham, Amber Heard's accusations were
"catastrophic"
for Johnny Depp.
"After the editorial, it became impossible to get a contract with a studio
," he said.
As for the shooting of the film
Minamata
, scheduled for early 2019,
"it was very hard to maintain it: the budget had to be cut, especially Johnny's fee"
, which only received
"
three million", said the agent.
It was his last film, as in 2019 Disney Studios
“took a different direction”
for the Pirates of the Caribbean saga.
Despite contacts with the producers,
"I could not save"
this very
"lucrative" role,
said his agent.
Questioned by Amber Heard's lawyers, however, he conceded that the agreement
"was in bad shape"
in the fall of 2018, before the publication of the editorial.
In April, the British tabloid
The Sun
had previously accused Johnny Depp of being
"an abusive husband".
The actor sued his publishers and lost in a lawsuit that exposed his drug and alcohol abuse.