Like a bad case of the flu, the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard saga is a story that we can’t get rid of. Ms. Heard has made the news again today after a rabid section of the Johnny Depp fanbase paid the court fees required to release the documents of Dr. Dawn Hughes, the therapist for the embattled actress.
Salacious details were made public. They will prove to serve as cannon fodder for yellow journalists who want to sensationalize something that should have been left alone, just for the clicks. This is the world we live in now.
The Messy Aftermath Of The Depp/Heard Trial Has Reared Its Ugly Head Again. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard at the premier of The Rum Diary (2011)
I think she unnecessarily damaged Mr. Depp’s career and aside from the verdict in Fairfax, she received no punishment while he lost out on work and millions of dollars, as Ms. Heard’s accusations cost him roles in new Fantastic Beasts and Pirates of the Carribean projects. She did all of this without remorse and deserved to lose that trial.
This makes me the right person to defend her now.
What’s In The Files?
The documents contained notes from Ms. Heard’s sessions that include:
- A hostile work environment on the set of Aquaman: And The Lost Kingdom.
- Jason Momoa reportedly showing up on set drunk, intimidating Ms. Heard and campaigning for her removal from the project.
- Allegations against the film’s director, James Wan. Heard alleges that Wan “treated her like a pariah” she also alleges that Wan froze her out to the point where she couldn’t interact with fans.
- There is also the claim that Heard’s boyfriend at the time, Elon Musk threatened Warner Brother’s and strongarmed them into keeping Heard on the project. Musk allegedly had one of his litigators send a vitriolic letter threatening to “burn the house down” if Ms. Heard wasn’t invited back for the sequel.
Allegations From Heard’s Therapy Sessions Anecdotes About a Drunken, Abusive Jason Momoa Arriving On Set.
If true, these allegations are disturbing. If Jason Momoa is behaving that way, he is clearly frustrated with the shortcomings of the much maligned DC Universe. This would be just another reason for the terminally online to hate Elon Musk. James Wan would join the long list of Hollywood directors that were abusive towards their staff and are forced to explain themselves.
It is my opinion that, most likely, none of this is true. I am willing to allege that these anecdotes could be a fabrication of Ms. Heard’s and will eventually be debunked. Warner Brothers has already disputed these claims and stood by both Momoa and Wan.
Debunking The Claims
These claims are too sensational to be taken as gospel. Let’s rationally examine them one by one.
- Jason Momoa is one of the most in demand male leads in Hollywood. He commands an average salary of $15,000,000.00 per project. I highly doubt that he would voluntarily sabotage his career and show up to the set drunk, let alone harass a co-star.
- James Wan has never faced these allegations before. He is an established director and in today’s climate, it is highly unlikely that nobody else would come forward with similar allegations.
- That is not Elon Musk’s style. If these allegations were made against somebody like President Trump, it would be more believable.
The Unsealed Therapy Documents Allege That James Wan Was Abusive To Amber Heard. Allegations Like That Can Ruin A Man’s Career.
Furthering my point is the fact that Hollywood has enough leaks to sink the Titanic ten times over. Information has a big price tag and everyone in tinsel town is looking to make easy money. We would have heard about all of this stuff as it happened, It wouldn’t be found buried in a therapist’s notes well after a highly publicized trial. Do you really think that some key grip or boom mic operator or the guy running the catering table would not have talked about a drunk Momoa already?
For some inexplicable reason, everyone suddenly decided to hate Elon Musk one day. One of the left wing “geek news” websites would have mortgaged everything they own to break a story that makes the “Musketeer” look bad. A director being abusive towards a female cast member? That’s not happening this day and age. He would have been #MeToo out of the industry a la Joss Whedon.
Keep in mind that the press has an ongoing campaign to cancel Alfred Hitchcock. The man has been dead for 43 years. Don’t even bring up Stanley Kubrick (also dead) to progressive journalists.
Heard Still Needs To Be Defended
In this case, I feel the need to defend all parties involved, including Ms. Heard from the inevitable wave of vitriol that will soon come their way. The difference between these claims and the other wild claims that Amber Heard has made in the past is that these allegations were made in the privacy of her psychiatrist’s office, with the assumption of confidentiality. She never intended for them to be public.
That is an important distinguishment to make, because we don’t have a diagnosis for Ms. Heard and this could be part of the process to make her mentally whole again. Speaking personally as somebody who is actively in therapy, I can tell you that it is a messy, chaotic process.
Amber Heard (right) Deserves Privacy, Not Harassment When It Comes To Therapy Sessions. Image From The UK Metro.
Often times when you’re working through things, you say some pretty wild things or even lash out and make bold claims. Ms. Heard could have been in a manic state, she could have paranoia, she could have delusions of grandeur. We don’t know, and that is between her and her doctor. This country is still behind the times in regards to mental illness, and we need to stop stigmatizing those who are afflicted.
These notes are not a permission slip to stoke the fire and start harassing her again.
Final Takeaway
This is overkill, even for as rabid a fanbase as Johnny Depp’s is. There is no honorable reason is there for them to pay for the release of these documents. This is a legal loophole being used to call for the harassment of Ms. Heard and the parties involved. I find this behavior to be repulsive. Amber Heard is deserving of punishment for a lot of the things she has done, but to punish her for a therapy session is dishonorable and shameful.
If I, a person who has vehemently supported Mr. Depp since the beginning of the couple’s trial can take this for what it is worth and sympathize with Ms. Heard, then it is possible for anyone reading this article to understand her plight and do the same thing.
Before anyone fires up their twitter account and starts to call for the head of one Amber Heard, let’s all take a deep breath and try to remember how to act civilized.
What do you think, geek faithful? Am I right? Wrong? Too Harsh? Sound off in the comments!
Thank You for reading! When I am not writing I enjoy spending time with my wife Barbara, my three year old daughter Frances, and my loyal hound Marbles. For more hot takes, follow me here and on our brand new YouTube channel. You can also check out more of my content on my author’s page.
