The widely publicized trial involving Johnny Depp and Amber Heard garnered global attention, marking it as one of the most sensational trials of the previous year. Numerous well-known individuals, such as Paul Bettany, Elon Musk, and James Franco, were brought into the spotlight as they provided testimonies during the trial. However, Dakota Johnson appeared disinterested in the legal troubles of her former co-star Johnny Depp. Throughout this legal battle, a viral video on the internet intensified Johnson’s unease, as she was genuinely fearful of finding herself at the epicenter of this media frenzy.
As reported by Page Six , Johnson experienced significant discomfort when she was inadvertently drawn into the legal matters surrounding Depp and Heard, particularly in connection to a viral video clip from 2015.
The viral clip showcased Johnson, aged 32 at the time, displaying visible concern as her Black Mass co-star, Johnny Depp, placed his bandaged finger on the table next to her during a press conference at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. In the Depp v. Heard defamation trial, Johnny Depp provided testimony claiming that his ex-wife, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, had allegedly severed the tip of his finger with a vodka bottle during a heated argument that year.
The video clip titled “The EXACT moment Dakota Johnson KNEW Amber Heard was VIOLENT towards Johnny Depp” gathered more than 3 million views during the live-streamed trial. According to Pinkvilla , Dakota told Vanity Fair last year in July, “I was like, ‘Why, for the love of God? Why am I involved in this? I have no recollection of that, but please take me out of this.” She continued, “Don’t let this get any worse. Can you imagine, oh my God, if I was called to testify? I can’t believe people are watching [the trial] as if it’s a show. It’s like a courtroom drama, and it breaks my heart. It’s completely insane.” She added, “Humans are so freaking strange. The Internet is a dangerous, dangerous place.”
Depp ultimately emerged victorious in his defamation lawsuit against Heard, which centered on her 2018 Washington Post op-ed where she identified herself as a domestic abuse victim. Both Depp and Heard have confronted the potential consequences of cancel culture, a topic Johnson also delves into in her recent interview.
“What I struggle with in terms of cancel culture is the entire concept of canceling a human being as if they were an appointment. No one will ever make a mistake in their life.” She elaborated, “The aim of living is to figure things out. Hurting or injuring others is never acceptable. Those acts have ramifications. But the idea of the Twitterverse deciding if someone suddenly ceases to exist is scary, painful, and terrible,” she told Vanity Fair .