Johnny Depp's allegations stopped Amber Heard from getting really famous, says agent

20 May 2022, 23:38 | Updated: 21 May 2022, 00:53

Amber Heard's talent agent has claimed allegations levelled at her by Johnny Depp stopped her career taking off in the way it should have done.

Jessica Kovacevic said it was unusual for a star involved in a successful movie like Aquaman to not become a big star.

Testifying in Ms Heard and Mr Depp's high-profile libel battle, she said Ms Heard did not rise to fame in the same way as her co-star Jason Momoa because of allegations made by Johnny Depp's attorney, Adam Waldman.

Ms Kovacevic also said Ms Heard missed out on a role because of the accusations, saying: "No one can say out loud, 'We're taking this away from her because of this bad press'... but there's no other reason."

Read more: Amber Heard furiously denies assaulting Johnny Depp or previous partners as evidence ends

Read more: 'Jealous and controlling' Depp threw wine bottle across the room during fight, says ex

Ms Heard is being sued by her ex-husband Mr Depp over an article she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018.

The article was titled 'I spoke up against sexual violence - and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change' and was published in December 2018, two years after Ms Heard filed for a restraining order against Mr Depp.

His lawyers say the article falsely implies he physically and sexually abused her while they were together.

He has denied all allegations and said he himself was a victim of domestic abuse.

During days of gruelling questioning, Ms Heard furiously denied assaulting Johnny Depp or any previous partners.

Earlier she was accused of hitting her ex-girlfriend Tasya van Ree in 2009.

Ms Heard was arrested after she allegedly hit van Ree on the arm and pulled her necklace off but charges were quickly dropped.

Ms Heard said in court: "I've never assaulted any partner.

"I've never assaulted Mr Depp or any other person I was romantically linked to, ever."

Read more: Amber Heard accused of photoshopping images of injuries after fighting with Johnny Depp

Read more: 'It changed my life': Tearful Amber Heard recalls first time Johnny Depp 'slapped her'

Mr Depp has also been under the spotlight during proceedings.

On Thursday his former girlfriend said he was "jealous and controlling" and claimed he once threw a wine bottle across the room during a fight.

She also claimed Mr Depp had become "very, very angry" when he saw she had a scratch on her back, and accused her of sleeping with someone else.

During her cross-examination earlier in the week, Mr Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez questioned Ms Heard directly about the alleged defamatory statements made in the op-ed.

Ms Heard admitted that she had publicly accused Mr Depp of domestic violence in 2016, after giving testimony during her application for the restraining order, but said the article was "not just about Johnny" and was about her experiences after the relationship had ended.

"That was the more interesting thing for me to write about," she said.

Addressing her description of a large ship being hit by an iceberg and being "patched up" by lots of people, she said Mr Depp had been "included" in the analogy, along with other public figures "being accused as well".

"I was talking about a bigger issue than just Johnny... when powerful men do something horrible or that they shouldn't, how there is a system in place to protect them, to clean up after them," she told the court.

"This was a reference to not just Johnny but what was happening as a culture when we were addressing a lot of MeToo issues.

"(It was) not just about him, but he is included in that yes... but I wrote this in the context of many men at the time, public figures in the public eye being accused as well.

"So it was a reference in general to a larger phenomenon, not just Johnny."

The trial continues.