Depp starred as Paul Kemp, a journalist who takes a job in Puerto Rico in "The Rum Diary" — based off of Hunter S. Thompson's book of the same name. Thompson was Depp's real-life friend and idol. Heard played Chenault — a woman engaged to another man — who Kemp is immediately smitten with as soon as he sees her.
In a court filing, Heard wrote that she and Depp began dating "around the end of 2011 or the start of 2012." It was also in 2012 that Depp and long-time partner Paradis publicly announced their separation after 14 years of dating. Depp had two children with Paradis: Lily-Rose (born in 1999) and John Christopher (2002).
Depp himself seemed to confirm the engagement in a video interview with The Daily Mail, after discussing wedding planning and pointing out that he was wearing "a chick's ring" on his finger. "It's probably a dead giveaway, isn't it? Not very subtle," Depp said.
After several years of dating, Depp and Heard married in a very private ceremony in their home in LA, with People reporting photos. Later in 2015, Depp and Heard breached Australia's biosecurity laws after they failed to declare their dogs (Yorkshire terriors) when they arrived in the country. They released an apology video together.
On May 23, 2016, Heard filed for divorce from Depp and, four days later, obtained a temporary restraining order against the Oscar-nominated actor. She alleged that Depp had physically abused her during their relationship, and said it was usually while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Heard testified under oath at a deposition, but a settlement was eventually reached after she withdrew her request for a domestic violence restraining order. She also rescinded her spousal support request of $50,000 a month.
Depp and Heard's divorce was finalized a year after Heard filed. Heard kept the dogs that were at the centre of the 2015 scandal in which the couple failed to declare the animals in Australia. Meanwhile, Depp retained sole possession of all properties, including his private island in the Bahamas, as well as his collection of classic cars and motorcycles.
Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in which she spoke about the treatment of women in domestic abuse cases.
The suit said that Heard "is not a victim of domestic abuse, she is a perpetrator," and denied that Depp ever abused her. Instead, the suit said that Heard's allegations were part of an "elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity" for the actress.
In January, phone recordings obtained by the Daily Mail were released. In these recordings, Heard admitted to "hitting" Depp. Heard is heard saying: "I'm sorry that I didn't ... hit you across the face in a proper slap, but I was hitting you, it was not punching you. Babe, you're not punched.
Depp fought News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun, in court over a 2018 article in which they called him a "wife beater" in reference to Depp and Heard's former marriage. Depp sued both the publisher and The Sun's executive editor Dan Wootton for libel.
Three months after the blockbuster trial began, Judge Mr Justice Nicol ruled that The Sun was correct in reporting that Depp was violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Depp will no longer portray the controversial dark wizard Grindelwald in the upcoming "Fantastic Beasts" film.
Johnny Depp and his legal team had hoped to overturn the court's ruling with an appeal but in a statement that was made public on November 25, Judge Nicol refused to grant Depp the permission to appeal against his judgment, saying: "I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success."
Depp and his lawyers submitted an application to the Court of Appeals in London — the second-highest court in the land — to obtain permission to contest the High Court ruling that he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Depp and Heard's defamation lawsuit is set to begin on April 11 at the Fairfax County courthouse in Virginia.
In opening statements, Heard's lawyer, J. Benjamin Rottenborn, told the jury that Depp is "going to try to turn this case into a soap opera," referencing his tumultuous relationship with Heard
On the stand Wednesday, Depp said that Heard was the real abuser in their relationship and the change in their relationship started with her making "little digs" and "demeaning name-calling."
Depp said the fight in which his finger was severed happened about a month after his 2015 wedding to Heard when she flew out to Australia to visit him as he filmed the fifth installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.
Depp later testified that Heard was responsible for fecal matter found on their shared bed after a fight in which he said he was leaving her. The actor alleged that the incident happened following a fight after a dinner party for Heard's 30th birthday on April 21, 2016.