Lawyers representing Amber Heard, the ex-wife of Johnny Depp, questioned the “Pirates of the Caribbean” heroine on Thursday in a defamation lawsuit he filed against his ex-wife, and presented jurors with graphic text messages in which Depp referred to a “monster” inside him that had worked to curb him.
Depp, 58, is suing Heard, 35, in a Virginia court for $50 million after she accused him of abusing her during and before their nearly two-year marriage. He argued that Heard was the one who was violent in the relationship.
In the Virginia courtroom, Heard’s lawyers spent most of Thursday viewing emails and text messages Depp sent to Heard, friends, family and partners that often contained insults and vulgar phrases.
He wrote a text message to a former security guard in 2015 shortly after his marriage to Heard: “We’re amazing. All I had to do was send the monster away and lock it up. We’re happier than ever.”
In another text message to one of his doctors, Depp said, “I locked my little monster in a cage deep inside me and it worked.”
Depp said Heard used the word monster to describe him when she thought he was drunk or taking drugs, but nonetheless said her perception was not always accurate.
Depp said on Wednesday that Heard was the one who turned violent during arguments and might slap him or push him away. Heard said that once cast
A bottle of vodka cut one of his fingers.
A judge in Fairfax County, Virginia, is handling the case, which will resume on Monday.