Johnny Depp won in court, but that only gets him so far –

Johnny Depp and amber heard Most libel suits were spent in the mud. And while Depp may have scored a major legal victory on June 1, that victory won’t erase the deteriorating public image of years amid a brutal divorce from Herd. The question is whether the verdict erased enough dirt for some studio to roll the dice.

After a six-week trial that uncovered nasty text messages and violent recordings of violent confrontations, a Virginia jury backed Depp, saying he was slandered when Herd wrote the article. Washington post In which she calls herself a survivor of domestic violence. Although Herd won one of her lawsuits through Depp’s former lawyer Adam Waldman – As his abuse allegations were preposterous, he was only paid $2 million compared to Depp’s $15 million (later reduced to $10.35 million within the state fine limit).

The proceedings attracted a lot of international attention from mainstream news and social media. Numerous Hollywood experts have testified in libel trials that have kept some of the industry’s decision-making secrets. Lawyers from both legal teams investigated how their career struggles and the events leading up to the slander duel affected them.

Depp insisted they give him another sequel. Pirates of the Caribbean, in which his agent confirmed the actor would pay $22.5 million and was blacklisted by Hollywood when an article appeared at the top of the #MeToo movement. Herd, who was supported by his agent Jessica Kovacevic, claimed that Warner Bros. had put her role in the movie on hold. Aquaman and the lost kingdom And Page denied him the promotion. Stop Because of the bad press related to her ex-husband, who publicly accuses her of lying about the allegations of violence.

Now that the trial is over, several Hollywood insiders have pointed out that neither Depp nor Heard were filmed right away. Your appearance is more responsible in public relations, which limits the promotion of potential projects. To all the insiders who spoke hollywood reporter Add that the lawsuit and its media coverage will have a greater impact on the advancement of Herd’s career than Depp’s.

“It’s easier for a man to redeem himself than it is for a woman,” an agent said, noting that Kevin Spacey still has the backing of the producers of his latest film, which he bought at the 2022 Cannes Film Market despite allegations of harassment. sexual. . Great Britain “People will say Hollywood is sexist. Our culture is sexist. “Our business is a symbol of that culture.”

A survey of 600 people in the US conducted by risk insurance startup Spotted Media from April 28 to June 2 found that Depp left the trial in a much more favorable light than Heard. Of the respondents who were aware of the process, 86% felt that Depp should not be left out of future performances, while 64% thought he should be Herd.

Observed media chief Janet Comenos He says there has been a healthy interest in re-evaluating Depp and Herd’s appetite choice. “We’ve never seen celebrities like Johnny Depp improve their condition so much,” Komenos said.

Heard is also influenced by the fact that during the trial he wasn’t as star-studded as Depp, who has spearheaded billion-dollar movie franchises. “I think people will try to wrongly accuse the trial of making me lose roles,” said one producer. (During the trial, the president of DC Films Walter Hamada He argued that Herd’s role aquaman The sequel, which will be released in theaters in March 2023, was not scaled down by a process, but by a lack of stellar chemistry. jason momoa.)

As for the types of projects Depp could use, multiple sources note that while the studio won’t address them, it will find opportunities in an independently financed film space — types of projects that see celebrities past or embarrassed. (Think Mel Gibson) It will appear to install in a few days and you will get a base rate of millions. One of the agency’s partners says, “There are a lot of opportunities for him in a freelance space. I could make over 15 million dollars a year from these selected films.”

The agent also notes, “Whatever you say about John, he’s shown he has a huge fan base.” During the testing period, suspicious Depp fans posted promotional videos of Depp Depp on TikTok and YouTube. Before this Depp-Front AdditionalOpening on multiple screens across the US and grossing just $1.7 million at the box office, it became the third favorite for the Favorite Oscar and received more votes on Twitter than the blockbuster. Spider-Man: No Way Home.

This fan base remains attractive to financial producers who market certain types of independent products. But the box office tells a different story about Depp’s appeal to a wider audience. From 2012 to 2015, before Herd published his article, four films were titled Depp – dark shadows, arctic ranger, transcendence s Mortdekai – Total revenue was just $199 million, with a total budget of $525 million. Three had nine-figure budgets they couldn’t even afford at the box office. continued in 2016 Alice through the eyepieceIt only grossed $300 million worldwide and cost Disney hundreds of millions after its predecessor grossed over $1 billion at the box office.

There are also doubts about Depp’s professionalism and behavior on set. Your ex-agent, UTA’s Tracy JacobsThe trial showed that “people were talking” about his drug use, as he kept arriving late and had to start using headphones to broadcast his lines to her. “His star came out because it made it difficult for him to get a job, given the reputation he’s gained for being late and stuff,” Jacobs said, adding that “it forces people to use it.”

Depp is currently fighting a lawsuit filed by a staff member over the painting. city ​​of lies He claims the actor punched him twice while he was drunk. According to the complaint, Depp allegedly used drugs on set and smelled of alcohol at the time of the incident. The film was released a month before its theatrical release after Depp settled a lawsuit against his former business managers, avoiding another high-profile lawsuit.

Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Herd revealed more of the actor’s strange behavior, including a long history of drug use and threats of violence. “Because of how the trial went, you saw a lot of dark sides in Johnny Depp,” he said. Judas EngelmeierThe crisis management specialist whose clients are Harvey Weinstein. “You’ve seen drinking problems. You’ve seen anger issues. “I may not be able to play the lead role in the family movie just yet.”

Depp and Herd will likely have to wait until their case is appealed to find out where they are in Hollywood. Herd says he intends to appeal the verdict and cites media hysteria at the trial as evidence that the jury was improperly swayed to vote against him.

Mia Gallupo and Boris Kitty contributed to this report.

A version of this story appeared in the June 8 issue of The Gossipify. Click here to subscribe.