Johnny Depp’s lawyers were ‘concerned’ he ‘might lose his temper’ on the stand at Amber Heard trial

nypost.com:

2022 Virginia defamation case. Chew and Meyers spoke about their legal strategy, explaining why they thought Depp making jokes on the stand was helpful during his testimony.Chew also admitted the lawyers worried the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star might have an outburst during his cross-examination.“Johnny’s use of humor really undermined whatever serious point Amber’s counsel was trying to make,” he said. “We wanted to humanize Johnny before the jury so they could understand why hitting the woman he loved was something that he’s just not capable of.”“But,” Chew recalled, “the one thing that we’re concerned about is whether he might lose his temper.

The other side is gonna do everything possible to get Johnny to show anger.”The attorney explained, “One of the things that lawyers try to do on cross-examination is to maintain control of the witness.

That’s something that Johnny simply did not allow [Heard’s attorney Ben Rottenborn] to do.”Depp, 61, sued his ex-wife, 38, for defamation over an op-ed she wrote about surviving domestic abuse despite not naming the star in her article.

The jury sided with Depp, and after reaching a settlement, Heard was ordered to pay him $1 million in damages.Chew said on the “Interrogation Raw”special that the team called Depp once the verdict was read because he wasn’t in court. “He was elated, and he sounded as if the weight of the world was off of his shoulders,” he recalled. “I mean, he sounded like a kid.