Johnny Depp denies being a ‘violent man’ over accusations he beat ex-wife Amber Heard

Johnny Depp has denied being a violent man and said his ex-wife’s abuse allegations turned him ‘from Cinderella into Quasimodo’.

In his first interview about his ‘volatile’ marriage to Amber Heard, the actor said the past three years have ‘felt like a perverse situation that was inflicted on me.’

He said he could feel people looking at him differently after the actress alleged he ‘violently attacked’ her in their Los Angeles penthouse, which he firmly denied.  

Also in the extraordinary interview, Depp accused Hollywood ‘power-mongers’ of ‘trying to shut him up’ and said he is prepared to quit if what he calls a conspiracy against him continues.

But he insisted that ultimately the truth ‘will come out’ and his reputation as a Hollywood hero will be restored.

Johnny Depp (pictured in his villa in Le Hameau De Gassin, France) has denied being a violent man and said his ex-wife's abuse allegations turned him 'from Cinderella into Quasimodo'

Johnny Depp (pictured in his villa in Le Hameau De Gassin, France) has denied being a violent man and said his ex-wife’s abuse allegations turned him ‘from Cinderella into Quasimodo’

In his first interview about accusations he beat Amber Heard, the actor (pictured at his villa in Le Hameau De Gassin, France) said the past three years have 'felt like a perverse situation that was inflicted on me.'

In his first interview about accusations he beat Amber Heard, the actor (pictured at his villa in Le Hameau De Gassin, France) said the past three years have ‘felt like a perverse situation that was inflicted on me.’

Depp and 32-year-old actress Heard divorced in January 2017 after she applied for a domestic violence restraining order the year before.

She claimed the couple had an explosive row and he threw and iPhone in her face, bruising her eye and cheek. 

Explaining his side of the story for the first time, Depp told GQ: ‘It hurts. The thing that hurt me is being presented as something that you’re really as far away from as you could possibly get, you know?’

‘To harm someone you love? As a kind of bully? No, it didn’t, it couldn’t even sound like me,’ he said. 

The Pirates of the Caribbean star said he felt his reputation crumbling beneath him as his failing marriage became increasingly public.

The November issue of GQ will be released in print on Thursday

The November issue of GQ will be released in print on Thursday

Comparing his fall from grace to the plight of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame protagonist, he said: ‘It felt like within a very, very short period of time that… Cinderella had been immediately turned into the beast. He’s Quasimodo.

‘I could feel people look at me differently,’ he added. 

After the $5.5million divorce, Depp was sued by his managers for $18million over an unpaid loan. Management Group claimed he blew his $500million fortune on luxury homes, private jets and a £23,000-a-month wine habit.

He was also sued by his former lawyer who claimed he failed to pay legal bills and, more recently, by a crew member of his yet-to-be-released film, City Of Lies, who accused him of ‘forcefully punching’ him in a drunken row, which Depp denies. 

‘Big money was being thrown about,’ the 55-year-old said. ‘People suing me at every opportunity. I mean, it’s all so obvious.’ 

In an echo of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s words at his Senate hearing last week, Depp called the Hollywood film industry ‘this vile f****** circus.’

I could feel people look at me differently

He accused Hollywood power-mongers of ‘trying to shut him up’ and said he is prepared to quit if he has to.

‘I know the truth and if I had to walk away from all of it today, the job, the career, all of it, and go toodle-oo, then fine.’

But Depp insisted his reputation will one day be restored: ‘Ultimately, the truth will come out in all of this and I will be standing on the right side of the roaring rapids.’

Depp, who will next month appear as dark wizard Grindelwald in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter spin-off series Fantastic Beasts, was accused of violence against Heard in May 2016. 

Heard (pictured with Depp at The Danish Girl premiere in 2015) filed a restraining order against Depp in 2016

Heard (pictured with Depp at The Danish Girl premiere in 2015) filed a restraining order against Depp in 2016

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp kiss at the Black Mass premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp kiss at the Black Mass premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015

After her allegations, photos emerged of Heard with bruises on her face - but Depp claimed she was lying and denied ever hurting her

After her allegations, photos emerged of Heard with bruises on her face – but Depp claimed she was lying and denied ever hurting her

In a restraining order request, Heard alleged that Depp ‘violently attacked’ her in their Los Angeles penthouse apartment and threw a cellphone that struck her in the face with ‘extreme force’.

Photos later emerged of Heard with bruises on her face – but Depp claimed she was lying and denied ever hurting her.

Depp’s two children with French actress Vanessa Paradis – model Lily-Rose, 19, and John, 16 – both supported him in the face of Heard’s allegations.

The pair reached an out-of-court settlement and Heard withdrew her claims.

They released a joint statement, saying: ‘Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.’ 

  • The full feature in the November issue of GQ will be available on digital download and newsstands on Thursday.  

Seventy collectible guitars, 200 Warhol artworks and $700,000 a month on wine: How Johnny Depp ‘blew his fortune’ over two decades

Depp (pictured in 2017) allegedly spent $2million a month

Depp (pictured in 2017) allegedly spent $2million a month

Johnny Depp’s lavish spending – including $3 million to blast author Hunter S. Thompson’s ashes from a cannon – led him to the brink of financial ruin, according to an explosive lawsuit filed after his divorce in 2017.

Over the best part of two decades, the 55-year-old actor has been spending $2 million a month, according to The Management Group (TMG), which was suing the star in Los Angeles for an unpaid loan.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is alleged to have forked out $75 million on 14 homes, including a 45-acre (18-hectare) French castle, a chain of Bahaman islands, several Hollywood homes, penthouse lofts in downtown LA and a horse farm in Kentucky.

Since 2000, the Oscar-nominated actor has spent $18 million on a yacht, bought 45 luxury cars and shelled out almost $700,000 a month on wine, private planes and a staff of 40 people, according to the lawsuit.

Beverly Hills-based TMG said Depp has accrued more than 200 artworks by Warhol, Klimt and other masters, 70 collectible guitars and a Hollywood memorabilia collection so extensive it is stored in 12 locations.

Depp filed his own $25 million suit on January 13, 2017 accusing TMG of mismanaging his finances, taking out loans without his approval, and concealing his ruinous finances.

‘Over 17 years, The Management Group did everything possible to protect the actor from himself,’ TMG attorney Michael Kump said in a statement.

Since 2000, the Oscar-nominated actor has spent $18 million on a yacht, bought 45 luxury cars and shelled out almost $700,000 a month on wine, private planes and a staff of 40 people, according to a lawsuit

Since 2000, the Oscar-nominated actor has spent $18 million on a yacht, bought 45 luxury cars and shelled out almost $700,000 a month on wine, private planes and a staff of 40 people, according to a lawsuit

‘In fact, when Depp’s bank demanded repayment of a multimillion-dollar loan and Depp didn’t have the money, the company loaned it to him so that he would avoid a humiliating financial crisis.’

TMG said it repeatedly warned Depp over his ‘wanton’ overspending, but he responded by rebuking his business managers, increasing his spending and demanding they find some way to pay for it.

The firm, fired by Depp in 2016, said it is owed $4.2 million and was forced to launch foreclosure proceedings on Depp’s property.

‘The only reason Depp filed this lawsuit was to interfere with TMG’s ongoing efforts to be repaid on the loan they had made to bail him out,’ TMG said. 

The case was settled in July 2018.

Johnny Depp ‘forcibly punched’ a crew member on City Of Lies set 

A crew member of Depp's yet-to-be-released film, City Of Lies, accused him of 'forcefully punching' him

A crew member of Depp’s yet-to-be-released film, City Of Lies, accused him of ‘forcefully punching’ him

A crew member of Depp’s yet-to-be-released film, City Of Lies, accused him of ‘forcefully punching’ him.

The Hollywood veteran was at a receiving end of a lawsuit in July, as location manager Gregg ‘Rocky’ Brooks claimed the Edward Scissorhands actor struck him on multiple occasions amid a dispute during filming, it was reported.

Brooks said that during production the evening of April 13, 2017, he told Depp and Furman they needed to wrap things up based on their schedule. He said a boozy Depp hit him two times in his ribs, then told him, ‘I will give you $100,000 to punch me in the face right now,’ before the star’s guards guided him away.  

However the film’s script supervisor, Emma Danoff, has claimed that the dispute was actually sparked when Brooks racially abused a African-American homeless woman who got in his way.

In a declaration Danoff claimed she was sitting with Depp when they witnessed Brooks using ‘racial and derogatory slurs’ about 25 feet away, according to a new report in The Hollywood Reporter. 

Danoff stated in her declaration: ‘He immediately stood up from our shared seat on the edge of a planter bench and went over to Brooks to stand up for the woman.’

She claimed no punches were thrown and that there was no offer of $100,000, and said she took multiple photographs of the incident which support her account.  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk