One thing we can say about Johnny Depp is that he sure likes the spotlight.
The actor and musician marked the end of a highly publicized seven-week defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard with a surprise appearance at a Jeff Beck concert at Sheffield City Hall in England Sunday.
“Well ... what a surprise we got last night when Johnny Depp joined @jeffbeckmusic on stage,” the venue tweeted Monday. “Wishing @jeffbeckmusic good luck for the rest of his amazing tour and a big thank you to Johnny Depp for joining us!”
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star appeared completely unbothered just days after his and Heard’s lawyers made closing arguments and a jury broke to deliberate a verdict on his $50 million suit.
Numerous outlets and social media posts report that Depp and Beck rocked out to a few covers, including Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin’ On” and John Lennon’s “Isolation.”
Depp is no stranger to the concert stage. He, along with musicians Alice Cooper and Joe Perry, formed the supergroup Hollywood Vampires in 2012.
The slog that was Depp’s defamation case against Heard began last month. Depp had sued Heard over a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Though Depp was not named in the article, he claims it affected his reputation and lost him work. Heard filed a counterclaim for $100 million.
Although Depp sued Heard for defamation, the trial has prompted a massive social-media backlash against his ex-wife, with Depp’s fans — and even some celebrities — downplaying Heard’s allegations of domestic violence.
One of Heard’s attorneys, Benjamin Rottenborn, implored the jury Friday to “think about the message that Mr. Depp and his attorneys are sending to Amber and, by extension, every victim of domestic abuse everywhere: If you didn’t take pictures, it didn’t happen. If you did take pictures, they’re fake. If you didn’t tell your friends, you’re lying. And if you did tell your friends, they’re part of the hoax. If you didn’t seek medical treatment, you weren’t injured. If you did seek medical treatment, you’re crazy.”
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.