During Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s high-profile trial, it felt like something new was going viral everyday. One of those things had to do with Fifty Shades and Suspiria actress Dakota Johnson. During the events of the trial, a video resurfaced of Johnson alongside Depp while they were promoting their 2015 movie Black Mass, and Depp’s bandaged middle finger, which allegedly was the result of an altercation with Heard, pulled her into the conversation. The actress has shared her reaction to being roped into things.
Dakota Johnson was recently asked if she’s seen the 2015 clip, which has resurfaced and garnered over three million views with the title “The EXACT moment Dakota Johnson KNEW Amber Heard was VIOLENT towards Johnny Depp.” In her words:
I was like, ‘For the love of God, why? Why am I involved in this?’ I don’t remember that at all, but please, take me out of this. Don’t let this go further. Can you imagine, oh, my God, if I was called to the witness stand? I can’t believe that people are watching [the trial] like it’s a show. It’s like it’s a courtroom drama and my heart breaks. It’s so, so, so crazy. Humans are so fucking weird. The internet is a wild, wild place.
In the video, Dakota Johnson and Johnny Depp are sitting next to each other for a Black Mass press conference while their director, Scott Cooper, is speaking. It looks as though Johnson noticed Depp’s injured finger, which was about spoken at length during the recent trial, and they appeared to be talking about it. Here’s the viral video:
Dakota Johnson is far from the only celebrity who was mentioned and caught in the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard fiasco. Other big names like Paul Bettany, James Franco, Marilyn Manson and Elon Musk were also mentioned during the proceedings. During her candid interview with Vanity Fair, Johnson said she would likely never talk about the topic specifically, but she did continue with these words:
What I struggle with in terms of cancel culture is the term cancel culture—the whole concept behind canceling a human being, like they’re an appointment. No person will not make mistakes in their life. The point of being alive is figuring it out. Hurting other people, harming other people is not okay. There are consequences for those actions. But the concept of the Twitterverse deciding if someone just all of a sudden doesn’t exist anymore is horrifying, heartbreaking, and wrong. I do think that it will pass. I believe that people want to live in a better world, ultimately. Also, Twitter makes up like, what, 12 percent of the world? I mean, some of these people can’t even spell.
Dakota Johnson has not only worked with Johnny Depp, but Shia LaBeouf and Armie Hammer, all of whom have been in the spotlight for major abuse allegations. When asked about her thoughts about it (prior to the Depp/Heard trial, back in 2021), Johnson shared she had never experienced abuse allegations firsthand from those costars and had an “incredible time” working with them.
Dakota Johnson did not want to be part of the major media event, and commented on the trial becoming a “courtroom drama,” when it was in fact a real and serious situation being broadcasted to the world. The trial began on April 11, 2022 and concluded on June 1, 2022, reaching a verdict that leaned heavily in Depp’s favor. The jury found Heard guilty of defamation, rewarding Depp $15 million in punitive and compensatory damages and Depp was found guilty of one aspect of Heard’s countersuit, awarding her $2 million in compensatory damages.
Dakota Johnson stars in Cha Cha Real Smooth, available now to stream with an Apple TV+ subscription with new Jane Austen adaptation Persuasion coming to Netflix on July 15.
