Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard continued with the Edwards Scissorhands star being cross examined on Monday April 25. At one point, the defense’s lawyer J. Benjamin Rottenborn played an audio snippet of a discussion between Johnny, 58, and Amber, 36, where he told his ex-wife that he wanted to “walk away” or else they would have a “bloodbath” of an argument.
The section of the conversation played in court began with the Pirates of the Caribbean actor apparently telling Amber that he needed some space. “Walking away is necessary—is necessary, especially between you and I. It is of utmost importance, because the next move, if I don’t walk away—or just go out for a little while—it’s just going to be a bloodbath,” he said. “It’s just not worth it.”
Amber responded that she also didn’t want a bloodbath, rather than him to leave. “I’m not trying to say, ‘Hey, by the way, no one in their right mind is going to choose a bloodbath over walking away.’ Obviously, if you’re given the option between the two—,” she said, before Johnny interrupted to ask a question. “Then, why has it been chosen so many times?” he said.
Before the clip ended, Amber told Johnny that she wasn’t asking him to have a “bloodbath” argument by staying with her. “I’m not asking you to have a bloodbath over walking away. I’m asking you to work it out over prolonging it to making it bigger,” she said.
After the clip, Amber’s lawyer asked if there were other instances where Johnny used the term “bloodbath” to describe arguments that the two had. He read a text where he’d told Amber about a book titled Disco Bloodbath, and she apparently asked if it was about their previous Friday evening. “How can you make me smile about such a hideous moment? Yes, it is. Funny b***h,” the response read.
Shortly after asking if he’d read the text correctly, the attorney proceeded to play another audio recording. After the cross examination and a brief recess, Johnny’s lawyer questioned him yet again, and she brought up the “Disco Bloodbath” text, the actor described it as a “lighthearted” exchange. He said that he saw the book and thought that it had an amusing title. “I can’t say that was necessarily referencing anything other than I thought it was a funny title,” he said. He also said that he didn’t recall what she meant by asking if it was about the previous Friday.