Actress Ellen Barkin, a former flame of Johnny Depp, is expected to be a “key” witness for Amber Heard in a $50 million defamation case launched by Depp against the “Aquaman” actress.
Barkin said she briefly dated Depp in 1998, more than two decades ago. The pair connected when they starred in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” together.
Barkin has claimed that there was an “air of violence” around Depp during their relationship, while Depp has suggested “The Fan” actress is holding a “grudge” against him for not wanting to be in a serious relationship with her, claiming their relationship was instead one based merely on sex.
During Depp’s libel trial against British tabloid The Sun, Barkin said that while Depp never physically assaulted her, he would yell during their relationship, and one time threw a bottle of wine. Barkin said the bottle did not strike her, nor anyone else.
“Yes, Mr. Depp threw a wine bottle across the room, the hotel room, in one instance, in Las Vegas, while we were shooting ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,'” the actress said, according to Newsweek.
“There is always an air of violence around him,” Barkin added.
Depp testified during the libel trial that, essentially, Barkin has an axe to grind.
“A sexual element began with Ms. Barkin which lasted for months on and off really because she was making the film I was making at the time, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” the actor testified, according to the Daily Mail.
“She wanted a proper relationship with me and I did not want that,” Depp continued. “I didn’t feel the same about her as she did me and I suppose from that moment on she became very, very angry and since then I have not spoken to Ms. Barkin.”
Other women who’ve been romantically linked to Depp have spoken out in his favor, including French singer Vanessa Paradis, who has two children with the actor.
Notably, Paradis has publicly called Heard’s accusations “false facts.”
“Through all of these years I’ve known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person,” the singer said, The Guardian reported.
“On movie sets the actors, directors and entire crew adore him because he is so humble and respectful to everyone as well as being one of the best actors we’ve seen,” Paradis added. “I have seen that these outrageous statements have been really distressing and also caused damage to his career because unfortunately people have gone on believing these false facts.”