Johnny Depp's lawyers feared that he would lose his temper on the stand during his defamation trial with Amber Heard.
Johnny Depp's lawyers were worried about losing temper in court
The 61-year-old star's legal representatives Benjamin Chew and Jessica Meyers gave an insight into the 2022 Virginia court case and their legal strategy in the TV programme 'Interrogation Raw: Celebrity Under Oath' as they discussed Depp's "helpful" use of humour and their worries that he could have an outburst while being cross-examined by his ex-wife's lawyers.
Chew said: "Johnny's use of humour really undermined whatever serious point Amber's counsel was trying to make. We wanted to humanise Johnny before the jury so they could understand why hitting the woman he loved was something that he's just not capable of.
"But the one thing that we're concerned about is whether he might lose his temper. The other side is gonna do everything possible to get Johnny to show anger."
He added: "One of the things that lawyers try to do on cross-examination is to maintain control of the witness. That's something that Johnny simply did not allow (Heard's attorney Ben Rottenborn) to do."
Depp sued Heard for defamation for an op-ed she penned about surviving domestic abuse - although she did not name him in the piece - and the jury sided with the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor as she paid him $1 million in damages.
Chew recalled Johnny's reaction when the team called to inform him about the verdict as he couldn't be in court on the day.
The lawyer said: "He was elated, and he sounded as if the weight of the world was off of his shoulders. I mean, he sounded like a kid, he was thrilled."
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