Amber Heard’s Ex Breaks Silence: What She Saw During the Johnny Depp Trial
Bianca Butti, a cinematographer and former partner of Amber Heard, has shared her perspective on Heard’s highly publicized legal battles with Johnny Depp in a new book, Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine. Written by Kelly Loudenberg and Makiko Wholey, the book dives into the turbulent relationship between Heard and Depp and the intense courtroom drama that followed.
Originally planned as a documentary, the project evolved into a detailed written account.
Butti, who was in a relationship with Heard after her 2016 divorce from Depp, provided personal stories and behind-the-scenes videos for the book.
Though their romance had ended by the time of the 2022 Virginia trial, Butti remained a close supporter. She described watching Heard testify as deeply unsettling. “It almost sounded like someone else was talking,” Butti said.
“By the time you tell it a million times you remove yourself from emotional content. I believe all of it. Especially as someone who was her intimate partner. If I made a sudden move during an argument, she would recoil. It was clear to me that she was in a very violent relationship.”
Reflecting on Heard and Depp’s marriage, Butti called it volatile and destructive. “She was trying to stand her own ground and he just wasn’t having it. He was blacked out and drinking, a lot of drug doing, alcohol, and that is always a recipe for disaster,” she said. Butti also noted Heard’s emotional state during the legal process, saying, “
She had nowhere to put everything. She didn’t know how to cry. She didn’t know how to freak out. She didn’t know how to break down. She just knew how to keep going. She was completely detached… She was shut down.”
Heard and Depp’s relationship began on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011, leading to their marriage in 2015. Heard filed for divorce in 2016, alleging abuse, which Depp denied. Their legal disputes unfolded in two major cases: a U.K. lawsuit where Depp unsuccessfully sued The Sun over a “wife beater” label, and a U.S. case where he sued Heard over an op-ed about surviving abuse. Depp won the Virginia trial in 2022, but the two later settled. Heard called the verdict “disappointing” and a “setback” for women, while Depp said it restored his life.
Butti publicly supported Heard on Instagram, writing, “My support goes out to Amber Heard and all survivors of sexual, physical, psychological abuse. What is happening in the media, social and other, is just awful and inappropriate. Amber is someone I am grateful to call a friend and no one who stands up to speak the truth should be treated like this.”
The book seems like a chance to explore the human side of a story often reduced to headlines, though I worry it might reignite divisive debates. Both Heard and Depp’s lives were deeply affected, and I hope the focus shifts toward healing rather than more public battles. What do you think about Butti’s perspective and the book’s take on this controversy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
