Things have been going downhill for Johnny Depp since he met actress Amber Heard on the set of 2011's Rum Diary. By 2015, he had ditched his long-time partner and the mother of his two children Vanessa Paradis and married the blonde bombshell.
Whereas his time with Paradis had been a relatively stable time in his life, the marriage to wild-child, bi-sexual Amber Heard seemed to have knocked Johnny off-balance. There were lots of drugs and alcohol and fights. And by 2016 Heard had filed for divorce, claiming domestic abuse. She even rolled up to court one day sporting a bruise.
The first fallout from the scandal came in 2018 when Disney ditched Depp from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Then the U.K.'s Sun newspaper called him a "wife-beater". And in 2020 Johnny made the mistake of filing a libel suit against them in a U.K. court for libel. He lost and was denied the right to appeal.
That's it, many said. Johnny Depp is canceled big time. He's washed up, finished. Only time will tell.
So while Depp waits for time to march on, what has he been up to since he lost that U.K. case?
He's Hit Instagram In A Big Way
Before the summer trial in the U.K. Depp hit Instagram in a big way, garnering 1.8 million followers in one day! Since then he has used it to portray the "good guy" Depp image. Fans lap it up. And if Depp has anything going for him it is his loyal fan base, many of whom have remained loyal throughout his struggles with Amber Heard.
His posts show Depp in a flattering light. And he shares little messages of hope and thanks to his loyal fans. And he uses the site to protest his innocence.
Back in November when the verdict in his U.K. libel trial was announced, Johnny took to Instagram to thank fans for their support and announced that he had been asked to resign his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. He did, with some style and grace.
Fans were outraged and the "Justice Johny Depp" just got stronger and strong. He now has 3.1 million followers on Instagram.
But it has to be said that many of his posts harken back to the "good old days" with lots of Captain Jack Sparrow pictures and snaps of the A-list Johnny Depp. It's sad really.
He's Flogging Depp Merchandise
No kidding. There's a link on his Instagram account to deppmerch.com. There you can purchase a Depp Head hat for around $30 and a Captain Jack Neck Gaiter for just under $25. Johnny Depp Pilot Sunglasses are a bargain at a mere $20. And he just had to get in a diss to Heard with his $30 "Violence Has No Gender" tee-shirt.
The website proclaims: "We are Depp Merch, a small but motivated company specializing in Johnny Depp Merchandise. We are huge fans of Johnny Depp and his work. Our goal is to bring you the most amazing merchandise related to Depp's movie roles and his everyday fashion style."
Johnny just has to be getting a cut of the takings as he has a link to the site in his Instagram bio. And, according to designhill.com, he's likely receiving money from other companies who use his name and image on tee-shirts and the like.
He Made $10 Million For One Scene In 'Fantastic Beasts 3'
Back in November when he lost his U.K. libel case, he was asked to resign from his role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3. Mads Mikkelsen was hired to take his place. Depp had only filmed one scene. But he still got his full salary of $10 million. Why? It's simple really. His contract stipulates that he be paid his full salary even if the role is recast.
Lockdown: Of Art, Music, And Communicating With Fans
Johnny Depp is in lockdown mode. He has hunkered down in his L.A. compound. And, probably remotely, he is reportedly voicing the animated bird character of Johnny Puff in Puffins.
And he's taking time to paint and practice his much-loved music. Don't forget that Depp and Alice Cooper formed a rock group called The Hollywood Vampires. Depp's a mean guitar player and a fairly talented painter.
Despite everything, he still has a contract with Dior to do Sauvage fragrance commercials for them. The company got a lot of dissing on social media for that decision. But, thus far, they have stuck by Johnny Depp. Apparently, sales of Sauvage are up.
In lockdown, Johnny Depp is frequently posting to Instagram, thanking his loyal fans and posting pictures of himself, now and then.
But, mostly Johnny Depp just waits for the phone to ring with the offer of a role. While rumors circulate about a new collaboration with quirky director Tim Burton occasionally surface, nothing appears to have materialized.
If the phone does ring, it's probably the lawyers he using in his pending $50 million defamation suit against Amber Heard with more bad news. The latest? Johnny will have to turn over his communications to former girlfriends, texts, and otherwise.
2021 is not looking like a good year for Depp, despite all his hopes.