Johnny Depp Takes The Stand During Defamation Trial, Calls Amber Heard's Abuse Claims 'Heinous'

UPDATE 4:24 P.M. PST: The judge recessed the court and Johnny will be back on the stand Wednesday to give the second part of his testimony. The first part has been filled in below.

Johnny Depp is sharing his “truth” amid his blockbuster libel lawsuit trial against Amber Heard.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star took the stand in Fairfax County, Virginia on Tuesday to testify against his ex-wife, whom he is suing for $50 million, claiming that she defamed him in an op-ed she published in The Washington Post alleging she was a victim of domestic abuse.

The Oscar winner kicked off his testimony by calling Heard’s op-ed “heinous,” unequivocally stating:

“I never struck Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any women in my life… My goal is the truth.”

The actor went on to describe Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse “diabolical” before explaining that he was “doing the right thing” by pursuing the high-profile case. He told the Fairfax County Courthouse:

“It was a complete shock, it just didn’t need to go in that direction, as nothing of the kind ever happened… There were arguments, and things of that nature, but never did myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in anyway, nor have I struck anyone in my life.”

At that point, Johnny recounted his abusive childhood and early drug use, confessing that he was introduced to marijuana and other substances at age 11 after popping his mother’s nerve pills. He shared:

“I pretty much had done all the drugs I was aware of by 15 years old.”

However, he stressed that Amber’s representation of his past drug use was “grossly embellished,” adding:

“I’m sorry to say but a lot of it is just plainly false. I think that it was an easy target for her to hit, because once you’ve trusted someone for a certain amount of years and told them all the secrets in your life, that information can be used against you. Especially if it’s taken to the point where it’s teetering on impossible, over at times… I am not some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time. In fact, from before Australia and in Australia, I had been off of alcohol for about 18 months.”

The actor then recalled his relationship with Heard, who seemed “too good to be true” at the beginning of their romance. He explained:

“She seemed to be the perfect partner in a sense, in my head for me because she seemed to be very knowledgeable about old obscure blues music. She was literate. She was sweet, funny, nice. She was wonderful. And then things just started to change or things started to reveal themselves.”

See more of his description of the beginning of their romance (below):

Needless to say, it didn’t stay “perfect.”

Depp said that Heard had almost become another person within a year and a half, describing how the actress would get upset if things in her routine with him got broken. During one alleged incident, for example, Amber chastised him for taking off his boots by himself — something she’d become accustomed to doing for him. He also claimed that she would dictate his bedtimes, which he found odd.

The actor made a point to mention his great relationship with Amber’s sister, Whitney, whom he had apparently spent a lot of time with. Johnny said he and Whitney did drugs together 2-3 times, and that she lived in his penthouse on and off for a couple of years, rent free.

At one point during his testimony, Depp said he’s taking the stand to prove the Aquaman star’s claims have “no truth to it whatsoever” and because he feels a responsibility to “stand up for my children” — his daughter Lily-Rose, 22, and son Jack Depp, 20. Johnny continued:

“I thought it was diabolical that my children would have to go to school, have their friends or people in the school approach them with the infamous People magazine cover with Ms. Heard with a dark bruise on her face… I didn’t deserve that nor did my children nor did the people who have believed in me for all those years… It was my responsibility to not only clear my name… I wanted to clear my children of this horrid thing they had to read about their father, that was untrue.”

Johnny was in the middle of explaining Amber’s friend dynamic and how he helped a few of her buddies out with free places to live when the judged paused his testimony for the day. He’ll be on the stand later this week for cross examination, with Amber set to take the stand herself later in the proceedings.

The trial is set to run for five weeks, and we’ll keep you updated every step of the way.

See Tuesday’s full testimony (below):