Johnny Depp must take responsibility for his actions – this starts by checking into rehab

Addicts are ill – compassion rather than condemnation is the cure – but Depp must take the opportunity to address his personal demons

Johnny Depp lost his libel case against The Sun newspaper (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Johnny Depp, it was announced on Monday, will receive full payment for the new Fantastic Beasts film, despite being forced to resign from his role. As you have no doubt read, he recently lost a libel case against The Sun newspaper, which described him as a “wife-beater”. Mr Justice Nicol found that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor had assaulted then-wife Amber Heard 12 times, leaving her in fear for her life. This proved, he said, that the allegations made by the newspaper were “substantially true”.

The public’s anger at his behaviour is entirely understandable. Domestic abuse can never be condoned, regardless of the state of mind of the perpetrator. But step away from the media circus and what this trial gave us was an insight into the troubled, unmanageable life of an addict. The lurid photographs presented to the court – Depp slumped to the floor, a tub of ice cream dribbling between his legs, lines of cocaine, glasses of whiskey, and a box of pills nearby – depict a desperately unwell man. There needs to be compassion for addiction.  

Depp’s behaviour has rightly been condemned but any compassion for his illness has been bypassed. Addicts are ill. Compassion rather than condemnation is the cure. Sufferers use drugs and alcohol to alter their consciousness and silence a brain-chatter, emptiness and unease. If an addict does not treat their illness before it is too late, they will inevitably face devastating consequences, such as the ones laid out in the verdict. Untreated addiction harms before it kills. It's not an excuse, but it is an explanation and there is a solution in recovery.  

Depp has been open about his dealings with alcoholism and addiction throughout his life. He recalls taking his mother's “nerve pills” aged 11. The court also heard that Depp, described as a “hopeless addict”, may “not even remember” the altercations with Heard. One of the first incidents described to the court involved Depp attempting an at-home medical detox from prescription opioid Roxicodone, most commonly misused to medicate a restless mind. 

His drug and alcohol abuse had increased dramatically in later years, coinciding with his increasingly violent behaviour. Men with alcohol problems are six times more likely to abuse their partners. During the trial, it was said that he had relapsed into a cycle of regular substance abuse during his marriage to Heard. This could be why Vanessa Paradis reported no knowledge of the other side to Depp; he was sober throughout much of their marriage.

The judge endorsed the notion that Depp had a “monster side”, something Depp could have been alluding to in 2016 when he took to the stage at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He told the audience that studios get “very frightened” by what he brings to his characters, and he thanked Heard “for living with all these characters, which can't be easy”. He said: “It’s hard for me – it's got to be hard for her.”    

Depp must take responsibility for his actions and their consequences. He can start to do this by admitting he needs help, and turning his focus to personal recovery. But this time needs to be different. After all, he has tried and failed before.

With a newfound gap in his schedule, it is not too late for Depp to take personal responsibility. He now has the opportunity to address the personal demons driving this behaviour and regain his sobriety to recover who he really is, starting by checking into rehab.