According to the author of a new book on Johnny Depp, the actor distorted his troubled childhood to influence the jury during his high-profile 2022 trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
In “Johnny Depp’s Accidental Fixer,” author Paul Barresi exposes a tumultuous world of family secrets, including mental illness, betrayal, substance abuse, and dysfunction, as revealed by RadarOnline.com.
Barresi told us: “My search for the truth took me on a journey back to the Depp family’s roots.”
Barresi, a private investigator, was hired by Heard, 38, to dig up dirt on her ex-husband.
What he found included Depp’s mother Betty Sue’s depression, mania and suicide attempt, as well as his father Johnny Depp Sr.’s DUI, problems finding work and dalliances with other women.
Depp, 61, dramatically testified about his parents in his defamation lawsuit against Heard, but Barresi claimed the actor misrepresented the facts in ultimately winning the case and being awarded more than $10 million.
In his book, Barresi noted: “Johnny’s gripping testimony highlighted Betty Sue’s aggressive, mercurial and malevolent nature, drawing parallels to Amber. Conversely, his depiction of his father as the battered husband and victim resonated with the jury, suggesting similarities to Johnny himself. However, what I uncovered starkly contradicted the courtroom narrative.”
During the trial, Depp portrayed Betty Sue as a villain who was solely responsible for the family breakup. But according to Barresi, Depp’s father played a significant role.
Barresi said: “Johnny testified that his family moved frequently because of his mother, or rather, the ‘fire in her feet’. While this may have been partially true, I discovered that the primary driver behind the frequent relocations was his father’s struggle to find steady work.”
And Barresi contended that the sudden departure of Johnny’s dad and his mother’s failed suicide attempt were due to Depp Sr. falling in love with a co-worker, former high school beauty queen Marsha Johnson. He added that Depp Sr.’s DUI arrest and conviction showed “a likely predilection for alcohol.”
Depp’s dad married Johnson, then divorced her and got hitched again just 16 days later!
Meanwhile, Betty Sue declared 16-year-old Depp self-sufficient following the bust-up of her marriage. She wound up going through five husbands before dying of cancer in 2016.
Depp said of his mom: “She was a hellcat. She was mean, but she was funny.”
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Source: Tampa Bay Times
