Actor Depp Denies Slapping Ex-Wife in Row over 'Wino Forever' Tattoo

Actor Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London, Britain July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
Actor Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London, Britain July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
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Actor Depp Denies Slapping Ex-Wife in Row over 'Wino Forever' Tattoo

Actor Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London, Britain July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
Actor Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London, Britain July 7, 2020. (Reuters)

Hollywood star Johnny Depp denied slapping his ex-wife Amber Heard after he became angry because she mocked him over one of his tattoos, London's High Court heard on Wednesday.

Giving evidence on the second day of his libel trial against Britain's Sun newspaper, Depp was asked by the paper's lawyer about an incident at Heard's home in March 2013 when he had "fallen off the wagon" and it was alleged he had struck her.

Sasha Wass, the Sun's lawyer, said Depp, who had started drinking again after months of sobriety, had become angry when she laughed at one of his tattoos which he had changed from "Winona forever" - a reference to his former girlfriend Winona Ryder - to "Wino forever".

He had then slapped her three times because she had initially not reacted, Wass said.

"That's not the case, that's untrue. It didn't happen," Depp said. "I don't recall any argument about any of my tattoos."

Depp is suing The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article he wrote in which he labelled the actor a "wife beater", based on allegations from actress Heard.

The paper says its account is true and that Heard, 34, says Depp punched, slapped and kicked her during violent rages, brought on by anger and jealousy and fueled by alcohol and drugs, which put her in fear for her life.

In evidence and in his witness statement to the court on Tuesday, Depp, 57, accused Heard, who is also attending the trial, of lying, saying she had attacked him, severing his finger off during one encounter.

He denies that he turned into "the monster" when under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Among the evidence given to the court on Tuesday was a detailed account of Depp's heavy drinking and drug-taking, with the actor saying he had tried "every drug known to man" and spent $30,000 a month on wine.

He said he had introduced his 13-year-old daughter to marijuana, saying he wanted to be sure the drug was good quality and she was in a safe environment when she tried it, and that singer Elton John had helped him get treatment for his drinking.

Heard or her friends were also accused by Depp of defecating in their bed as a prank, and Heard was accused of having affairs with Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and actor James Franco.

The couple met on the set of the 2011 film "The Rum Diary" and married in February 2015. However, Heard filed for divorce after 15 months and their divorce was finalized in 2017. The case is set to last three weeks.



Apple's 'F1: The Movie' Roars to Top of US, Canada Box Office

Cast member Brad Pitt attends the "F1: The Movie" European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. (Reuters)
Cast member Brad Pitt attends the "F1: The Movie" European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. (Reuters)
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Apple's 'F1: The Movie' Roars to Top of US, Canada Box Office

Cast member Brad Pitt attends the "F1: The Movie" European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. (Reuters)
Cast member Brad Pitt attends the "F1: The Movie" European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. (Reuters)

Apple's high-octane racing film "F1: The Movie" roared to the top of the US and Canadian box office this weekend, fueled by star-power and a finely-tuned marketing campaign, according to Comscore.

The movie, which stars Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 racer who returns to the track after an accident nearly ends his career, brought in $55.6 million in ticket sales in the two countries. That tally edged past the $45 million to $55 million pre-weekend domestic forecast from the Boxoffice Company.

Worldwide receipts topped $88 million, propelled by the sport's strong fan base in Europe and Latin America.

Racing films typically sputter in theaters, according to Daniel Loria, senior vice president of the Boxoffice Company, a theatrical ecommerce and data services firm. The most successful of the genre, the widely acclaimed "Ford v Ferrari," opened to a modest $31 million in November 2019.

"We haven't had that many movies about car racing that have broken through," Loria said. One notable outlier is the "Fast & Furious" action series that expanded beyond its street racing roots to include heists, espionage and an improbable moon shot.

"F1" had several factors weighing in its favor, helping to broaden its appeal beyond racing enthusiasts. The film's director, Joseph Kosinski, brought the same high-intensity cinematic treatment of Formula 1 racing that he lent to the fighter jet sequences in his 2022 movie, "Top Gun: Maverick." Moviegoers who were polled by CinemaScore gave F1 an A rating, signaling their approval.

Netflix's "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" series helped fuel the popularity of Formula 1 racing, particularly in the US Apple also put marketing muscle behind its movie, an Apple Original Films production that Variety reported cost in excess of $200 million to make.

The tech giant touted "F1" during CEO Tim Cook's keynote address at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference and offered a movie discount to iPhone users. Apple Music also amplified the film's soundtrack.

Warner Bros, which marketed and distributed the movie, developed a bespoke campaign that emphasized the participation of Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton in Europe and Latin America, while focusing on Pitt in the US.

"It's very much like a perfectly coordinated pit crew in a race," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with Comscore, an information and analytics company. "They shot this thing off the starting line with great success."

"F1" represents the biggest opening weekend for Apple, whose previous cinematic efforts, such as director Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," garnered critical acclaim but achieved modest results at the box office.

"The film's outstanding debut reflects both the excitement of Formula 1 and the deeply emotional and entertaining story crafted by the entire cast and creative team," Zack Van Amburg, Apple's head of worldwide video, said in a statement.