As Johnny Depp battles domestic abuse claims with his ex, Amber Heard, Winona Ryder has come to his defense.
She’s called them “impossible to believe.”
TW: This article contains depictions or discussions of domestic abuse and may be triggering to some readers.
This is Winona Ryder.
You might know her from Netflix’s Stranger Things as Joyce Byers, but back in the day (the ’90s), she was somewhat of a big thing.
She starred in beloved movies, such as “Beetlejuice,” “Girl, Interrupted,” and “Edward Scissorhands.”
Her personal life was thriving on all accounts as well.
She was BFFs with fellow Hollywood “It” girl, Gwyneth Paltrow. The two girls even dated BFFs Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, respectively.
By 1998, though, their friendship ended after Paltrow reportedly stumbled upon the script for “Shakespeare in Love” in Ryder’s home.
Gwyneth reportedly went behind her best friend’s back to ask for an audition.
She got the part and, to make the whole situation sting even more, went on to win an Oscar for it.
During this time, Winona at least had some high-profile relationships to lean on.
This included her four-year one with ’90s heartthrob, Johnny Depp, who she first met at the 1989 premiere of Great B***s of Fire! in New York.
Winona was 17 at the time and Depp was 26.
Their love moved fast, as Depp proposed after just five months of dating!
“There’s been nothing in my 27 years that’s comparable to the feeling I have with Winona,” he once told People about Ryder.
Sadly, the pair ended their engagement three years later in ’93.
“They’re young, and they grew apart,” Ryder’s rep told People .
“When I met Johnny, I was pure virgin,” she once said .
“He changed that. He was my first everything. My first real kiss. My first real boyfriend. My first fiancé. The first guy I had s*x with. So he’ll always be in my heart. Forever.”
Well, it looks like this still remains true as Winona has come to the defense of her ex as he battles domestic violence claims made by his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
For a quick refresher, Johnny and Amber got married when they were 51 and 28, respectly.
Things didn’t last long, though, as Deep soon filed for divorce 15 months later, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
However, a week later, Heard filed a domestic violence restraining order against Depp.
“During the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me,” she wrote in court documents.
“I endured excessive emotional, verbal and physical abuse from Johnny, which has included angry hostile, humiliating and threatening assaults to me whenever I questioned his authority or disagreed with him.”
Depp was adamant in denying the claims and in March 2019, the actor filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit.
This was against Heard over the op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post .
In it, she called herself a domestic abuse victim.
He called Heard’s claims an “elaborate hoax” to “advance her career.”
He also claimed that Heard “violently abused” him, calling her the “perpetrator.”
The most recent development in this case is Winona jumping to Depp’s defence.
In court files, she said that she was “absolutely shocked, confused and upset” over the allegations that her ex had been violent with Heard.
She said that these domestic violence claims are “impossible to believe.”
“The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved,” she wrote.
Her statements continued:
“I knew Johnny very well years ago. We were together as a couple for four years, and I counted him as my best friend, and as close to me as family.”
“I count our relationship as one of the more significant relationships of my life. I understand that it is very important that I speak from my own experience.”
The court process in this case is still ongoing, so we’ll keep you updated as this story develops.
Last Updated on March 13, 2020 by Sarah Kester