Johnny Depp traded the courtroom for the stage, just two days after his lawyers gave final arguments in a defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
The actor joined his friend and rocker Jeff Beck, 77, on stage at Sheffield City Hall in England on Sunday to perform on covers of John Lennon’s “Isolation”, Marvin’s “What’s Going On” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Little” Happened.
Footage from the surprise performance posted to Instagram shows Depp playing the lead singer on the microphone.
The 58-year-old actor and Heard is struggling in Fairfax County Courthouse Virginia after Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against his ex-wife in a 2018 op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post That he was a victim of “domestic abuse”, but did not identify him. Hurd is counting him at $100 million.
The outcome of the case was placed in the hands of the jury on Friday afternoon, when both sides made concluding arguments.
“There’s a misdemeanor in this courtroom, but it’s not Mr. Depp,” said his lawyer, Camille Vasquez. “Miss Heard is really the abuser and Mr. Depp is the abuser.”
Meanwhile, Heard’s lawyers called on a jury to defend Heard’s right to free speech.
“This trial is much more than Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard. It is about freedom to speak and stand, defend it and reject Mr. Depp’s claims against Amber,” said his lawyer, Ben Rottenborn.
The jury broke without a verdict for the long weekend, but is set to return Tuesday at 9 a.m. to resume deliberations.
