Thread by @sleeb01

A 🧵looking at how the power dynamics in the Johnny Depp Amber Heard relationship do represent a #MeToo situation. TW: Sexual Harassment/Grooming

#IStandWithAmberHeard

Depp's team argued that Amber's relationship with Depp was not a #MeToo situation.

Remember the #MeToo movement is about women gaining their voices back from men in positions of power over them. The #MeToo movement caught fire in 2017 when film producer #HarveyWeinstein was exposed as a serial predator of actresses.

Hollywood came under fire for the well known but rarely taken seriously experience of actresses being sexually assaulted/harrassed by men working in the industry. Amber discusses the #MeToo movement in her Op-Ed.

Amber and Depp first met during the casting process for the Rum Diary in 2008. Amber was 22 and Depp was 44. Amber was not a well known actress at the time and Depp was hot off of successes like Sweeney Todd and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Depp was heavily involved with "The Rum Diary". He was the lead role, producer and close friends with Hunter S. Thompson, who had passed, and tasked with bringing his late friend's work to life.

Amber had a few casting calls for the Rum Diary and was ultimately cast after a meeting with Depp.

Depp called her to inform her she got the role. Telling her she "was the dream, kid" and the role was "the perfect woman".

Depp shared his memory of first meeting Amber during the meeting for the Rum Diary during Amber's 30th birthday party.

Depp wanted Amber to take guidance from the performance of Lauren Bacall in the 1944 movie "To Have and Have Not". Lauren Bacall was 19 when the movie was made and Humphrey Bogart, the male lead, was 45. Bacall and Bogart were married in 1945.

Bacall's character was named Slim and Bogart's Steve. These were the nicknames Depp and Amber used for each other during their relationship.

The character's name Slim in "To Have and Have Not" was a reference to the director and producer Howard Hawks' wife Slim Keith. Slim Keith was 24 when she married Howard Hawks who was 45.

Depp gave Amber VIP treatment when she was shooting the film.

And gave her expensive gifts for her birthday.

Depp was very aware of the nudity required for Amber's role and has a very strong memory about his involvement in a particular scene that required it.

When Amber and Depp shot a kissing scene, Depp grabbed Amber's face and used his tongue while kissing her.

Depp while verbally abusing Amber on a private flight asked her if a male costar had slipped a tongue while they were filming a romantic scene.

Depp was inappropriate in his trailer with Amber.

Amber felt nervous and intimidated that Depp was pursuing her romantically during the filming of the Rum Diary.

Depp called Amber after filming on the movie had wrapped when they were both in L.A. under the pretense of talking about the movie and the director being there.

Depp sent Amber multiple gifts after filming the movie. Including a time when Amber was away filming a different movie, Depp had expensive guitars sent to her house.

Incidentally, Depp read quite a bit of meaning into Richard Simmons sending Amber his book when Amber and Depp were dating and made sure to humiliate Amber and "mark his territory".

Amber was invited to travel with Depp for the Rum Diary's press tour. Depp invited her at the end of the first day to his hotel room for a drink with him and the director of the movie. When she got there the director was not there.

Amber had been swept off her feet during the press tour and their relationship began at this point.

When Amber visited Depp in New York, she got her own room and after checking in, when she left the hotel and came back she found her bags had been moved to his room and Depp said she would be staying with him.

Depp did not want Amber acting.

He has made his opinion on actresses clear.

Depp was able to interfere with Amber's career in many ways due to his connections in the business.

Depp would call people she was working on films with to keep tabs on her.

Amber had to go as far as telling her assistant not to give Depp her call sheet for the day because he would show up unexpectedly on set.

He was condescending about giving her advice on her acting career.

Depp insinuated that he got Amber her role in Aquaman.

After Amber finally had had enough and filed the TRO against Depp he took aim at her career.

He tried to have her removed from Aquaman.

Amber had to fight to keep her role in Aquaman and wrote about her experiences following filing the TRO in her Op-Ed.

Depp had a curious moment on the stand when talking about #MeToo.

Depp would not have been able to see #MeToo coming. As the movement is about female agency and empowerment against powerful men, an idea that is so fearful to Depp that he has subjected his ex-wife to two humiliating, invasive trials on two different continents.

In the tradition of Brock Turner being the textbook definition of a rapist, perhaps Johnny Depp's abuse over Amber Heard should be the textbook definition of #MeToo.