The case Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: "there is always a ‘good guy’ and a ‘bad guy’"

Simone Driessen is media researcher at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication and focuses on cancel culture.

The case between Depp and Heard was broadcasted via many livestreams. “You wanted to be there live, to join in on the discussions”, Simone tells RTL Nieuws. Consequently, many people felt like they had to form an opinion on the matter. “That is bizarre,” says Simone, “because that is actually the jury’s job. We are not educated to act as a judge, but are working towards a denouement en masse.”

It is hard to predict the future career of an actor that makes a misstep, or is accused of doing so. “If you get the chance to come back at all, it is still hard to foresee how people will react”, Simone explains. “You don’t lose the cancel culture label overnight. People may be willing to forgive, but we do not forget that easily.”

According to Simone, Depp tactically turns the violation of his private life to his advantage: “there is always a ‘good guy’ and a ‘bad guy’. Depp’s team has been very successful in making him look friendly and human, whilst Heard comes across as more cold.”

One thing is certain, both of them feel the consequences of the case. “The concept of disapproving of someone and condemning them is, of course, not new, but since the MeToo movement the term ‘canceling’ has started to live. Lately, this has taken flight even more. These days, social media plays a large role in determining for how long someone is canceled and how fast it happens.”