Brian Cox has said he sympathises with Amber Heard after ex-husband Johnny Depp won his defamation trial against her in June.
The actor, known for playing Logan Roy in Succession, previously called Depp “so overblown” and “so overrated” in his book, Putting The Rabbit In The Hat. He later said he “regretted” his remarks, describing them as an “easy joke”.
Asked about Depp in an interview with The Times, Cox said the “public love him”. After the interviewer suggested the jury in the trial also loved Depp, Cox replied: “Well, they did.”
He added: “I feel sorry for the woman [Heard]. I think she got the rough end of it.”
Depp sued Heard for defamation over a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, where she wrote about being a survivor of domestic violence. While his name isn’t mentioned, Depp’s lawyers argued that it falsely implied she was sexually and physically abused by him in their marriage. Heard filed a counterclaim, arguing he created a smear campaign against her.
The trial concluded in June with the jury siding with Depp, who was awarded $10million (£8million) in compensatory damages and $5million in punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2million for her counterclaim against Depp.
In July, Heard filed an official notice to appeal the outcome of the trial. A spokesperson for Heard said: “We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the first amendment. We are therefore appealing the verdict.”
A two-part documentary about the trial, titled Johnny vs Amber: The US Trial, is set to be released on September 19 on Discovery+. The documentary features interviews with Depp’s lawyers, legal experts and journalists, along with behind-the-scenes footage.
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