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PR expert says the Johnny Depp trial could actually reboot his career, but he may need to play “bad guys”

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As we know, Johnny Depp’s ex-wife, Amber Heard, submitted an op-ed in the Washington Post back in 2018 claiming that she had been abused physically and emotionally by him. Depp argues the piece harmed his image and wrecked his career, even though Heard never addressed him by name. According to Depp, it cost him his roles in the multi-billion-dollar “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise and the “Harry Potter” spinoff “Fantastic Beasts” movie series.

According to Juda Engelmayer, founder of HeraldPR and a crisis public relations specialist, the trial itself has a high potential of reviving Depp’s career.

He’s too important a celebrity to fully withdraw from the movies, Engelmayer said to Insider. The catch? He may no longer be cast as the ‘hero’ in as many films as he used to.

“I don’t think it’ll be family-friendly. I think his role will be different. He’ll be cast in independent films or films where he is maybe the bad guy, a criminal, or a mobster. Someone who at first is not a likable guy, not a fun guy, but someone who’s the bad guy.”

Engelmayer also explained how even if Depp loses the trial, he still wins.

“He got to tell his narrative rather than have it be told by Heard in the Washington Post. He entertained and ended up getting a lot of people, including female audience members, on his side. That’s how he wins, whatever the verdict because he wants the world to see that he is still capable of producing fans and producing entertainment.”

According to the PR specialist, Heard has a pretty good chance of winning because “She’s coming off looking good also”.

“She was considered a hero for putting out her narrative, so now she comes out more of a hero for taking the abuse in her marriage, if believed, and for taking abuse in court last week when he was entertaining, witty, taking it lightly and getting laughs. She’s being strong, bold, and unafraid, sitting up there telling her story. She’s straightforward, and not backing away from it, and fighting for what she believes is right.”

Engelmayer predicts that Depp will gradually reappear in films, but in a less prominent role than previously. She claims that Heard, too, will return.

“She’ll get recast in some films to test the waters to see if she has that moxie. She was never as big as Depp, but a lot of studios may think putting her in is a good draw for women, and for progressives who think she was strong and deserves a chance. She’ll get the roles, and the box office will tell if she can command them.”

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