‘Can I change that?’: Johnny Depp’s ex Ellen Barkin emphasises their relationship was ‘sexual’ not ‘romantic’
Actor was speaking in a video deposition at Depp’s defamation trial against Amber Heard
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Actor Ellen Barkin has said that her relationship with Johnny Depp was “sexual” and not “romantic”, during testimony for his defamation trial against Amber Heard.
Barkin, who is testifying against Depp, said she first became friends with him in 1994 when they worked on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas together. She said that he then “switched the buttons” on their relationship and they started to meet up a few times a week.
When asked what she meant by “switched the buttons”, Barkin said: “The friendship went from purely platonic to a romantic one.”
Moments later, she raised her hand and said: “Can I change that to sexual?”
Her testimony, which was recorded back in 2019, was played in court in Fairfax, Virginia, on Thursday (19 May).
Barkin also testified that she was in a Las Vegas hotel room with Depp, his assistant and his friends one day when there was “a fight going on” and the actor picked up a wine bottle and threw it across the room.
Depp denied the incident took place when Barkin’s claim first emerged, and testified that she called him abusive because she held a “grudge” against him.
“A sexual element began with Ms Barkin which lasted for months on and off really because she was making the film I was making at the time, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” Depp said at the time.
“She wanted a proper relationship with me and I did not want that. I didn’t feel the same about her as she did me and I suppose from that moment on she became very, very angry and since then I have not spoken to Ms Barkin.”
Follow live updates on the trial here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247, or visit their website here.