Johnny Depp joins Instagram, thanks fans for 'unwavering support' amid Amber Heard drama: 'I am touched beyond words'
Johnny Depp is officially on social media. The 56-year-old actor, who is quarantining amid the coronavirus pandemic in France, joined Instagram over the weekend. Among his first posts was an eight-minute video, urging people to stay creative in isolation. He also thanked fans for their "unwavering support" as he's embattled in two lawsuits against ex-wife, Amber Heard.
"This is my first experience within the world of social media, I've never done any of this before. I don't think I felt any particular reason to, until now," he began.
Depp filmed the video from a wine cave on his 37-acre property, decorated with some Pirates of the Caribbean furnishings.
"Now is the time to open up a dialogue as the threat of this invisible enemy has already caused immeasurable tragedies and enormous damage on people's lives," he continued. "I feel we need to try and help each other throughout these dark times."
Depp added, "Stay safe, stay well and stay inside your homes. We need to make the best use of this time by being close to the ones we love. ... We cannot and must not succumb to shutting down and giving in to what feels like hellish quarantine monotony. We need to keep ourselves curious as this time in isolation can be used for great learning and remember that today is today and that’s that. There will be no refunds given tomorrow for having missed today. Today ain’t coming back."
The Fantastic Beasts star urged his followers to stay creative and recalled how he’d tell his kids growing up, "Boredom's not allowed, you're not allowed to be bored. There's always something to do, always."
Depp shares children Lily-Rose, 20, and Jack, 18, with Vanessa Paradis. (Depp is following Paradis on Instagram.)
"Stay busy in your minds and we'll get through this thing," the actor added.
Depp concluded on a "personal note."
"Also before I go, on a more, I suppose, personal note, thank you all for your kindness, your unwavering support and your strength over these years," Depp shared. "I am touched beyond words."
The actor has been embroiled in a public feud with Heard, whom he divorced in 2016, over domestic abuse allegations. Depp claims she was the aggressor while the Aquaman actress maintains she was a victim for years.
Depp is suing Heard in a Virginia court for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post about being a survivor of abuse. It will go to trial later this year. In the U.K., Depp is suing News Group Newspapers, the publisher of the Sun, over a 2018 story that called him a "wife-beater." The trial was set to begin last month but was delayed due to the coronavirus. Heard is set to testify on behalf of the newspaper.
Unsurprisingly, Heard is not one of the 92 people Depp is following on Instagram.
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