What will Johnny Depp’s legal victory mean for his and Amber Heard’s careers?

Depp may have to trade big-budget Hollywood roles for independent films, while Heard now has a considerably higher profile as an activist than as an actor

Each actor’s future prospects were central to the trial itself Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Johnny Depp’s victory in his legal action against Amber Heard, and her victory in one of the counts of her countersuit against him, may have ended the six-week spectacle of the pair trading bitter and often alarming accusations of abuse and assault. Now, however, attention will turn to the aftermath, including the possible repercussions for their careers.

In fact, each actor’s future prospects were central to the trial itself: it bears pointing out that the legal action was not a criminal case, or a child residence battle, but for defamation, in which each side attempted to show that their reputations were so damaged by the other that it harmed their career and earning potential. Both Depp and Heard called witnesses to testify to the effect the other’s allegations had on exactly this issue, and witness testimony put considerations of each star’s career status in the public arena.