Supporting cast steals the limelight: Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard

Entertainment Live: Veering between drama and farce, the courtroom showdown pitting Johnny Depp against ex-wife Amber Heard focused this week on the host of professionals and hangers-on who surround the stars, painting a portrait of Hollywood in all its excess.

The 36-year-old actress' domestic violence accusations, and the 58-year-old star's denials, are at the heart of a high-profile defamation lawsuit that has been going on since April 11 on the outskirts of the US capital Washington. After a flood of testimony, Depp relinquished his spot on the witness stand Tuesday to the bit-players who gravitate around him: agent, driver, bodyguard, wealth manager... And these secondary characters sometimes stole the show.

Alejandro Romero is a doorman in a luxury building in Los Angeles where the couple lived. Testifying by video link while sitting at the wheel of his car, he said he had not seen any marks on Heard's face after the couple's final argument in May 2016.

The actress appeared shortly afterwards in a court, her face apparently swollen, to apply for a protective order. But the porter didn't want to dwell on his memories. "I am so stressed out," he said, puffing on an e-cigarette. "I don't want to deal with this anymore," he said, underscoring the point by starting his car.

On the first day of the trial, Depp wore a light gray suit with a black tie decorated with a bee-motif. The next day, Amber Heard had a gray jacket, and the day after that sported a tie with a bee emblazoned on it. On the stand, Shannon Curry, a psychologist called by Depp's legal team, said she felt the actress suffered from a "borderline personality disorder" that could push her to "mimic" those close to her.

Dhaka, 30 April, (campuslive24.com)//bsc

---

---