The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial is set to resume on May 16 following a one-week hiatus. The trial has been the center of the public's attention since it kicked off in mid-April. On top of the actual legal proceedings as Depp sues his ex-wife for defamation, the celebrity ex-couple have at times looked like they are in competition for who would produce the most bizarre moment in the trial. The trial was scheduled to run for about five weeks, and there is an expectation that closing statements should be made before the judge on May 27. With the case entering this home stretch, there will be a few new people taking the stand to testify.
Among these will be Animal Kingdom actress Ellen Barkin, and Heard's sister, Whitney Henriquez. There had also been rumors swirling that the Aquaman star's ex-boyfriend Elon Musk would be taking the stand on her behalf, as well as disgraced actor James Franco.
It has since been confirmed that Musk will not be appearing in the trial, whether in person or via video link. Franco does have a lot to handle himself, as he plots a comeback to his acting career. But just what is the extent of his involvement - if any - in the Depp/Heard trial?
8 How Does Amber Heard Know James Franco?
James Franco and Amber Heard's professional relationship is most notable for their collaboration in the 2015 crime drama film, The Adderall Diaries. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie tells the story of 'author Stephen Elliott (Franco), [who] suffering from writer's block, reconnects with his estranged father (Ed Harris) while investigating the murder case of computer entrepreneur Hans Reiser (Christian Slater).'
Heard played the role of Lana Edmond, a love interest of Stephen in the movie.
7 Amber Heard And James Franco Also Worked Together In 'Pineapple Express'
About eight years before they came together to work on The Adderall Diaries, Amber Heard and James Franco also collaborated in the 2008 stoner comedy film, Pineapple Express. The movie was written by Franco's long-time friend and collaborative partner Seth Rogen, who also starred in it alongside Danny McBride and Franco himself.
In Pineapple Express, Heard's character was a love interest of Dale Denton, the part that Rogen played in the film. In landing the role, she replaced Olivia Thirlby who had already been cast in the picture.
6 Did Amber Heard Have An Affair With James Franco?
At the time when Amber Heard and James Franco were filming for The Adderall Diaries in 2014, she was in a relationship with Johnny Depp, whom she had been seeing since 2011. They were due to walk down the aisle in early 2015, although cracks had already begun to appear in their relationship, with stories of fights between them often leaking out.
There is no irrefutable proof that during this period, Heard and Franco had an affair. The actress has, nonetheless, admitted that they did spend a lot of time together, and that she often disclosed details of the strife between her and Depp to her on-screen colleague.
5 Amber Heard Testified That Johnny Depp Hated James Franco
Amber Heard is counter-suing Johnny Depp for $100 million, by attempting to prove that her past claims of domestic abuse against her by her ex-husband are in fact true. When she took to the stand to testify, she said - among other things - that Depp was very jealous of her work with Franco and became obsessive over any romantic scenes that they would have to do together.
"He was mad at me for taking the job with James Franco," Heard testified. "He hated, hated James Franco and was already accusing me of kind of secretly having a thing with him in my past, since we had done Pineapple Express together."
4 Will James Franco Testify On Behalf Of Amber Heard?
One of the witnesses called to the stand by Amber Heard's lawyers already brought up the name of James Franco up, stating that her friendship with the actor had once caused Johnny Depp to 'kick her in the back.' There were whispers that Franco himself might turn up to testify, as part of Heard's strategy in the trial. This has since been confirmed to be the case, with their history being the likely reason why people expected it to happen in the first place.
The same can be said of Heard's former, short-time boyfriend Elon Musk, who will also not be a part of the trial.
3 Has James Franco Ever Worked With Johnny Depp?
Despite the extensive portfolios of both James Franco and Johnny Depp, it turns out that they have never worked together. The two films that The Disaster Artist star featured in with Amber Heard is as close as their professional paths have come to crossing each other.
Depp and Franco are both extremely decorated artists, who have won a cumulative total of three Golden Globe Awards, as well as multiple other major award nominations.
2 Who Else Is Set To Testify In The Amber Heard And Johnny Depp Trial
Multiple witnesses have already taken the stand on Johnny Depp's behalf in the trial so far. Among them were his sister and personal manager, Christi Dembrowski, as well as Alejandro Romero, who worked as a doorman at a building where Depp and Amber Heard had lived together. The latter's bizarre and hilarious testimony left the plaintiff in a fit of laughter.
1 Who Are Amber Heard's Witnesses?
Heard will now have a chance to call her own witnesses to the stand. As well as Ellen Barkin and Whitney Henriquez, her team will also summon hairstylist and social media influencer Adir Abergel, psychiatrist Dr. Amy Banks, and Depp's former lawyer, Jacob A. Bloom.
