was what While his ex-wife Amber Heard received the verdict in the defamation trial in Virginia, Johnny Depp was in Great Britain, where he let himself be celebrated by a frenetic crowd night after night. There is actually no reason for this.

This is what winners look like: When Johnny Depp surprisingly took the stage at Sheffield City Hall last Sunday, where his buddy Jeff Beck was giving a concert, the audience erupted in applause. The two old warriors played four pieces. Depp showed his limited vocal talents and strummed the guitar, while Beck displayed his skills as an excellent guitarist with endless solos.

A similar picture was presented to the audience on the two following evenings in the Royal Albert Hall in London. Johnny Depp climbed the stage quite naturally, applauded by the audience as if nothing had happened.

At the time, the verdict in the defamation trial was not yet certain: would the actor get money from his ex-wife Amber Heard – or would he have to pay her up to $ 100 million in compensation? That wasn’t clear at the time. But Depp didn’t seem to care – he let himself be celebrated like a winner in advance. Knowing full well that he had long since won the battle for public opinion.

At least as disturbing: the audience seemed to have no problem celebrating someone who, with court approval, can be called a “woman-beater” in their country.

Johnny Depp celebrates in the pub

Depp’s behavior on the day of the verdict was downright absurdly bold: shortly before the jury announced its verdict, Depp entered a pub in Newcastle with his fellow musicians Sam Fender and Jeff Beck shortly before the verdict was announced and drank a relaxed beer there. As British media reports, he is said to have toasted his victory later in another pub.

Now, of course, it’s understandable that someone who has just been awarded $10 million should feel joy. But the public triumphal gestures that Depp showed again and again before and after the verdict seem tasteless and out of place in his case.

Because, as has already been pointed out several times, there is no winner in this process. So many ugly details about Depp and Heard’s personal lives have come to light in the past seven weeks that neither of them would have any reason to celebrate anything. On the contrary: A little humility would obviously do the two former spouses, who are in a toxic relationship, good.

Johnny Depp obviously sees things differently. He’s been planning his next step in his career for a long time: he wants to be a rock star. He already has the lifestyle for it, he’s also mastered the jubilation poses – now he just has to learn to sing.