The actors who play Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial have explained why they agreed to take roles in the hotly debated film. The Depp/Heard trial was one of the biggest celebrity news events of the year, beginning with comments that Heard made in 2018 leading the public to believe that her ex-husband Depp had committed domestic abuse, which led to the actor losing roles in certain upcoming projects. He sued her for defamation in a widely publicized trial that caught the attention of many pop culture and true crime junkies across the nation. Four months ago, the trial concluded, with the jury siding with Depp in the proceedings.
Despite the trial only taking place a short time ago, Tubi has already produced a movie dramatizing the court case, which was released on their free streaming platform yesterday, September 30. The film, titled Hot Take, was directed by Grace and Frankie writer Sara Lohman from a screenplay by Late Night with Conan O'Brien's Guy Nicolucci. American Horror Story and Bones actress Megan Davis took on the role of Heard, opposite Days of Our Lives star Mark Hapka as Depp.
EW sat down to talk with the stars of the film following yesterday's streaming premiere. The leads explained why they decided to take the roles in the controversial project, with Hapka explaining that he knew the risks involved in taking a role in Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial, saying that "if there was going to be any type of bias or sway to either side, then I really wasn't interested." Davis added that, despite how quickly the movie was made after the events, she and the crew were invested in "portraying [Heard] as a real human being and her truth as fairly as his truth." Read their full quotes below:
Hapka: You have every right to be skeptical.
Davis: Listen, I was a little skeptical too when I first heard about it. It's a topic you want to treat with such respect, and the problem I think with the trial is that people see themselves in both.
Hapka: When I was offered the role, it wasn't necessarily a hell yes. It's a risky role. I had questions. I got on the phone with our director and I spoke to our producer and wanted to find out what kind of movie they were going to make, because if there was going to be any type of bias or sway to either side, then I really wasn't interested.
Davis: Everyone was very much a believer in portraying [Heard] as a real human being and her truth as fairly as his truth, and that made me feel comfortable even though it was such a short time frame.
Hapka: I knew this movie was getting made with or without me. Megan and I sat down and spoke together and she goes, "I'm going fully protect Amber, and you're going to fully protect Johnny," so in doing so, in that tug of war, we can find that balance and make sure everything stays as neutral as possible.
Davis: If anything, to be honest, it was more the vitriol that made me want to play her. because it breaks my heart when we can't see that people are human beings.
Hapka: We expected every bit of backlash. This was such a moment in the cultural zeitgeist with so many layers, where each individual you ask will perceive this trial completely differently; there's no objective truth to it, so I think that in that sense, I wasn't too worried about it because I was just there to do my job, which was to bring authenticity to the testimonies and bring to life what was said by each person as a dramatization.
Is It Too Soon For A Johnny Depp & Amber Heard Movie?
Many online have decried the film, saying that it is exploiting a trial that has already been exploited top to bottom. It has been argued that the nature of the trial's connection to domestic violence, and the frequently shocking allegations from both sides made a circus out of what should be a private matter. Others argued that, given how both the people involved are public figures, open discussion of the trial is fair game. It appears that the release of Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial has exacerbated the opinion of both sides, though those who were in favor of witnessing the trial don't seem overwhelmingly interested in revisiting it on streaming so soon after its conclusion.
As sensitive as both stars desired their portrayals to be in Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial, the film is now freely available and being tried in the court of public opinion. Although it is still listed as "in production" on IMDb and fans can't share their feelings with a star rating there, it is currently open season on the film review social media site Letterboxd. There, the film has received an extremely low 1.8 out of 5, with many reviews decrying the release's tone-deaf approach to a sensitive topic.
Source: EW