Helena Bonham Carter fell into a familiar trap because of Johnny Depp

At one point in the 2000s, Team Burton was so prolific that it made a Ricky Gervais joke: “And of course, Helena Bonham Carter is Johnny Depp’s heroine in Tim Burton’s new movie.” I agree, it’s hardly a side splitter, but you get the picture.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bonham Carter spoke in support of her dear old friend Johnny in her latest interview with The Times. Depp, you will remember, was embroiled in a now notorious legal battle with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

After a British court ruled in favor of The Sun after it described Depp as a “wife beater”, the Pirates of the Caribbean star sued his defamation case to the US and sued Heard for the article. Her 2018 Washington Post commentary on domestic affairs. violence, alleging that she defamed him by implying that he abused her during their marriage.

This time, the court found Depp and Heard defamed each other. The ruling is unclear and confusing and Heard is currently appealing; however, the verdict was seen as a moral victory for Depp, whose stance turned the story over and presented himself as the male victim of domestic violence at the hands of Heard.

Depp vs Heard is about defamation, not victim/perpetrator, but that’s what happened on social media anyway. In popular perception, Heard – lacking Depp’s charisma, wealth, star power, fanbase, and influence – became the woman everyone hated.

Heard has been cast as a 21st-century version of the last century’s deadly woman – bringing about the downfall of an innocent man through her cruelty and duality. She could be blamed for everything on Depp’s downfall, making his aggressiveness, rudeness, taciturnity, frivolity, and extravagance all the more bearable for others. his fans who fell in love with a quiet man with amazing androgynous beauty and “old-fashion”.

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We don’t get it wrong, we can tell ourselves, it’s not our fault, we can tell a domestic abuser when we see a domestic abuser, we are not hurt. deceived and dazzled by beauty and fame, no – it’s all just Heard.

And Bonham Carter, it seems, is no different. She thinks the US ruling has “vindicated” Depp. Of course, heard that she jumped on the #MeToo movement to brand herself as the domestic abuse poster girl.

Ignoring the fact that Heard’s ban on Depp was in 2016 – a year before #MeToo went viral – so there’s still no “legion” to jump into, how to treat Heard since the commentary , and especially since the ruling on the defamation case, confirms what we already know: disclosing intimate partner violence is a win not for women.

Years ago, when I was sexually harassed by a senior colleague, I went to a senior woman for advice. I am, quite literally, sick of anxiety. What should I do?

I already know that complaining about sexual harassment is not a big career step. I have worked in a variety of industries since my teens and I know that harassers are often treated much better than complainants who in my experience are often ostracized at work. .

If I was looking for reassurance, I was disappointed. She told me her own war stories. She told me she was being chased like something out of a Benny Hill sketch. She rolled her eyes at the text messages I received and countered with her own erotic anecdotes.

It’s like a contest with no prizes for who has experienced the worst harassment without speaking up. “You will get worse if you complain,” she told me. She advises: “Be quiet, bow your head, and be gracious. “Things never go well with women who complain about things like this.”

Unfortunately, as many women have found to their detriment, she was right. Heard’s public ruin shows us that my former colleague’s words continue to be true. For all of #MeToo and #EnoughisEnough, women still need to be careful with their mouths.

Heard continued to come under fire, months after the trial ended, but, as Bonham Carter told The Times, the US defamation ruling appeared to have “completely vindicated” Depp. The televised trial exposed the filth the actor was indulging in – obscene text messages, aggressive, intimidating behavior, the usual racism and contempt for women. women – but Bonham Carter didn’t seem to be fazed by it. She told The Times: “I think he is fine now. Totally fine.”

It felt like a hit to the collective solar plexus of women when Bonham Carter called #MeToo a “band”. As if harassment and abuse of women was the latest craze, like layered brows or structured maxi dresses. “That’s the problem with these things — that people are going to jump into the movement because it’s the trend and be the poster girl for it.”

Yes, Helena. That’s right. Because every little girl’s dream is that one day she too can become a girl who has been abused by her partner.

It is in my opinion that Bonham Carter has the privilege, as well as the mistake, to consider exposing widespread abuse and harassment of women a “trend.” I’m glad – really glad – that Bonham Carter has managed to live without knowing that so many women have learned from a young age: harassment and abuse are part of women’s everyday lives, but speaking out is still a significant risk.