With news that actress Amber Heard and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk have reunited, if only just for a meal, it’s very clear that she’s moved on, romantically speaking, since her January divorce from veteran actor Johnny Depp. And from the looks of Hollywood, even post-Weinstein, so has everyone else, in a far less romantic way. Because here is a man, doubtless with a stellar legacy, who’s allegedly been allowed to smack his then-wife around and get away with it. Not only is he heading up Murder on the Orient Express but he’s also going to appear in the second instalment of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. And! He’s the face of a Dior fragrance. Still.
As for allegedly smacking his then-wife? Well, Heard pressed for a restraining order against Depp in 2016, seeking a divorce as well. She did indeed drop the charges, but if Hollywood post-Weinstein has taught us anything, it’s the extent to which powerful men can get away with things, and push women into situations where they just give up on themselves. That’s not to say Heard is a sad victim because she proudly announced she would pay all of the divorce proceedings to women’s charities. Upon discovering this, Depp bypassed Heard, giving the money directly to the charities.
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If you’re into dark humour, post that on social media and watch as any number of Depp’s ardent fans try to explain away what’s going on here. It’s clear, it’s evident, and that Heard didn’t want to use it as evidence is proof of something else. We don’t need to spell it out.
Maybe it was just one incident, just a lousy brief moment in Depp’s life. While there is plenty in our culture to suggest that is fine, where does it say it’s ok to be violent to women beyond the repeated instances of famous men being able to get away with it? Mel Gibson, Eminem, Floyd Mayweather, Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, Ozzy Osbourne, Steven Seagal Charlie Sheen Chris Brown…we could go on. All have thrived following abuse allegations against them, while the survivors of their violence have had to work out why someone they loved has hurt them.
Each time any of these guys, or Depp, is lauded it’s a sharp reminder not only to the survivors of their violence, but any woman whose seen her attacker walk free, or any attacker who knows he’ll walk free, that Hollywood, the place that is meant to let a little light into our difficult lives, will let abusers get away with it.
And if we let this pass, then what else are we going to let pass? Tentacion, a rapper, is just 21 and already has 4.7 million Instagram followers. He’s duetted with Miley Cyrus’s sister Noah Cyrus. He’s also been charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, false imprisonment, domestic battery by strangulation, and witness-tampering. The allegations are too long to detail here but they’re horrific. Maybe some younger people mind, but enough of them, and the people selling him to them don’t mind enough to take his platform away from him. It’s about time we set a new standard. Your move, Hollywood.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.