How does the “Presumption of Innocence” apply in the Film Industry?

[Amy Campbell]

In the past days, I have been wondering how does the Presumption of Innocence apply in the Film Industry.

“The presumption of innocence is a legal principle that every person accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilty.”

The practical example that I have in my mind is the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial, which has greatly affected Johnny Depp’s career even before he was proven guilty in court. Even though he lost many acting roles because of his ex-wife’s accusations, on Wednesday, he won the trial in court.

Considering this practical example, is it fair that everyone decided he is guilty, even before the court took a decision? Is it fair that he lost all those acting roles, even before he got a chance to prove his innocence in court? Is it even legal?

At the end of the day, any of us could be accused and sued by anyone for anything. Would that mean that our career would immediately end just because someone has a problem with us? Or we would get a chance to prove our innocence first, in trial and be judged by the rest of the world only after we have been proven guilty?

How does the “Presumption of Innocence” apply in the Film Industry? I am a bit confused, to be honest.

 

[Oskar Kuusk]

Johnny Depp is a man, I am a man, for some reason, society refuses to believe that a man can be a good person and a victim. It starts from our childhood, when we are told to never express our emotions, to never cry, because a "real man" never does this. The problem is that the world doesn't work that way and, as proven, abuse can happen to literally anyone. No one should be belittled for being a victim. I felt so sorry for him. I can only imagine how much he endured during that toxic marriage and the aftermath, when he lost everything that was dear to him. At least, the law has brought the truth to surface.

 

[Robert Miller]

Maybe once, the presumption of innocence was a thing but these days...the moment someone points their finger at you and accuses you on something, everybody jumps to rushed conclusions, they judge you and they prove that they never even knew who you are as a person. You can't even trust the ones who are closest to you because, as proven, they are the ones who can inflict the most damage. I am honestly scared of getting into a serious relationship after seeing what happened to Johnny. Everyone should be taught the importance of redflags and to leave immediately when red flags appear. Or at least, start gathering evidence of those red flags.

 

[Maura N.]

When the trial began, it was so hard to believe that he was the monster that his ex-wife told the world he is. Everyone was so dissappointed. But when he fought back for his innocence and the truth came to surface, everyone was so upset this injustice happened to a good person and that society allowed this to happen. His ex-wife even lied under oath and I doubt she will receive the legal punishment for this.

I closely followed the trial, not because I intended to, but because everyone else around me has been following it and discussing it everywhere: on social media, on youtube, on tik tok, on live streams, in real life. I live in Romania and a trial from USA was extremely popular here, on the other side of the world. Johnny Depp is a very loved actor by many people from all over the world because he gave life to so many characters that we love: Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, Grindelwald, Mortdecai and the list goes on and on. His talent and the way he brings his characters to life is special.

Now that the trial is over and we all know the truth, I hope that he can heal after going not only through an abusive relationship, but also through the experience of having everyone you know turn your back and choose not to believe in you. I hope he can forgive, in his heart, all those who were mean to him all these years and see him bring to life Jack Sparrow in another “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie.

As for the “Presumption of innocence”, sadly, it never really applied because people love scandal. When you are successful, there are some people who just love to tear you down with every opportunity they have and he was a very popular and successful man. I hope that one day, this will apply to everyone and give them a fair chance to prove their innocence.