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Johnny Depp's former agent Christian Carino appeared in court through a pre-recorded video to testify on the former's defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Carino claimed that Heard's domestic violence allegations against Depp had a “traumatic impact” on the latter's image and cost him the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean installment.
The claim served as a key point in the defamation trial as Depp sued Heard for $50 million after calling herself a "domestic violence survivor" in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed.
At the time, Depp's team claimed that Heard's statement harmed his career even though he was not directly named in the article. Meanwhile, Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, alleging that he assaulted her on multiple occasions.
Christian Carino, who represented both Depp and Heard at one point, said that the former pair have never spoken about abuse allegations in the past. He also shared that he never saw Heard with any injuries during her time with Depp.
The agent also addressed Heard's alleged romance rumors with Elon Musk. Old text messages showed Carino saying Heard was never in "love" with Musk. However, he testified that the pair "definitely spent time together."
Everything to know about Christian Carino
Christian Carino is a business executive and Hollywood talent agent associated with the Creative Arts Agency. He was born on February 24, 1968, in the United States. Carino has previously represented Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato, among other celebrities.
The agent reportedly started dating Gaga in 2017. The duo packed on the PDA during Gaga's rehearsal for her 2017 Super Bowl performance and went Instagram official that same year.
Gaga confirmed that she was engaged to Carino by addressing him as her "fiance" during ELLE's Women in Hollywood event in 2018. Unfortunately, the pair decided to part ways in 2019. Carino is also known for having a large tattoo of Gaga's face on his arm.
The 54-year-old was previously in a relationship with Walking Dead actor Lauren Cohan and is reportedly close friends with Tommy Hilfiger.
What did Christian Carino say in the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial?
Christian Carino testified in the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation trial through a pre-taped disposition.
The creative agent told Heard's lawyers that he believed that the involvement of his clients in any "litigation publicly" would hurt their careers:
"People don't want to hear that the people they look up to are in litigation. And the more oxygen it takes up in the overall news or coverage of an individual and the less focused it is on that person's career, the less interested studios, brands, the general public becomes in that person."
During the testimony, Carino praised Depp's acting abilities and said that he was "one of the finest actors of his generation." He also revealed that Depp was known for having a "shroud of mystery" on the personal front.
However, Carino said that Depp's image had changed due to the "exposure that came with [Amber Heard's] lawsuits."
"My opinion is that Amber's accusations would have had the most dramatic impact on his off-screen reputation. I mean the things she's accused of Johnny of doing, that have been made public."
Carino said that while a general divorce filing may not have impacted Depp's career, Heard's restraining order "based on accusations of abuse" would harm his reputation.
He added that although the damage to Depp's reputation with Amber Heard's Washington Post op-ed could not be quantified, he believed the actor lost Pirates of the Caribbean 6 due to "the accusations that Amber has made" regarding domestic abuse and violence.
Carino clarified that his personal opinion was based on his conversations with colleagues and studio executives. He specifically noted his discussions with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and CAA co-chair Bryan Lourd and recalled that Disney decided it would not continue to employ Depp.
He mentioned that though the abuse allegations were never openly discussed, it was simply “understood” as the reason behind the discontinuation within the industry:
"Everyone was aware of what was garnering the attention of the studios and determining whether or not he could be employed."
Speaking on whether there were "problems" with Depp while filming the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film, Carino said:
"I'm aware of him being tardy but he's been tardy on everything his entire life. I think it's troublesome to everybody but everyone has learned to produce a film, to deal with it."
Carino said he did not know anyone who was,
"Irritated" with Depp for his personal behavior but shared that "artistic differences" with Disney stemmed from "how the film was edited." He said that despite the difference of opinion several people wanted Depp to work with Disney.
Christian Carino opened up about Depp and Heard's relationship while speaking to Depp's lawyers. He said that he started working with Heard to find brand partnerships for the actress and they eventually became friends. Carino also started representing Depp around the same time and became friendly with the actor.
His friendship with Depp reportedly ended when they stopped working together after the actor left CAA. He also stopped being friends with Heard "when the legal disputes started." Carino also clarified that he had no "animosity" toward either party.
The agent further mentioned that he was the one to introduce both Heard and Depp to Dr. Lauren Anderson as the couple needed "help" to "mediate the difficulties they were having" and "the strains on their relationship."
Christian Carino also spoke about arranging a meeting between Depp and Heard in San Francisco in August 2016, two months after Heard filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against Depp.
The executive said that Depp was "reluctant at first and then agreed" to meet Heard. Carino revealed that the meeting took place at one of his friend's houses and lasted "several hours."
He said that the pair were sitting "inches away from each other" during the meeting and later "started arguing" after the meeting was shifted to a nearby hotel room.
Carino was then asked about a text exchange with Heard in August 2017 about her relationship with Elon Musk. A text from Heard reportedly indicated her split from Musk:
"Dealing with breakup, I hate when things go public, I'm so sad."
Christian Carino's reply read:
"It seems like a press release, you weren't in love with him, you told me a thousand times you were just filling space. You could avoid all this if you stopped dating uber-famous people. You can be with a big man who isn't famous."
When lawyers asked if Carino knew Amber was dating Musk during the 2016 San Francisco meeting with Depp, Carino replied that he was unsure about their relationship but knew "they had spent time together."
The agent also said he believed Heard was trying to "reconcile" with Depp following her split from Musk and texted him saying she missed Depp in June 2018.
Christian Carino also noted that although he was friends with Heard and Depp, he represented both of them in the past. He no longer has a professional relationship with either of them.
