Emma Cooper, the director of the recently released Netflix docuseries Depp v Heard, has addressed the controversies surrounding the series. The three-part documentary, now streaming on Netflix, focuses on the myriad social media reactions the legal dispute between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard received last year.
Cooper acknowledged the polarised reactions the series has garnered from both Depp and Heard supporters. She emphasised that the series was designed to present a balanced view of the trial.
“There was a verdict. We’re not trying to rewrite history here, and I am not a lawyer,” Cooper told Rolling Stone.
Cooper, who has a background in news production, decided to forgo involving external experts or commentators, a move that has drawn criticism. She mentioned how she was motivated by her interest in observing human behaviour without external influence.
Cooper claimed she wanted to present an unbiased portrayal of the events that has been dubbed as the first “Trial by TikTok”. Her choice to give a bigger platform to the pro-Depp fanatics, who used doctored videos to demonise Heard, has also been questioned. However, Cooper was adamant in the interview that this docuseries is objective.
Acknowledging that some viewer’s takeaway from the docuseries would be that it’s merely a jumble of already publicly available clips, Cooper noted, “There were some reviewers who obviously hadn’t gotten to the end. What becomes quite meta about the process and about this series, which I kind of knew would happen, is that some people watch it and think it’s pro-Depp. The same people will watch it again and think it’s pro-Heard. Some people will think it’s a formless jumble of clips. It’s pretty wild.”
Watch Depp v. Heard on Netflix now.
