How the world likes to see a woman humiliated… by another woman. How the world likes to see fandoms being created. How the world has turned every event into a bite-size moment for consumption on the Internet.
The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial trudges on for weeks. Simply put, it’s a defamation case in which Depp needs to prove that because of the op-ed piece Heard wrote in The Washington Post, the one in which she called herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse”, he has lost acting deals. The price he wants her to pay is $50m. She, on the other hand, is countersuing for double that amount because his lawyer called Heard’s allegations a “hoax”.
Whatever the outcome, it won’t be jail sentence for either parties. Yet, there have already been outcomes beyond the walls of the court. First, Camille Vasquez, the lawyer representing Depp, has become an Internet celebrity. Second, Camille Vasquez has asked Heard enough questions that sort of represent public pillorying. Third, Camille Vasquez has shared enough smiles with Depp to keep the gossip mills running at full speed.
Late into the night, people around the world are diving into the search section of social media platforms to be brought up to date about how Depp has been the ‘good’ guy, how Vasquez served Depp another glass of water or gave him a quick hug, how Heard has cried and suffered a little bit more than she did yesterday. It’s one of those moments in which a court trial happening in the US is finding viewers globally. It’s like a virtual town-square moment.
Depp’s fandom has more depth and breadth online than that of Heard. Even without posting every month on Instagram, Depp’s follower count is increasing exponentially. And on Facebook Watch, videos of Depp and Vasquez are in plenty.
Who’s Vasquez? She is the woman who has asked Heard questions like, “Who’s the real monster in this relationship, Ms Heard?” while maintaining eye contact. She is the woman who tackled questions like, “Are you dating Johnny Depp?” with a coy smile, bordering on ‘no’. Her tough cross-examination style is the stuff of Better Call Saul, Suits and Boston Legal.
The 38-year-old San Francisco-born associate with Brown-Rudnick law firm focuses on defamation and she has gone to University of Southern California and then Southwestern law School. And suddenly YouTube is full of videos of her just walking to a restaurant with team members or of her being asked to pose with alpacas. There are smartphones around her, recording every move she makes in 4K and 8K. You don’t really need TV cameras anymore. Anybody can film the people involved in this blockbuster trial and put it “out there” for the world to see. This is unlike the drama of the OJ Simpson trial, which unfolded through tabloids and TV channels.
Blogs are packed with articles around the white suit Vasquez wore for some of the Heard testimony. The trailer for the Marvel TV series She-Hulk is out, about a lady lawyer with the temperament of her cousin Bruce Banner (Hulk). But who needs She-Hulk when the world has Vasquez and her perfect court wardrobe?
According to The Guardian, the hashtag #camillevasquez has more than 980 million TikTok impressions while a video of her viper-quick objections to Heard’s lead attorney Elaine Bredehoft had almost 30 million views. Another TikTok compares Vasquez to Rachel Zane, the legal eagle Meghan Markle played on Suits.
However the trial ends, Vasquez’s life won’t be the same. “‘Appearance is temporary. It’s nothing you can rely on. In the end, gravity always wins,” Depp had once said. That sense of gravity can also be seen in Vasquez. Depp has worked in Hollywood while Vasquez is giving the virtual world enough Hollywood-style moments from the courtroom. Her fandom knows when to log in and how to spread the news of their presence.