Johnny Depp v Amber Heard: Judge threatens to remove fans from courtroom

Depp appears in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse. Photo / AP

Judge Penney Azcarate has warned courtroom attendees of Johnny Depp's defamation trial to maintain order.

Judge Azcarate threatened to remove fans from the courtroom on Monday if they continued to laugh during Depp's testimony.

People Magazine reported that while being cross examined, The Pirates of the Caribbean actor was asked to list other movie franchises he had appeared in. He quickly noted Alice in Wonderland before stating he was struggling to recall anymore.

"I'm so pathetic when it comes to knowing what movies I've done," Depp smiled on the stand. "I'm sorry. I just, I don't watch them. I feel better not watching them. What was the question again?"

Depp's reply prompted several people in the Virginia courtroom to laugh, to which Judge Azcarate responded, "Order in the court or I will have you removed. Understood? Thank you."

Actor Johnny Depp in the courtroom. Photo / Steve Helber, Pool, AP

Depp brought the current defamation suit against his ex-wife after Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018 in which she alleged she had been a victim of domestic abuse.

While Depp was not named in the op-ed, the actor's lawyers said it was a clear reference to accusations Heard made when she sought a restraining order against him in 2016.

Depp has claimed the accusations and the article made him a Hollywood outcast, costing him his role in the lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise.

Meanwhile Heard's lawyers are currently arguing that the actress' opinion piece did not defame her ex-husband, The Walt Disney Co. had already made the decision to remove Depp from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and Depp had ruined his own reputation in Hollywood due to bad behaviour.

Actor Amber Heard reacts as she listens to an audio recording of her and actor Johhny Depp arguing. Photo / AP

The trial, currently taking place in Virginia, has recounted various dramas which are alleged to have taken place throughout their tumultuous marriage including domestic abuse, explosive text messages, sexual abuse claims and drug and alcohol abuse.

The trial is expected to last for several weeks.