AceShowbiz -

The messy separation between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has become the story of he said she said, and now the media starts digging through their pasts. It's revealed that Heard, who accused her estranged husband of assault during his alleged alcohol and drug binges, was once arrested for domestic violence herself.

According to TMZ, "The Rum Diary" actress was booked for misdemeanor domestic violence in 2009 following a dispute with then-partner Tasya van Ree at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. She reportedly grabbed and hit Tasya in the arm. However, prosecutor later declined to move forward with the case but told her they could reconsider and refile within the 2-year statute of limitations.

Depp himself was not exactly a saint either. He had a dark history with drugs and alcohol. "I spent years poisoning myself," he once told Rolling Stone. "I was very, very good at it. But finally I was faced with a critical decision: Do I want to continue to be a dumba** or do I want to not be a dumba**? It was best to stop. Now I look back and say, 'Why? Why did I do that?' " He added, "Now I understand things better."

Fun or recreational purposes were not his intention when it came to alcohol. "I never had that. It was never about recreation. Not. Ever. That was never my motivation," he explained. Drinking was his way to escape from public eye. "I never wanted to be the guy people looked at," he told The Boston Globe in 2008. "I felt I could only be myself when I was alone, that I turned into some kind of novelty. The only way I could get through that time was to drink."

The 52-year-old actor, who started smoking at 12 and followed it with drugs and alcohol, also admitted to having temper. Last year during an interview with GQ, he talked about channeling his "old hillbilly rage" to portray gangster Whitey Bulger in true-story crime movie "Black Mass".