Calling the actor 'one of the most generous people I know,' the Spanish beauty says, 'I've always been impressed by his kindness, his brilliant mind, his talent, and his peculiar sense of humor.'
- March 16, 2020
AceShowbiz - Penelope Cruz has joined Winona Ryder in defending Johnny Depp in his bitter defamation battle against ex-wife Amber Heard, insisting he has been nothing but "generous" and "kind" in their decades of friendship.
The Spanish beauty has made three films with Depp to date, and, in a court declaration filed by his defence lawyers, Cruz claims she has only ever had positive experiences - both on and off set - with the actor.
In the legal papers, Cruz recalls meeting Depp in Madrid through filmmaker Pedro Almodovar when she was 19, when she knew very little English.
"The only sentences I knew how to say in English at that time were, 'how are you' and 'I want to work with Johnny Depp,' " she wrote.
"Many years have passed and I have not only made three movies with him, but I also count on him as a great friend."
Cruz, who worked with Depp on Blow, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", and "Murder on the Orient Express", goes on to share her admiration for the 56 year old.
"I've always been impressed by his kindness, his brilliant mind, his talent, and his peculiar sense of humor," she continued.
"I've seen Johnny in so many situations and he is always kind to everyone around. He is one of the most generous people I know."
The Oscar winner also noted how much she appreciated having Depp by her side on the set of 2011's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", which she filmed while pregnant: "During six months of my first pregnancy, I spent every single day with him while we shot Pirates of the Caribbean," she remembered.
"My husband (actor Javier Bardem) and I will never forget the sweetness, protection, and kindness he treated me with during every single step of that process. We love him very much and I feel lucky to have someone so special in our lives."
The news of Cruz's statement emerges days after Ryder expressed her disbelief at the abuse allegations in her own legal declaration, claiming the violent Depp Heard has described is "wildly different" from the man she "knew and loved".
Depp is suing his ex-wife for defamation in Virginia over an article she wrote in December, 2018 for The Washington Post, in which she referred to herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse".
He is seeking damages in excess of $50 million.
