Emily Hampshire has apologized for dressing up as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard for Halloween with a friend after criticism on social media.
The Schitts Creek star wrote in a statement on Instagram Wednesday: “I want to comment on one of the most thoughtless, insensitive and ignorant things I’ve ever done. For Halloween, I stupidly thought it would be funny to dress up as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
She continued, “I am deeply sorry and ashamed for putting something so horrible out into the universe. Domestic violence is never funny. These are real issues with real people and I REALLY regret my actions. In the future I will do better. I’m very sorry.”
In the since-deleted photos, Hampshire appeared dressed as the pirates of the Caribbean actor, with fake arm tattoos and makeup meant to resemble Depp, while wearing a tan striped suit. As for her friend, she seemed to be the Aquarius actress, wearing a white button-up blouse, with her hair pulled back and a sad look on her face.
The costumes appeared to portray Depp and Heard from last year’s defamation case. But fans quickly called out Hampshire online, accusing her of mocking Heard.
From April to June 2022, Depp and Heard went back and forth in court in a highly publicized defamation lawsuit. This came after Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard after she wrote an op-ed The Washington Post in which she called herself a survivor of domestic violence. Although she never specifically mentioned the actor’s name, the story was published amid headlines about their heated divorce in 2016.
A Virginia jury ultimately awarded Depp $15 million, $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, but the latter was reduced to Virginia’s legal limit of $350,000.
The pilot was also made into a three-part docuseries on Netflix, which debuted in August.
