Hollywood Vampires

The insider’s account of Depp Vs Heard that lifts the lid on the dark underbelly of contemporary Hollywood.

In early 2022 an otherwise ordinary celebrity trial ballooned into a global cultural sensation. Depp vs Heard became a lightning-rod legal battle that exposed fault lines in contemporary gender politics. Depending on who you talked to, Johnny Depp was either a monster or a ‘MeToo martyr’, Amber Heard either a victim or a fraud, and the verdict either a tragedy for feminists or a vindication for men. The trial unleashed a shocking wave of support for Depp, and an equally shocking amount of misogynistic rage against Amber. It also raised important questions: What does society do with imperfect victims? Where do we draw the line between misogyny and abuse? Does ‘Believe Women’ come with qualifications? And how do we reconcile the grey areas that can exist in complex situations of abuse?

HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES is written by two documentary filmmakers who were invited inside the room by both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp as they battled to save their reputations and set their version of the record. Through first-hand accounts from Depp, Heard, and their inner circles, the book will provide an intimate and nuanced portrait of the people at the heart of the controversy – two privileged but fallible celebrities who were both absorbed into Hollywood’s exploitative machinery as teenagers – as well as an in-depth investigation into the competing personal, economic, and political agendas that gave rise to it.

This is the story behind the saga of Depp v Heard; but far from a forensic rehashing of the trial it is also an exploration of a much more complex and captivating narrative: about celebrity culture and the Hollywood exploitation machine; ‘internet journalism’ and distrust of mainstream media; the limitations of the justice system to find and record the truth; and the shifting winds of MeToo feminism.

About the Authors

A documentarian and journalist, Kelly Loudenberg has created several documentary series for Netflix, including The Confession Tapes and Exhibit A, as well as short documentaries for The Atlantic, The New York Times, VICE, and The New Yorker.

Makiko Wholey has spent the past several years working as a documentary producer and researcher for major networks and studios including HBO, A24, and Imagine Entertainment. She also serves as Managing Editor at Changes Press, an independent publisher of contemporary poetry.