Story highlights
The pair were engaged when she was 19
Ryder was reluctant to discuss abuse allegations against Depp
Winona Ryder says she doesn’t know the Johnny Depp his soon to be ex-wife has described.
Depp has been accused of being abusive by his estranged wife, Amber Heard.
In an interview with Time magazine to promote her new Netflix series “Stranger Things,” the 44-year-old actress said she had a different experience with Depp whom she dated for four years and became engaged to when she was 19.
“I mean, he was never, never that way towards me,” Ryder said. “Never abusive at all towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves.”
Ryder said she was leery of even addressing the issue because” it’s like anybody who says anything about it is a victim-blamer.”
“I wasn’t there,” Ryder said. “I don’t know what happened. I’m not calling anyone a liar.”
Depp and Heard are locked in a divorce battle which has included accusations of domestic violence from Heard, and alleged extortion by her from a friend of Depp’s. Both Depp and Heard have denied the accusations levied against them.
Amber Heard denies she’s blackmailing Johnny Depp
Ryder first met Depp when she was 17. She told Time she never witnessed Depp being violent toward anyone and called Heard’s claims “shocking,” even as she conceded that her romantic relationship with him was many years ago.
“It’s just hard to picture,” Ryder said. “The only word I can come up with is unimaginable. You know with certain people you hear something and go, ‘I can see that.’ But this isn’t that.”
