Amber Heard's acting coach from 2011 to 2017 told the court that she could tell when the actress was genuinely crying because she often had difficulties producing tears on demand.
As part of a pre-taped testimony played to jurors at the courtroom in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Wednesday, Kristina Sexton said she had become used to seeing Heard cry during their acting lessons due to the violent altercations that occurred between her and her former husband, Johnny Depp.
Sexton claimed in her deposition, recorded in December 2019, that as the "fighting got heavier," she would "have to build in time because she'd be sobbing at the beginning of sessions, and we couldn't work until we got her together," Insider reports.
Elsewhere in her testimony, Sexton recalled how "incredibly lovey-dovey and passionate" the couple had been when they first started dating. She added that they were "always together in a positive way."
However, as their relationship progressed, Sexton said, she began seeing them together less and less and would overhear them getting into aggressive arguments while she was in their home for Heard's acting lessons.
"It went from being like a normal couple to very tension-filled, especially those last few months that they were together," Sexton said.
Sexton spoke about how Heard was typically never late for lessons in her home studio. However, she was forced to gradually start adding "cushion time" to their scheduled meetings because the Aquaman star and the Pirates of the Caribbean actor would get into heated discussions, leaving Heard in tears.
"I would say that last year they were together, probably 80 to 90% of our sessions began with her crying," Sexton said.
The acting coach went on to say that she could tell when Heard's tears were genuine because "ironically, she has a little difficulty crying acting-wise."
Heard spent four days testifying at the ongoing trial. Her time on the stand saw her cry several times as she recounted alleged incidents of physical and sexual assault by her ex-husband.
Sexton explained in her testimony that she would often try to calm Heard down when she was feeling overwhelmed.
"I have a caretaker personality, so I would prioritize taking care of the person in front of me over doing work, which is why I ended up building in all that extra time," she said.