Why Did Ellen Barkin Not Return To Animal Kingdom? Amber Heard Witness In The Case Vs Johnny Depp

The fifth season of the TNT drama “Animal Kingdom,” about a Southern California criminal family, debuted on July 11, 2021.

While fans are looking forward to new episodes, many are disappointed by the loss of one of the show’s major actors, Ellen Barkin, who played family matriarch Janine “Smurf” Cody for the first four seasons.

In the penultimate episode of the shows Season 4, Smurf is abruptly murdered. Smurf’s grandson J shoots her as a gesture of kindness after learning she has terminal cancer.

On August 13, 2019, “Animal Kingdom” executive producer John Wells spoke with Entertainment Weekly and was diplomatic about why Smurf was removed from the program. Wells explained that the choice was taken to change things up and keep the show fresh.

John also stated that the authors thought they’d written enough stories about Smurf in the present and instead wanted to go into Smurf’s past.

According to Deadline, season 4 included flashbacks to Smurf in her twenties, played by Leila George, and George will be back for more in Season 5. At the end of the conversation, John said that Ellen agreed with the choice.

On week 5 of the defamation trial, Amber Heard’s witnesses testified about her turbulent relationship with ex-husband Johnny Depp and other topics.

Whitney Heard Henriquez, Amber’s sister, is the first witness to testify that she saw Johnny attack Amber during the five-week civil trial. Johnny has stated that he never hit Amber.

Whitney testified that the confrontation happened in March 2015, a month after Johnny and Amber’s wedding, when Amber discovered proof that Johnny had previously had an extramarital affair. According to Whitney, a drunken Depp blamed Heard for pushing him into the adulterous affair.

Also, on Wednesday, a friend of Amber, Raquel Pennington, testified that she witnessed the bruises and wounds caused by Johnny’s several acts of violence.

Raquel stated in a taped deposition played for jurors that she never saw Johnny strike Heard. But she said she observed the injuries and photographed Amber’s face in December 2015, following a confrontation in which Heard claims Johnny headbutted her and maybe fractured her nose.

The shot reveals a swollen nose, a cut lip, and two fairly black eyes on Amber’s face. She also photographed pieces of hair she said were pulled off Amber’s scalp.

Raquel’s testimony lends credence to some of the reported attacks. In addition to the December 2015 incident, Raquel stated that she saw wounds on Heard’s feet when she returned from a vacation to Australia in March 2015.

Amber testified that Johnny sexually attacked her with a liquor bottle on that trip and that the incident caused her to gash her foot on shattered glass.