Those who have watched the many hours of footage from Johnny Depp's defamation trial against Amber Heard may have noticed something curious about Depp's behavior while his ex-wife has been on the stand.

Heard's testimony has spanned across several days in the trial and while she details serious allegations of abuse against Depp, the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" star hasn't so much as glanced in her direction.

Why has Johnny Depp refused to look at Amber Heard during the trial?

On Monday, May 16, Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez asked Heard, "Depp hasn't looked at you once in the trial has he?"

"Not that I've noticed no." Heard replied.

Vasquez continued saying "You've looked at him, though, many times, haven't you? He promised you would never see his eyes again, isn't that true?"

Heard said she did not recall that and Vasquez asked to play an audio recording made in a San Francisco hotel room in July 2016. 

The court hears in the audio that Depp told Heard "You will not see my eyes again," during their 2016 meeting. 

At the end of the recording, Vasquez asks Heard if Depp kept his promise of not looking at her. Heard replies, "As far as I know, he cannot look at me."

Vasquez says, "He won't look at you, right, Heard?"

"He can't," Heard responds. 

The two came face-to-face on May 5, during the 15th day of the trial. In the moment, Heard spotted Depp, and her reaction was flinching in a startled manner, with Depp's response being a shrug and a smile while court officials kept their hands up to keep Depp away.

The reaction of her startle quickly became a meme all over social media.

Other theories have circulated about why Johnny Depp won't look at Amber Heard.

Twitter has been giving mixed reactions on why Depp has refused eye contact with Heard. Users have theorized, largely without evidence, that victims commonly avoid eye contact with abusers.

The victim avoids eye contact with his abuser. That is common victim behaviour. The one who is desperate for eye contact, and feels "dehumanised", when the victim doesn´t meet their needs, is the abuser here. Because she lost control over him.
VERY proud of Johnny Depp. — Mea Mara (@Mea__Mara) May 5, 2022

The defamation trial has captured the eyes of many, generating plenty of discussions — some helpful and some damaging — about abusive relationships.

Heard and Depp's every move has been dissected in TikToks and tweets as the trial plays out but it will be up to the jury to make a final ruling on whether Heard defamed her ex by insinuating in a 2018 essay that she was a victim of abuse.