Hollywood is coming to Fairfax County, but without the red carpet and high-fashion couture. Two famous actors embroiled in a bitter defamation case are scheduled to face off in a trial starting April 11 in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

Johnny Depp, 58, and Amanda Heard, 35, who were briefly married from 2015 to 2017, are set to begin their long-anticipated defamation trial with jury selection that day. The trial is expected to last through the end of May, and the case has drawn national and international attention.  Depp is seeking $50 million from Heard for a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote in which she discussed domestic violence.

Although Heard’s op-ed did not mention Depp by name, Depp claims he sustained damage to his acting career as a result.

Andrea Ceisler, public information officer for the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, said the case is unusual. 

“To my knowledge, there have not been high-profile celebrity trials in Fairfax County,” she added. “Criminal trials that garnered national attention concerned the D.C.-area snipers in 2002 and the 1993 shootings at CIA headquarters.”

The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for maintaining safety on court grounds while the trial plays out. Judge Penney Azcarate, who will be presiding over the trial, issued an order last week stating that the public will not be allowed to congregate on the grounds except in pre-designated areas, which will be heavily monitored by sheriff’s deputies. She stressed that impeding individuals from entering or exiting the courthouse grounds or blocking traffic in and around the courthouse is forbidden.

A limited amount of public seating is allowed in the courtroom and an overflow room and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis each day. The proceedings will be televised by Court TV, and press coverage is likely to be heavy.

Among witnesses expected to testify — either in person or virtually– are Elon Musk and actors James Franco and Paul Bettany. Actress Ellen Barkin is on Heard’s list of potential witnesses, along with representatives from Disney and Warner Bros. 

Ceisler said the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Department can pull law enforcement officers quickly from neighboring jurisdictions to control crowds and maintain peace if needed.

Depp sued in Virginia because the Washington Post’s online editions are published through computer servers in Fairfax. Heard’s lawyers asked to have the case moved to California, where the actors live, but the court ruled against that.

Additionally, Depp’s lawyers filed the case in Virginia because the state’s anti-SLAPP law, or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, is more relaxed than the one in California. Anti-SLAPP laws prevent people from using courts, and potential threats of lawsuits, to intimidate others from exercising their First Amendment rights.

The court will impanel a jury of Fairfax residents.

“I think it would be really cool to be picked as a juror and watch the drama unfold while being that close to the actors,” said Kelly Ramirez, a Fairfax resident, “but it’s also very sad considering the circumstances.”

Both Depp and Heard are scheduled to testify, and several other Hollywood figures are listed as potential witnesses. Depp and Heard met in 2011 on the set of “Rum Diary,” in which they co-starred. They both are accomplished actors, and Depp has an extensive body of work as an actor, producer, documentary filmmaker and musician and has won numerous acting awards. He has consistently denied claims of domestic abuse.

In a separate lawsuit filed by Depp in 2018 against the British paper “The Sun” for referring to him as a “wife beater,” the judge in that case found that Depp had, in fact, attacked Heard on at least 12 occasions. As a result, that libel lawsuit was ultimately dismissed.