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There are fans, and then there are diehard fans. And then there are fans who will pay $30,000 to sit in one of the few seats reserved in the for fans to take in the play-by-play unfolding in the between Depp and his ex-.
Credit: The New York Post
According to the , some of the faces viewers see in that on during the have sacrificed greatly just to be in the same room with the embattled heartthrob, even if the same room is a courtroom.
Some fans will do seemingly anything for the chance to show their support for the Pirates of the Caribbean bedrock in person, even if that means camping in their cars overnight outside the courthouse, lining up as early as 1:00 a.m. the morning of , or spending thousands of dollars in travel, lodging, and food expenses.
Credit: Disney
“I’ve never been to a public before. I’ve never stayed up overnight for anything in line, and I came at 12:45 a.m.,” Sabrina Harrison of Madison, Wisconsin, said. “I’ve never done something like this in my 46 years of life.”
And because of the limited seating, there’s no guarantee fans who wait will get anywhere near the inside of the , let alone near himself. Those who do make the journey, whether from across the country or across the ocean, arrive early in the morning to try their hands (or wrists) at securing a band that gives them clearance to enter the where and ex- have been entangled in an explosive since April 11.
Credit: Insider
Sharon Smith came all the way from the United Kingdom for a shot at seeing Depp take the stand and give about the he claims he endured at the hands of . Smith is newly single and decided to pack her belongings in a storage unit and fly to Virginia in April.
On the weekends and other breaks during the –like this week in which the is on hiatus and has seemingly left the country–Smith says she travels to and then returns when the resumes.
It’s getting costly.
“I’ve been coming back and forth from Los Angele, so you’re looking at $600 to $700 each time, 10 hours of your life in the air,” she said. “Hotel, food, [and]drinks [cost] about $10,000.”
Smith shows up at the every morning at 1:00 a.m. so she can score a front-row seat to the action in the courtroom. Another fan, Emily, a 26-year-old from Arlington, Virginia, says she woke up at 2:00 a.m. on May 4 so she could be one of the first 100 people in line.
Credit: The Washingtonian
“My friends think I’m insane for doing it,” she explained, “but I think it’s a historic and I think it’s really interesting that it’s taking place in Northern Virginia.
Jarva from Brooklyn, , says the location of the isn’t convenient, but it’s worth it to be there.
“It is not totally convenient to be in Virginia for most of the week, every week, but I was sleeping in my car when I came here,” she explained. “And since then, I’ve been staying at the Ritz with my friends. I stayed in my other friend’s apartment, and I’ll stay in my car.”
Interestingly, Jarva draws sketches of the happenings inside the courtroom each day. She hopes to have the opportunity to publish her storyboard soon.
Credit: TRT World
Dr. Aneela Metha, 40, is from Fairfax, so the location wasn’t a problem for her. But she’s had to get creative in making arrangements for her children. She’s also rearranged her work schedule so she can be there.
“I came and stood in line today at 4 a.m.,” Dr. Metha explained. “Picked up my mother-in-law so she can sleep with the kids; they’re 4 and 6. Stood in line, got my pass, then went back home at 7:30 a.m. Got them ready for school, dropped them off, and came back. And then I’ve been working extra shifts so I can take days off to come here.”
Fans showed support during Depp’s UK trial as well. Credit: The Daily Mail/Getty Images
Metha says her family thinks she’s crazy, and since her wedding anniversary takes place during the , she asked her husband to join her.
“I told him, ‘As part of our present, can you come with me?’ And he’s like, ‘Hell no,’ ” she says.
Metha says her husband “loves but he just doesn’t understand people getting up in the middle of the night standing in line to come and see him.”
Dr. Metha’s on-point planning has netted her five days in with so far. “It’s exhilarating seeing this in person,” she said.
Credit: Brittanica
Another fan, Ivan de Boer from , says she took all her vacation time from work at once so she could be in Virginia to show support for . So far, she has spent almost approximately $30,000 on expenses related to traveling to Virginia and staying during the .
“I took my whole year’s vacation so I could be here for Johnny,” she says. “I’m the same age as Johnny. I’m single, so I do what I want to, basically.”
Credit: Law & Crime TV
De Boer says she has zero regrets about her decision. “I’d regret it more if I wasn’t here.”
The Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial is set to resume on May 16 at 9:00 a.m. ET
