Johnny Depp has sought to paint ex-wife Amber Heard as a volatile spouse who abused and demeaned him.
The actor, 58, has sued Ms Heard over an article she wrote saying she was a victim of domestic violence.
Mr Depp has denied any abuse. Ms Heard, 35, has sued him in return, with a $100m (£76m) counterclaim.
In his testimony, Mr Depp said he felt "pure hatred" from Ms Heard. Cross-examination from her lawyers began on Wednesday after two days of testimony.
His testimony is set to resume into a third day on Thursday.
After the romance of their first year together soured, the pair argued regularly, he said, with Ms Heard frequently issuing a "sarcastic, demeaning, aggressive, violent, toxic spew", and occasionally resorting to violence.
"It could begin with a slap," Mr Depp said. "It could begin with throwing a TV remote at my head. It could be throwing a glass of wine in my face."
"She has a need for conflict. She has a need for violence," he said. And in recordings of the former couple played to the jury on Wednesday, Ms Heard can be heard admitting she "did start a physical fight" with Mr Depp.
Mr Depp also recalled a now-infamous incident between him and his former wife, in which he found "human fecal matter" on his side of the bed in the flat he shared with Ms Heard.
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