Topics: News, US News, Celebrity, Johnny Depp, Amber Heard
Amber Heard has unexpectedly opened up about the impact the infamous defamation trial between she and ex-husband Johnny Depp had on her.
The heavily publicized trial in 2022 saw Heard facing extreme scrutiny and abuse online.
Ultimately, the court ordered Heard to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages, and $350k in punitive damages, while a countersuit saw Depp ordered to pay $2 million in compensatory damages to Heard.
Following the trial, the Aquaman actress has relocated to Spain where she is now raising her family.
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Heard, 39, has now opened up about the impact that the court case and the public and social media response to it in a new documentary called Silenced, which premiered on Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival.
In an interview with Variety for the film, Heard opened up about the difficult period with a heartbreaking statement.
"This is not about me," she said. "I have lost my ability to speak. I am not here to tell my story."
'In fact, I don't want to use my voice anymore," she told the film's director Selina Miles. "That's the problem."
She went on to talk about the defamation trial itself, saying: "The outcome of that trial depended on my participation, and I depended on the outcome of that trial."
Heard added: "What has happened to me is an amplified version of what a lot of women live through."
Speaking about the documentary in an official description, Heard described how women are vilified and attacked when they speak up.
She said: "Silenced reveals a global pattern: When women speak out, powerful systems move to discredit and punish them."
The case between Heard and Depp was settled in December 2022, with Heard taking to her Facebook page to share a statement.
Writing at the time, she said: "After a great deal of deliberation I have made a very difficult decision to settle the defamation case brought against me by my ex-husband in Virginia."
"It's important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed."
She added: "The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimized when they come forward."
Concluding the statement, Heard wrote: "Now I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to.
"I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward."
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.
