Amber Heard Shares Impact of Johnny Depp Trial in New Documentary
Amber Heard is giving a rare statement.
The Aquaman actress detailed the toll her legal battles with ex-husband Johnny Depp have taken on her life in the new documentary Silenced, which explores how defamation laws have been used against women who have come forward with allegations of abuse.
“This is not about me,” she told director Selina Miles, according to Variety, in the documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival Jan. 24. “I have lost my ability to speak. I am not here to tell my story. I don’t want to tell my story. In fact, I don’t want to use my voice anymore. That’s the problem.”
Shortly after Heard, 39, filed for divorce from Depp, 62, in 2016, she accused her ex of being “verbally and physically abusive” towards her, which he denied.
Two years later, the Pirates of the Caribbean star sued the U.K.’s The Sun newspaper over a story that labeled him a “wife beater” in reference to Heard. She worked with international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson on her involvement in the trial, which Depp lost in 2020.
“The outcome of that trial depended on my participation, and I depended on the outcome of that trial,” she explained in the film, per Variety. “What has happened to me is an amplified version of what a lot of women live through.”
Heard went on to discuss how her continued engagement with the case began to affect her public reputation.
“I remember at the close of the trial, the idea that I could say something to the press came up,” she recalled. “[Robinson] asked if I was sure about that. [I thought], ‘If they throw things at me, it will make this point more obvious.’ I didn’t understand it could get so much worse for me as a woman, using my voice.”
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The legal saga continued in 2019, when Depp sued Heard for libel over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post in which she, without directly naming Depp, detailed her experience with domestic abuse.
After a six-week trial—which gained significant attention on social media as a result of being livestreamed—a jury ruled in Depp’s favor in June 2022, concluding that he had been defamed.
Looking ahead, Heard—who is mom to kids Oonagh, 4, and 8-month-old twins Agnes and Ocean—was optimistic about what’s to come.
“It gives me strength seeing other people take on the fight,” she said in the documentary. “Women brave enough to address the imbalance of power. Looking at my daughter’s face as she grows up and slowly starts to walk into this world… I believe it can be better.”
E! News has reached out to a rep for Depp for comment.
For a closer look at Depp and Heard’s 2022 legal battle, keep reading…
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Furry Followers
A Johnny Depp fan showed her support for the actor by bringing two alpacas to the Fairfax County Circuit Court on April 25 in Fairfax, Va. One of the animals wore a sign that read: "We're with you, Johnny."
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Little Black Book
On April 27, Depp was spotted carrying a notebook marked "Built to Last" and decorated with a green figure wearing a crown on its cover. Those following the court case online noticed that the actor often drew in the notebook during breaks, with one Twitter user writing that it was "actually so heartwarming" to see.
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Real-Life Willy Wonka
Was this a case of life imitating art? Throughout the trial, Depp was photographed with small piles of confections on his desk, including gummy bears and jellybeans. At one point, camera footage from the legal proceedings captured the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actor handing what appeared to be candy to someone in the courtroom.
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Pre-Court Playlist
In a video captured outside of the courthouse, Depp was seen stepping out of his car as "Exodus" by Bob Marley loudly played on its speakers. He then quipped to the cameraperson, "Back in the little room again."
When the footage made its way online, social media users didn't hold back on expressing their thoughts about Depp's choice in music. "Johnny Depp blasting ‘Exodus' by Bob Marley to the defamation trial is a big vibe," one Twitter user wrote, while another tweeted that they had watched the clip "about 20x…it just never gets old."
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Vaping Witness
The courtroom was left perplexed on April 27 after a pre-recorded video deposition of Alejandro Romero, the front desk attendant at Depp and Heard's former Los Angeles apartment building. The conversation showed him vaping from the inside of a car as he gave his statement, before driving away while continuing to answer questions. In a candid remark, Heard's attorney called it "the most bizarre deposition."
The judge agreed. "I just got to say, I've never seen that before," Judge Penney Azcarate replied. "I've seen a lot of things, but I've never seen that."
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Depp's Doodles
During his court appearance on April 27, Depp was seen drawing something on a post-it note before passing it to his lawyer. In a video footage of the exchange, Depp's attorney put on his glasses to examine the sketch and nodded as the Pirates of the Caribbean star whispered something in his ear.
One fan tweeted, "crying over Johnny Depp's lawyer looking at his doodle like a proud dad."
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Similar Styles
Eagled-eyed social media users noticed that the former couple had been wearing similar-looking suits and near-identical ties throughout the trial, prompting some to suspect that Heard "intentionally recreated" Depp's look as a subtle message.
"Man Amber Heard is literally playing with Johnny Depp's mind in the court room copying his outfits the next day, copying every move he makes," one Twitter user wrote. Meanwhile, another chimed in, "Can we talk about how Amber Heard is literally mocking Johnny every day in court," adding, "Whatever he wears, she copies the NEXT DAY."
E! News reached out to Amber's rep for comment but did not hear back.
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Muffins on the Mind
Social media users were fascinated with a discussion about muffins as Dr. Shannon Curry, a clinical and forensic psychologist who was hired by Depp's legal team to evaluate Heard, took the stand. When Heard's attorney Elaine Bredehoft, in an attempt to sort out Curry's testimony, asked the psychologist if her husband had brought the Aquaman actress baked goods on the day of her evaluation, Curry replied, "May I clarify what occurred so we can stop talking about the muffins?"
Curry went on to explain that she was running late that day and had asked her husband "to pick up the muffins for me" from a local bakery for the office, not specifically for Heard.
"He brought the muffins back to the house. I brought them into the office. Ms. Heard and I enjoyed the muffins together," Curry said. "I think I made a comment to her along the lines of 'my husband got these for us today,' meaning he purchased the muffins we are now enjoying them because of him."
The bizarre exchange led to numerous TikTok videos, with some comparing it to the "Muffin Man" interrogation scene in Shrek.
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