Amber Heard has made public comments again, nearly four years after the explosive Johnny Depp defamation trial. Now, she has opened up about how the trial left her completely voiceless.
At the Sundance Film Festival premiere of Silenced, a documentary about women who say defamation lawsuits were used to silence them after they spoke up, Heard reflected on what she went through and hinted that the worst part was what the fight took away from her.
Amber Heard Says The Johnny Depp Lawsuit Took Away Her Ability To Speak
Heard attended the Sundance Film Festival for the premiere of Silenced, a documentary directed by Selina Miles and produced with international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson. Heard’s goal has always been to help others see the personal damage these battles can cause. And this film gave her the right chance to do that. The film is about women who have defamation cases against them that have completely changed their lives.
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In the documentary, Heard explained that she didn’t want the focus to stay on her name or her celebrity. “This is not about me,” she said, according to Variety. “I have lost my ability to speak… 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.”
Heard also spoke about Depp’s 2020 defamation lawsuit. She said the outcome of that trial “depended” on her participation, and she depended on the outcome too. Heard said she immediately felt Robinson understood the bigger issue, and she described what happened to her as “an amplified version” of what many women go through when they get pulled into these kinds of legal fights.
Heard Claims Public Backlash Made Everything “So Much Worse”
While Heard is one of the most well-known people featured in the documentary, ‘Silenced‘ includes other women who say defamation suits were used to silence them. The film features Brittany Higgins, a former political staffer who brought a rape allegation against a superior in the Australian parliament. It also includes journalist Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, who was sued by director Ciro Guerra after publishing a series of allegations of misconduct against him.
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Heard said that the legal battle didn’t stay inside the courtroom; it followed her everywhere. She recalled that near the end of the trial, the idea of speaking to the press came up. Robinson asked if she was sure, and Heard said she believed that if people threw things at her, it would make her point clearer. But she said she didn’t understand it could get “so much worse” for her as a woman using her voice.
Even with everything she went through, Heard said she still finds strength in watching others continue fighting. “It gives me strength seeing other people take on the fight,” she said. She added that she feels inspired by women brave enough to address the imbalance of power. She also mentioned her daughter and said she believes the world can be better as her child grows up.
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