Amber Heard has made rare public comments about her experience with ex-husband Johnny Depp and the impact of their highly publicised defamation trial as she returns to the spotlight with a new documentary project called Silenced.
After stepping back from Hollywood and moving to Spain to focus on raising her daughter for several years following the legal battle, Heard recently appeared at the Sundance Film Festival where the film Silenced premiered. The documentary highlights the struggles faced by women who speak out and are then discredited or punished by powerful institutions. The film also examines broader issues around defamation lawsuits and how they can be used to silence survivors.
In her remarks, Heard said the years since the trial have taken a serious emotional toll. She stated that the experience left her feeling as though she has lost the ability to speak and that she no longer wants to tell her story publicly. Heard explained that the backlash and scrutiny she faced made it increasingly difficult for her to use her voice, noting that things “got so much worse” when she tried to speak out after the trial.
The legal dispute between Heard and Depp dates back to a defamation case that stemmed from a 2018 op-ed she wrote about abuse. The 2022 trial resulted in a mixed verdict with a settlement that included a payment from Heard to Depp, which he later donated to charity.
The new documentary also includes contributions from international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson and focuses on the experiences of other women who have faced powerful systems that seek to discredit them. Heard’s comments reflect her belief that the issue goes beyond her personal situation and speaks to broader patterns that affect women’s voices in public discourse.
