Amber Heard is opening up about her legal battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp in a new film that screened at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival over the weekend.
Heard, 39, is featured in Silenced, a documentary that follows numerous women who faced defamation lawsuits after speaking out about their alleged abuse.
Heard sat down for an interview for the film, from director Selina Miles and international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, who represented her during the 2018 U.K. trial where Depp sued the owner of British tabloid The Sun, which labelled him a “wife beater.”
The Aquaman actor spoke with Miles about the aftermath of the defamation trial loss against her ex-husband Depp, 62.
“This is not about me,” Heard says in the documentary, per Variety. “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.”
Heard said that the outcome of Depp’s trial against The Sun “depended” on her participation.
“The outcome of that trial depended on my participation, and I depended on the outcome of that trial,” she said.
Heard was sued for US$50 million by Depp after implying he abused her in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Depp has denied he ever struck Heard and a jury sided with the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, awarding him more than $10 million.
She recalled the name calling and trash thrown at her as she entered and exited the court each day.
“I remember at the close of the trial, the idea that I could say something to the press came up. (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,” Heard said.
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Heard went on to say that she feels inspired by those who speak out.
“It gives me strength seeing other people take on the fight. Women brave enough to address the imbalance of power,” she said.
“Looking at my daughter’s face as she grows up and slowly starts to walk into this world… I believe it can be better.”
Robinson spoke with Variety about the “chilling effect” defamation lawsuits have had on the ability of women to come forward.
“In the post-#MeToo world, we saw women break the cultural silence, speaking out publicly about gender-based violence. What we then saw is their alleged perpetrator bringing a defamation claim saying, ‘This is not true, it’s defamatory, and I’m going to sue you for a lot of money,” Robinson said.
The lawyer said she has advised many clients that “he can sue you, you just then have to prove it in court.”
“But it’s very expensive to do so, and it bankrupts most women,” she continued. “The question I ask in this film is, ‘What does free speech mean if you can’t afford to defend it?’”
In June 2022, a jury ruled that Heard defamed Depp with malicious intent in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed claiming that she was a victim of domestic abuse.
Depp was awarded $15-million in total — $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages, ruling that Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman defamed her when he called her abuse claims “a hoax” in a British newspaper.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” Heard said in a statement following the verdict. “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.
“I am even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously,” Heard continued.
“I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly,” the statement concluded.
Depp also released his own statement: “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people, who for many, many years have supported and believed me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye.”
“False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already travelled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career,” he continued.
“And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled,” he added.
The trial, which took place over six weeks in 2022, saw the actors and ex-spouses, who had been married for about 15 months, competing through their legal teams to paint the other as an aggressive abuser in their relationship, all while maintaining they were the real victim.
In December 2022, Depp and Heard reached a settlement that saw Heard agree to pay Depp $1 million. He pledged to donate the settlement to charity.
Lawyers for Depp said the settlement would “formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light.”
Heard moved to Spain after the high-profile legal battles with Depp and announced that she is now a mother of three after welcoming twins, daughter Agnes and son Ocean. She is also mother to daughter Oonagh, whom she secretly welcomed in 2021.
— with files from Global News
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