Amber Heard has offered rare insights into how the highly publicised 2022 defamation trial with her ex-husband Johnny Depp continues to shape her life years after the legal battle concluded. The 39-year-old actress, who has since relocated to Spain where she is raising three children, opened up about the profound personal impact in the new documentary Silenced, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday.
Legal Fallout and Financial Settlement
Following the extensively covered trial, Heard was ordered to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages alongside $350,000 in punitive damages. In a countersuit against the actor, she was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages. The legal dispute was eventually settled in December 2022, with Heard paying her ex-husband $1 million in damages following negotiations. Depp subsequently donated the money to five charities.
A Voice Silenced
In confessional footage for the documentary, Heard made poignant remarks about her experience. "This is not about me. I have lost my ability to speak. I am not here to tell my story," she revealed to Variety. Expanding on this sentiment to director Selina Miles, Heard added, "In fact, I don't want to use my voice anymore. That's the problem."
The documentary also references the separate libel lawsuit Depp lost in the UK after suing The Sun over their description of him as a "wife beater." International human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, who assisted Heard with that 2020 case, features in the project. "The outcome of that trial depended on my participation, and I depended on the outcome of that trial," Heard recalled of the UK proceedings.
Broader Patterns of Silencing Women
Silenced positions Heard's experience within a wider global context, also featuring Colombian journalist Catalina Ruiz-Navarro and Brittany Higgins. According to the official description, the documentary "reveals a global pattern: When women speak out, powerful systems move to discredit and punish them."
Heard reflected on this broader significance, noting, "When I first met [Robinson], I immediately got the sense that she got the bigger picture. What has happened to me is an amplified version of what a lot of women live through."
Rebuilding Life in Spain
Following the trial's conclusion, Heard stepped away from the spotlight, moving to Madrid with her daughter Oonagh, now four years old. The bilingual actress has been gradually rebuilding her life away from public scrutiny. In May of last year, she announced the arrival of twins named Agnes and Ocean, completing her family after what she described as "own fertility challenges."
On rare occasions, Heard offers glimpses into her domestic life abroad, sharing moments from Halloween celebrations and Thanksgiving gatherings with her family, including her father. These snapshots reveal a woman focused on motherhood and personal recovery.
Return to Acting and Theatre Debut
Most recently, Heard has begun tentatively returning to her professional roots. Last summer marked her theatre debut in Jeremy O. Harris' play Spirit Of The People at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. This represented her first acting role since appearances in Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom and In The Fire, both released in 2023.
Celebrating the conclusion of her stage production, Heard shared a selfie surrounded by flowers, writing, "Thank you to all of my fans and supporters for making this already unforgettable weekend so much more beautiful. The flowers won't last forever but the memories of all the love and support I received through this, will."
Reflections on Social Media Vilification
In her December 2022 Instagram statement announcing the settlement, Heard addressed the intense public scrutiny she faced. "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," she wrote. "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 continued, "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 her statement, Heard emphasised, "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."
Through Silenced and her recent comments, Amber Heard continues to navigate the complex aftermath of one of Hollywood's most watched legal battles while rebuilding her personal and professional life on her own terms.
