Amber Heard claims that while she may still have love for her ex-husband Johnny Depp, she fears that he may file another defamation lawsuit against her.
Speaking to Savannah Guthrie on Today, as reported by NBC News, Heard explained that despite the recent conclusion of Depp's $50 million lawsuit against the Aquaman star, she's still nervous regarding her freedom of speech. "I took for granted what I assumed was my right to speak," Heard said. "I’m scared that no matter what I do, no matter what I say, or how I say it — every step that I take will present another opportunity for this sort of — silencing, which is what, I guess, a defamation lawsuit is meant to do."
While Heard ultimately lost the trial, with the jury awarding Depp $15 million in damages, she insists that she bears no ill will towards the Pirates of the Caribbean actor. When asked whether she still had "love for Johnny," Heard confirmed that her feelings had not changed, and clarified her intention behind the op-ed piece which implied that Depp was a "wife beater." The actor stated, "The op-ed wasn't about my relationship with Johnny. What the op-ed was about was ... me loaning my voice to a bigger cultural conversation that we were having at the time," referencing the #MeToo movement which had risen to prominence when the article was first published.
While Heard has previously admitted that she "made mistakes" during their relationship, she nevertheless stands by her testimony that she suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of Depp. "I never had to instigate it, I responded to it," Heard said. "When you’re living in violence and it becomes normal, as I testified to, you have to adapt," Heard said. Following the original publication of the op-ed piece, Depp insisted that he was actually the victim of domestic violence when he was married to Heard.
Shortly after the trial's conclusion, reports emerged claiming that Heard had been removed from her part as Mera in the upcoming DC Extended Universe film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. A spokesperson for the rep clarified that this was not the case, stating that the "rumor mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive and slightly insane." At the time of writing, it's believed that Heard will appear in the movie albeit in a smaller capacity, a decision which was reportedly not prompted by her legal battle with Depp.
Source: NBC News