In a new documentary, Amber Heard has broken her recent public silence to discuss the profound personal impact of her highly publicized legal battles with ex-husband Johnny Depp.
The film, titled Silenced, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24. It examines the weaponization of defamation lawsuits against survivors of abuse, using Heard’s experience as a central case study.
A Voice Silenced
During an interview with director Selina Miles featured in the documentary, Heard spoke candidly about the trial’s aftermath and her decision to withdraw from public discourse.
“This is not about me,” Heard stated. “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.”
Reflecting on Legal Battles
The documentary also features international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, who represented Heard during Depp’s 2020 libel case against British newspaper The Sun. The court ruled against Depp, upholding the publication’s description of him as a “wife beater” as “substantially true,” a verdict that was upheld on appeal in 2021.
Heard reflected on that period, recalling advice from Robinson. “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,” Heard shared. “[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.”
A Broader Fight and Personal Milestones
Silenced also follows other women’s battles against systemic power imbalances, including journalist Catalina Ruiz-Navarro in Colombia and former political staffer Brittany Higgins in Australia. “It gives me strength seeing other people take on the fight,” Heard said in the film, adding a note of hope for her daughter’s future: “I believe it can be better.”
Since settling the defamation case, Heard has largely retreated from the Hollywood spotlight. She relocated to Spain with her daughter, Oonagh, and welcomed twins in 2024. She has begun a gradual return to acting, making her theater debut in the summer of 202
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