Entertainment Hollywood
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ByJonathan H. Kantor
Amber Heard began working in Hollywood in the early aughts, and it didn't take long for her to gain some traction in the industry. Before long, Heard was booking appearances in TV series and even a few movies. As she continued honing her craft, Heard found work in larger productions, eventually landing leading and supporting roles in various films, including "Zombieland," "The Rum Diary," and many more.
While her professional life appeared to be going strong, Heard's personal issues arose to the forefront. This landed Heard's name in the wrong kinds of headlines; whether they dealt with her relationships or off-set behavior, it didn't take long for Heard to gain a bad reputation. When that happens, it typically impedes an actor's ability to find work, and that's true of Heard. Over time, Heard's roles began to diminish as her personal life took over any mention of her name.
Few could get excited for any movie she appeared in while her name was negatively blasted at the public, time and time again. Eventually, Heard's personal issues boiled over, and she left both the industry and the country, choosing to settle in Spain rather than face scrutiny back home. Ultimately, Heard became untouchable for projects, as her name brought too much controversy, prematurely ending her career.
Amber Heard had some fun roles before earning star status in 2008
Sony Pictures Releasing
Amber Heard broke into the mainstream via minor appearances and supporting roles in various small-screen projects. She landed roles on the short-lived series "Jack & Bobby" and "The O.C.," as well as some music videos for Kenny Chesney. After this, Heard found work in feature films, with her first being a minor role in "Friday Night Lights." Heard split her time on TV and in films early in her career, which helped bring positive attention her way.
The 2000s were a great time professionally for Heard, as she landed roles in "Hidden Palms" and "Criminal Minds." In 2006, Heard debuted in her first leading role in a film, "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane," though it wasn't released commercially for several years. Regardless, Heard had positive buzz surrounding her name in Hollywood, and the roles kept on coming. In 2008, Heard found mainstream success appearing in "Pineapple Express" and "Never Back Down."
The following year, Heard played a small but important role in "Zombieland." While that film did well, several independent projects she appeared in did not, including her first major commercial film, "Drive Angry," starring opposite Nicolas Cage. Unfortunately, many of Heard's early films didn't perform well critically or financially, but she was often praised for her work in otherwise lackluster productions. As a result, Heard continued landing gigs during the first two decades of her professional career.
Amber Heard continued nabbing leading roles
Warner Bros. Pictures
While Amber Heard landed numerous prominent roles throughout her career, her biggest didn't arrive until 2017. That's when Heard first played Mera in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) via "Justice League." The role was significant, as was the film, which bombed rather horrifically. That had little to nothing to do with Heard's performance, and the plans for the DCEU indicated she'd have an opportunity to reprise the role, which she did the following year in "Aquaman."
Where "Justice League" failed, "Aquaman" did far better, earning various accolades and significant returns at the global box office. All indications were that Mera would return in the sequel, which took several years to make, thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless, it was made and released in 2023 to critical disdain. The film was also not a huge financial success, and the studio ultimately lost money.
One main issue plaguing the film was the off-screen relationship between its lead, Jason Momoa, and Heard. Rumors of bad blood between the stars leaked, and fans launched a petition to have Heard removed. When the film came out, Heard's scenes were significantly cut. She received one script after the next, each one with fewer and fewer scenes involving her character; a major fight sequence was removed as well. The film performed poorly financially, and the rumors and on-set drama clearly didn't help.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's rocky marriage
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Amber Heard first met Johnny Depp on the set of "The Rum Diary," though both were in relationships with other people at the time. It would be a few years before they began dating, and in February 2015, the couple married. Initially, they had a private ceremony before holding a larger one on Depp's private island in the Bahamas. From the start, it seemed they were the Hollywood couple to emulate, but before long, problems arose indicating otherwise.
In July 2015, Depp and Heard sparked controversy in Australia when they brought their two Yorkshire terriers illegally into the country. This resulted in criminal charges against Heard, who'd failed to include the dogs in her customs declaration. She pled guilty the following year to avoid a possible prison sentence, and the couple issued an apology via a recorded video. It was a hiccup, but it indicated there were issues going on beneath the surface, and neither actor looked good following the incident.
Regardless, they continued to show affection for one another on red carpets and elsewhere. Throughout the rest of 2015, it looked like Heard and Depp were going strong, but it all came tumbling down rather quickly. By January 2016, it was beginning to look like they might be experiencing problems in their relationship, and this was confirmed in May when Heard filed for divorce. The following day, Heard filed a restraining order against Depp, establishing what would become one of Hollywood's messiest divorces.
One of Hollywood's messiest divorces
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Divorce is a messy affair for most couples, and there are plenty of messy divorces in Hollywood. Calling Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's divorce "messy" is actually something of an understatement. Like any divorce, it was contentious, but it was also fodder for public consumption, resulting in the airing of the couple's dirty laundry for the world to see. When Heard filed for divorce and a restraining order, she alleged physical and mental abuse, which Depp and his attorneys vociferously denied.
Ultimately, the divorce was settled in January 2017, resulting in Heard dropping the restraining order. Heard took a cash settlement to end the proceedings, which she pledged to donate to charity. For the most part, the divorce itself wasn't terribly messy, but it didn't end with their settlement. Instead, the issues in Heard and Depp's relationship continued to dominate headlines when Heard penned an op-ed for "The Washington Post," calling out Depp for alleged domestic violence.
Technically, Heard didn't name the individual she alleged abused her, but anyone who read it immediately understood Depp was the target. This didn't sit well with the actor, as the allegations cost him considerable work. Disney dropped him from future plans with the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, and Depp was also removed and replaced in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. This cost Depp a great deal financially, but it also marred his reputation, and the blowback was swift, as Depp filed a defamation suit against Heard for her op-ed.
Depp v. Heard
The legal drama that unfolded in the public between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard began with their divorce, and it continued for years. Depp fought and lost a libel suit against "The Sun" for calling him a "wife beater." That article got him fired from "Fantastic Beasts," but he lost it and an appeal. After this, Depp took aim directly at his ex-wife for writing her op-ed published in "The Washington Post." Depp filed a defamation suit against Heard, alleging that it was she doing the abuse in their relationship, and he took issue with the piece.
Not long after, Heard filed a counterclaim against Depp, alleging that his accusations and online petitions got her fired from "Aquaman" and L'Oréal. This gave both parties a financial stake in the proceedings, and their trial played out between April 11 and June 1, 2022, in Fairfax County, Virginia. The trial was broadcast in full, so the world got a peek inside the incredibly dirty laundry of the couple, and one allegation flew after another.
As the trial progressed, it became all the more disturbingas each party laid out their claims and evidence against the other. During the trial, fans of Depp launched the "#JusticeForJohnny" hashtag in his support, and the public turned on Heard. Ultimately, the trial found that Heard's statements in the op-ed were false andawarded Depp $15 million. The jury also found in favor of Heard in one area, awarding her $2 million.
She appeared in a poorly received adaptation of The Stand
Starz
While she was dealing with the dissolution of her marriage and the public scrutiny that came with her allegations in print, Amber Heard continued to work. She appeared in numerous films during this tumultuous time in her life, including "Justice League," "Aquaman," and more. Heard also worked on the small screen, playing Nadine Cross in the 2020 "The Stand" miniseries. The nine-episode miniseries is the second adaptation of Stephen King's 1978 post-apocalyptic novel and a remake of the 1994 adaptation.
The series didn't achieve as much success as its '90s predecessor, receiving mixed reviews from critics. Development began years earlier, with initial plans settling around a feature film adaptation before it was ultimately decided to make another miniseries. Unfortunately, by the time it found its way to people's TV screens, the COVID-19 pandemic was raging across the globe, which likely didn't help draw viewers due to the subject matter, streaming fatigue, and competition from other shows.
The pandemic was only one part of why "The Stand" didn't work — the other came from critics. Rotten Tomatoes has the show at a 57% rating, which is actually more than double the audience score, which sits at 25%. Heard's acting isn't bad, but the character she plays in the series is very different from the one presented in the book. This likely turned some fans away, as it was a relatively significant change, while others may have felt Heard was miscast in the role entirely.
The trial became a Netflix movie
The defamation trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp captivated the nation's attention throughout the proceedings. The whole thing was salacious and interesting to watch from afar, so millions of people engaged in online discussions while watching the trial unfold. While it wasn't the trial of the century, it was certainly fascinating to watch two incredibly famous people go after one another in such horrific detail, and plenty of nastiness came out of the participants' testimonies.
Because it was such a draw, it wasn't shocking to learn that Netflix greenlit a documentary series based on the trial. Instead of dramatizing the events leading up to the trial or the trial itself, the filmmakers opted for a documentary that uses video from the trial itself. This is used to depict the testimonies of the important players, shown side-by-side, and the documentary delves into the social impact of the trial on popular culture. Despite its intriguing content, "Depp v. Heard" wasn't well-received.
Critics didn't care for the documentary series, which failed to feature a host of talking-head experts or anything you'd expect to find in a true crime-esque documentary. Critics gave the series a 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to an 11% viewer score. Ultimately, the trial itself offered everything the public needed to see, making "Depp v. Heard" all but unnecessary fluff that did little more than oversaturate the public with the couple's drama.
She starred in a Spanish movie that didn't do well
Saban Films
The trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp didn't do Heard's career any favors. While Depp's career appears to be on the mend following his victory, Heard's loss has made her a social pariah. While she appears in limited fashion in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" in 2023, Heard's work dried up significantly leading up to, during, and after the defamation trial. Heard's work opportunities were limited inside the United States, so she found work across the pond in Italy.
Heard landed the leading role of Grace Burnham in the Italian film "In the Fire." The film is about a doctor who treats a young boy with inexplicable abilities while living on a remote plantation. "In the Fire" premiered at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy in June 2023, and it premiered in a limited release in the U.S. in October of the same year. The film was poorly received by most.
Critics weren't kind to "In the Fire," which holds a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes. Brian Lowry of CNN wrote that it's "A pretty awful starring vehicle for the actor that she also produced, a film unlikely to produce many sparks beyond those set off by the morbidly curious." That's some hard yet deserved criticism, as the film failed on multiple levels. The script is fairly derivative, and the movie doesn't introduce anything of value to popular culture, making Heard's return to acting following the trial largely unsuccessful.
Amber Heard's on-set issues with Jason Momoa
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Amber Heard has worked on numerous television series and feature films, and for the most part, she's worked and collaborated well with others. That wasn't true when it came to Heard's work as Mera in the DCEU. Heard first played the character in "Justice League" and followed that performance in the first "Aquaman" film, which earned over $1.1 billion at the global box office. While the film stars Jason Momoa in the lead, Heard's part wasn't minor, and she managed to return in the sequel.
Throughout her time working with Momoa and the DCEU, rumors persisted that the two had trouble on the set. Heard alleged that Momoa worked to kick her off "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," and her scenes were reduced as a result. Another rumor pertaining to Momoa's on-set behavior arose. Heard accused Momoa of dressing up like Johnny Depp while intoxicated just to mess with her, which came out during Heard and Depp's contentious defamation trial.
Variety recovered court documents quoting Heard: "Jason said he wanted me fired. Jason drunk — late on set. Dressing like Johnny. Has all the rings too." Fans also attempted to get Heard fired from the production, but she remained. Her scenes weren't as important to the story, and her role was diminished, but she remained regardless. Ultimately, these rumors and everything else came out during the trial contributed to Heard's difficulties in finding work, so she packed her bags and moved to Europe.
Amber Heard leaves it all behind
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The trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp did not end in Heard's favor, and everything that came to light resulted in significant backlash. Heard wasn't unaware of her standing with the public, so she packed her bags and moved to Spain. Heard speaks Spanish fluently, so she had no problem picking up and relocating to Madrid with her daughter.
Spanish media asked her about her move to Madrid and how she felt about things. She told the reporters that she loves Spain, and when she was asked if she planned to remain in the country, she replied, "Yes, I hope so. Yes, I love living here. I hope you are well, ciao. And thank you, nice to meet you" (via People). A source previously told People that Heard "couldn't wait to leave the U.S. with her daughter," so it looks like she's likely not moving back anytime soon.
It appears that Heard may have retired from Hollywood acting, at least for the time being. That said, she did film "In the Fire" after moving and may try to make a go of it in the European film market. Heard denied reports she was hanging it all up, and according to The Economic Times, she had some work lined up back in 2023. That said, there's nothing noted on her IMDb page, and all indications are that she's not working at this time, nor does she have anything lined up in the near future.
