Amber Heard: ‘It’s Easy To Forget I’m A Human Being’

BBC News Brazil

Amber Heard says she felt humiliated and faced hundreds of death threats daily after testifying in the defamation trial brought by her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp, against her.

On Thursday (26), the last day of trial before closing remarks, the actress declared: “Maybe it’s easy to forget, but I’m a human being.” Depp, 58, is suing Heard, 36, over an article she wrote in which she claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse. The actress has filed a counterclaim — that is, sues Depp back. They repeatedly deny the allegations.

Over the course of more than a month of depositions, jurors were presented with wildly different versions of incidents that took place over the two troubled years the couple lived together. The actors accuse each other of being the aggressor in the relationship and have called witnesses to testify on their behalf.

Several witnesses called by Depp’s team directly contradict Heard’s claims. “I know how many people are going to show up and say anything for him,” Heard said in court on Thursday. “That’s his power. That’s why I wrote the article. I was talking about this phenomenon.”

Heard’s testimony on Wednesday also led to a tense dialogue with Camille Vasquez — Depp’s lawyer turned social media celebrity — over an image of spilled wine. It’s one of several photos Heard has come up with, allegedly of a big fight the couple had in 2016, which would have ended with Depp assaulting her.

At one point, Heard turned to the jurors and claimed the photos had been edited by Depp’s lawyers in support of her ex-husband’s case. “I would appreciate it if you weren’t arguing with the jury,” Vasquez said grimly. “I didn’t ask you about anything.”

Throughout his testimony, Heard has repeatedly denied accusations that he was lying or deceiving jurors during the trial. Her testimony, she added, had led to “hundreds” of daily death threats and forced her to “relive the trauma” of her marriage.

“This is horrible… it’s humiliating for any human being to go through and maybe it’s easy to forget, but I’m a human being,” she said. “Since I’m here today, I can’t have a career. I can’t even have people associated with me because of the threats and attacks they’ll have to endure.”

Depp is seeking $50 million in moral damages for a 2018 article Heard wrote in The Washington Post in which he said he was a victim of domestic abuse. The actor’s lawyers claim that it has “incalculably damaged” his career.

Heard is also suing Depp, in a lawsuit asking for $100 million. The closing arguments will begin this Friday (27), followed by the deliberations of the jury.