Amber Heard doesn’t ‘blame’ jury for verdict, calls Johnny Depp a ‘fantastic actor’
Amber Heard doesn’t “blame” the jury for Johnny Depp’s recent victory in their defamation trial.
“I actually understand,” the actress, 36, told Savannah Guthrie of the verdict in Monday’s sneak peek of her upcoming “Today” show interview.
“He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him,” she continued in the clip. “He’s a fantastic actor.”
However, Heard went on to call the social media negativity surrounding the trial unfair.
“Even somebody who is sure I am deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying, you still couldn’t look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation,” she explained.
“You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”
Heard noted that she doesn’t take the backlash “personally,” adding, “I don’t care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors. I don’t presume the average person should know those things.”
Earlier this month, a seven-person jury ruled unanimously after 13 hours of deliberation that Heard defamed Depp, 59, in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed calling herself a victim of domestic violence, awarding her ex-husband $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
Heard was awarded $2 million for compensatory damages but $0 in punitive damages for her countersuit.
The “Aquaman” star took to Instagram to share a statement following the June 1 verdict.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband,” she told her followers at the time. “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women.”
Heard concluded, “I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly.”
In a statement of his own, Depp wrote that he was “humbled” to get his “life back.”
“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” the actor wrote. “I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star subsequently created a TikTok account. His first upload on the platform showed him waving to supporters.
“We will all move forward together,” Depp captioned the footage. “You are, as always, my employers and once again I am whittled down to no way to say thank you, other than just by saying thank you. So, thank you.”
His ex-wife reacted to the video, with a spokesperson for the Texas native telling People, “As Johnny Depp says he’s ‘moving forward,’ women’s rights are moving backward. The verdict’s message to victims of domestic violence is … be afraid to stand up and speak out.”
Heard’s interview with Guthrie, 50, will air Friday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.