Amber Heard Makes Rare Public Comments About Johnny Depp Trial, Says She Lost Her Voice

Amber Heard has made rare public comments about her long legal battle with Johnny Depp, saying the experience left her feeling unable to speak out.
The actress shared her thoughts during the Sundance Film Festival premiere of the documentary "Silenced," which looks at how defamation lawsuits can be used to quiet women who speak about abuse.
At the center of the film, Heard explains that her goal is not to retell her own story, but to show the harm these legal fights can cause. "This is not about me," Heard says in the documentary, according to Variety.
"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."
"Silenced" is directed by Selina Miles and co-created with international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, who previously worked with Heard, People reported.
The documentary also features other women, including Brittany Higgins, Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, and Sibongile Ndashe, each sharing experiences of being challenged or punished after speaking publicly.
Heard reflects on how her role in earlier legal cases shaped what followed. She testified in 2020 during Depp's lawsuit against the British newspaper The Sun.
"The outcome of that trial depended on my participation, and I depended on the outcome of that trial," she says in the film.
Heard adds that Robinson understood how her experience was part of a larger pattern many women face.
Amber Heard recalls the Johnny Depp trial in an unexpected appearance in the Sundance documentary “Silenced":
— Variety (@Variety) January 24, 2026
"I didn’t understand it could get so much worse for me as a woman, using my voice. I have lost my ability to speak. I am not here to tell my story. I don’t want to tell… pic.twitter.com/8D4HFTyENd
Amber Heard Explains Emotional Toll of Media Attention
The actress also recalls considering whether to speak to the press after the trial ended. "I didn't understand it could get so much worse for me as a woman, using my voice," she says, explaining that public reaction was harsher than she expected.
Heard and Depp later faced each other again in a highly publicized 2022 defamation trial in Virginia.
Depp sued Heard over a 2018 Washington Post opinion piece about domestic abuse, while Heard filed a countersuit.
According to FoxNews, the jury awarded Depp $10 million and awarded Heard $2 million. The case was later settled, with Heard agreeing to pay Depp $1 million.
Since the trial, Heard has mostly stayed out of the spotlight. She moved to Spain in late 2022 and has not released a new film since "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," which she finished filming before the trial began.
Despite everything, Heard says seeing other women speak up gives her hope. "It gives me strength seeing other people take on the fight," she says.
Looking at her daughter's future, Heard adds, "I believe it can be better."
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