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- The full version of Amber Heard’s interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie aired on Friday.
- Heard said she was “terrified” that Johnny Depp might sue her again after her defamation trial.
- “I took for granted what I felt was my right to speak,” the actor said.
Amber Heard said she was nervous about what she could say publicly after a Virginia jury found her liable for defaming her ex-husband Johnny Depp after weeks of sensational testimony at the highly publicized trial.
In an NBC Dateline interview with Today host Savannah Guthrie on Friday, Heard said she was “terrified” that Depp could sue her again for defamation if she continues to speak out about the trial.
“I took what I believed was my right to speak for granted. I’m afraid that no matter what I do or what I say or how I say it – every step I take will present another opportunity for that kind of silence, which I think is what a libel lawsuit is supposed to do – for yours voice,” Heard said.
At the center of the defamation trial, which took place in a Virginia court earlier this year, was a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which Heard implied that she was a survivor of sexual and domestic violence and the vitriol she suffered as a result received from speaking about it publicly. The piece didn’t name Depp, but he responded by taking Heard to court and accusing his ex-wife of ruining his reputation and career by implying in the comment he abused her.
Heard sued her for $100 million, alleging that Depp assaulted her before and during their marriage, which ended in divorce in 2016. Depp denied the claims.
The jury ultimately found both Heard and Depp liable for mutual defamation, although the verdict was undeniably a victory for Depp, who was awarded $15 million in damages compared to Heard’s $2 million payout.
In her first primetime interview after the verdict, Heard told Guthrie that she stood by “every word” of her testimony and would do so until the “day of her death.” But the actor said Depp’s numerous fans who attended the trial often made it difficult to testify.
“In the courtroom, I testify about sexual assault and violence before a jury in a packed courtroom where people express their contempt for me,” she told Guthrie.
Heard said barricades had to be erected outside the courthouse for their safety as many “Captain Jack Sparrow” fans were stationed outside the building every day.
The process inspired outsized internet engagement – the vast majority of which seemed to support Depp. Heard said in her interview that she would not “blame” the jury for its verdict in the case.
“I’m not a good victim, I understand. I’m not a sympathetic victim. I’m not a saint,” she said. “I don’t ask anyone to like me.”
But Heard said she fears the finding could have a “deterrent” effect on domestic violence survivors.
“What I have learned in this process is that it will never be good enough. If you have evidence, then it was a plan, it was a hoax,” she said. “If you don’t have evidence, it didn’t happen.”
A spokesman for Depp responded to Heard’s interview by accusing her of “renegotiating” the case in the media.
“It is unfortunate that, as Johnny tries to move on with his life, the defendant and her team are once again repeating, reinventing and renegotiating matters already decided by the court and a verdict unanimously and unequivocally rendered by a jury in favor of Johnny,” the rep told Insider.
Heard told Guthrie that she plans to appeal her case and is focused on being a mother to her young daughter.
