These days, when Amber Heard is in the news, it’s usually concerning her personal life rather than her professional endeavors, such as her potentially writing a tell-all book about her defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp, as well seemingly denying that she’s quit Hollywood. But 2023 is a big year for Heard on the acting front, starting with her latest movie, In the Fire, recently having its world premiere. But talk of the actress’ personal life continues in the midst of this rollout, and the actress got candid about this in an interview, which included noting that her promotion of In the Fire is not something she can be “sued for.”
Although a wide release date hasn’t been set yet, In the Fire’s world premiere was held at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily, and while Heard was in the Italian region that she spoke with Deadline about this 2023 new movie release and more. During the interview, it was noted that plugging the movie is “a first strong step to regaining control of her narrative,” though the actress said that this has taken some self-discipline:
I’m in control for the most part of what comes out of my mouth. What I’m not in control is how my pride in this project and all we put into this film can be surrounded by clips of other stuff. That’s a big thing I had to learn, that I’m not in control of stories other people create around me. That’s something that probably I’ll appreciate as a blessing further down the line. Right now, I just kind of want to not have, you know, stones thrown at me so much. So let’s get the elephant out of the room then, and just let me say that. I am an actress. I’m here to support a movie. And that’s not something I can be sued for.
It was a little over a year ago that the Depp v. Heard trial ended, and initially, Heard was to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, while Depp was to pay Heard $2 million in compensatory damages. However, by December 2022, after both sides had repealed their respective verdicts, a settlement was reached where Depp received $1 million from Heard, although the Pirates of the Caribbean actor donated that money to charities. But even in the aftermath of that legal saga, the Aquaman star has continued to have her personal life held to public scrutiny.
Still, it’s not like Amber Heard is only just now learning to deal with this sort of thing. As she explained with the below statement, she’s been professionally acting for many years now, with 2004 marking her film debut with Friday Night Lights, as well as TV debut with the shows Jack & Bobby and The Mountain, so she’s gotten used the public wanting to learn about her off-camera life.
It might not be obvious to other people, but I’ve been acting my whole adult life, since I was 16. As crazy as it sounds to say, that means I have decades in this industry. I’m not telling you I have this amazing film career, but what I have is something that I’ve made, myself, and it has given me a lot to be able to contribute. The odds of that in this industry are really improbably but somehow, here I am. I think I’ve earned respect for that to be its own thing. That’s substantial enough. What I have been through, what I’ve lived through, doesn’t make my career at all. And it’s certainly not gonna stop my career. So let’s talk about this movie.
In the Fire sees Amber Heard playing an American psychiatrist in 1890 who’s called to Colombia to work with a boy who’s been blamed by his own father, a zealous priest and the religious townsfolk for his mother’s death, They believe the boy is evil and are distrustful of a woman of science coming in with her psychiatric toolbox. Conor Ellyn directed In the Fire and co-wrote the script with Pascal Borno and Silvio Muraglia. This is Heard’s first movie appearance since 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League, with Gully preceding it two years beforehand.
While it remains to be seen when the public will score access to In the Fire, Heard is also reprising Mera in the upcoming DC movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which opens on December 20. And while she hasn’t turned her back on Hollywood performing-wise, the actress does currently reside in Spain with her daughter, which certainly decreases the chances of running into paparazzi.
