Amber Heard speaks on backlash she faced after accusing Depp
Amber Heard recently played warrior princess Mera in Aquaman. Being an inspiration on and off screen, she spoke about how entertainment industry should present women as strong characters, not damsels in distress. Heard speaks from experience, being a domestic abuse survivor, while being married to Pirates of the Caribbean star, Johnny Depp. Now, she has spoken on the backlash she faced after accusing Depp.
Speaking in an op-ed for The Washington Post, the 32-year-old detailed the severe backlash she had to face after leveling charges against her then-husband, Depp. She claimed to have lost several roles as a result of the "full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out". "Many told me I'd never again work as an actress, that I'd be blacklisted," she added.
As if surviving the domestic abuse was not enough, Heard also had to endure the aftermath, which damaged her career. A film she was attached to, recast her role while a global fashion brand, for which she was the face and had shot a two-year campaign, dropped her. There were also doubts whether she would hold her Aquaman role, which was thankfully untouched.
The backlash was not just limited to Heard's professional life. It spilled onto her personal life. She had to keep changing numbers "every week" as she kept receiving death threats. Every time she left the apartment, she would be photographed and tabloids would portray her in a negative light. Heard felt like being tried by public opinion for asserting her independence from domestic abuse.
Here Heard was facing backlash, and there Depp was apparently enjoying the support and protection of his fans. In fact, the actor went on to bag a major role in the Harry Potter spin-off series, Fantastic Beasts, where he played the dark wizard Grindelwald. This shows how patriarchal institution protected perpetrators while punishing victims, which Heard witnessed firsthand from her rare vantage point.
Heard said, "Imagine a powerful man as a ship, like the Titanic... When it strikes an iceberg...people on board desperate to patch up holes - not because they believe in or even care about the ship, but because their own fates depend on the enterprise".
Heard remarked on the "transformative political" power of the #MeToo movement. Not only did #MeToo portray the extent to which women were affected by sexual violence, but also sensitized a major section of society to hear the victim's narrative with empathy, before rushing to defend the accused out of blind loyalty. Heard did not get her justice, hopefully, others will, in a post-#MeToo society.
