Amber Heard Breaks Her Silence on the Johnny Depp Trial in New Documentary 'Silenced'

Published 01/25/2026, 10:17 PM CST

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s defamation trial, which went on for more than a month, made headlines in 2022. From allegations to an endless stream of memes, the actors were all over social media. However, after losing the case, Heard had stepped away from public view before eventually returning to the big screen this year and opening up about the lawsuit.

Nearly four years later, the actress has spoken about the impact the case had on her life.

Amber Heard claimed that the Johnny Depp Trial left her voiceless

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Amber Heard recently appeared in the new documentary Silenced, which was screened at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. It focused on how defamation laws are weaponized against women who speak for themselves. While Heard did not speak about her take, she opened up about her experience.

"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,” she said as per Variety.

Directed by Selina Miles, the film also features Catalina Ruiz-Navarro’s fight for press freedom in Colombia and Brittany Higgins’ struggle within Australia’s political establishment. While speaking about the other women featured in the documentary, Heard praised their efforts and their fight for justice. International human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, who worked with Heard during the Johnny Depp trial, also took part in the project.

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After the trial, Heard moved to Spain to continue to focus on her life and later welcomed twins. Now, the case, once thought to be buried, has resurfaced, bringing attention back to what went down during the controversial trial.

A brief look at Amber Heard and the Johnny Depp lawsuit

After Amber Heard and Johnny Depp split in 2016, the latter sued Heard for defamation in 2019 over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post. Court proceedings for Depp’s defamation trial against Heard then began in April 2022, and after a six-week trial, the jury found Heard liable on all counts of defamation related to her op-ed. While she was ordered to pay $10.35 million, Depp was required to pay $2 million for one claim Heard won in her countersuit. 

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Both filed appeals, but the case was ultimately settled, with Heard agreeing to pay Depp $1 million, which he pledged to donate to multiple charities. Since then, Depp and Heard have gone their separate ways, with Depp once again back with his work. However, with Heard recently opening up about her take on the controversial case, the chatter on this seems to have sparked again.

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What is your take on Heard feeling voiceless? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Pritha Debroy

173 articles

Pritha Debroy is an Entertainment writer at NetflixJunkie who can seamlessly switch between breaking down an NBA play and obsessing over the latest K-drama twist. She has written over 3,400 NBA and NFL articles, but her true joy lies in diving into Netflix’s trendiest shows—unpacking themes, stories, and yes, the occasional celebrity chaos. When she is not writing, you’ll find her devouring thrillers (anything by Freida McFadden is an instant yes), revisiting comfort classics like 10 Things I Hate About You and 27 Dresses, or hunting for her next binge-worthy series.

Edited By: Aliza Siddiqui

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