Amber Heard Says 'It Was a Constant Battle' with Johnny Depp Over Her Desire to Continue Acting

Amber Heardsays ex-husbandJohnny Deppwanted her to quit acting and tried to control the types of roles she would take.

While she continued her testimony on Thursday, Heard, 36, described how Depp, 58, would call her “foolish and naive” and criticize her desire to continue in her acting career during their relationship. The pair met while making the movieThe Rum Diary, and they later became romantic while promoting the film in 2011. She said their bond was “intense” from the start.

Heard previously testified about Depp taking issue with what she wore on a day-to-day basis and to events. She also said he would accuse her of cheating anytime she would spend time with someone else.

Heard said she warmed up to the idea of moving in with Depp at his request because she wanted to “minimize some of the jealousy and insecurity that he had.”

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“It was hard for me to work, justify working. Every audition, every meeting, every script I got was a negotiation or a fight. I had to justify it as if I was to say, ‘Hey, let’s have an open relationship,’ " she said. “I thought that would be minimized if I could make him feel more secure.”

“I’ve always been really independent, and I never imaginednotworking. I’ve worked from the earliest time I can imagine. I come from parents who worked until they literally couldn’t anymore,” the Texas native said. “I never imagined myself having to explain my job or justify my job. But I did.”

Depp wanted her to stop working, Heard said, and she would have to “bargain” with him and explain that she was financially supporting her parents and sister Whitney. “He would say, ‘You don’t have to work, kid. Let me take care of you. My woman doesn’t have to work.’ That sounds really sweet and really romantic in some way, but it became a real fight.”

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Heard started turning down projects that included sex scenes, she said, and “eventually I had to change the wardrobe” and have “minimal makeup” in movies. “It didn’t happen all at once, of course. It was little thing, after little thing, after little thing. … It was a constant battle and negotiation.”

“She asked me, ‘How can I avoid being stereotyped as the beautiful blonde who gets her breasts out or goes naked …’ and I gave her my advice on it, on how to avoid it, which I thought was pretty accurate,” he said. “Her ambition was stronger than what she received from my advice.”

AfterThe Rum Diary, Heard starred in movies like 2015’sMagic Mike XXLandThe Danish Girl, and she debuted asAquaman’s Mera in 2017’sJustice League. She recently appeared on the Stephen King seriesThe Standand returns forAquaman and the Lost Kingdomnext year.

They married in 2015, then they broke up in May 2016, when Heard sought a domestic violence restraining order against him, accusing him of abusing her. Depp denied the claims, and the former couple settled theirdivorceout of court in August 2016.

The star, who has said multiple times under oath that he has never struck Heard or any woman, has testified that his “goal is the truth” as he seeks to clear his name in the trial, which is being televised live via various outlets. WhenHeard took the stand yesterday, she told the jury, “I struggle to find the words to describe how painful this is. This is horrible for me to sit here for weeks and relive everything.”

Back in November 2020, Depplost his highly publicized U.K. libel lawsuit caseagainst British tabloidThe Sunfor calling him a “wife-beater.” The court upheld the outlet’s claims as being “substantially true” and Heard testified to back up the claims. In March 2021, thePirates of the Caribbeanstar’s attempt tooverturn the decision was overruled.

source: people.com