Amber Heard Gets Public Words Of Support From Action Movie Superstar
Amber Heard lost her lawsuit against Johnny Depp and has all but been ostracized by the public. However, an unlikely action superstar spoke about his support for her.
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If you spend any time on the internet, you’ve likely noticed that America seems pretty united in its newfound feelings of disdain for Amber Heard. In the wake of revelations from Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against her, the actress has found few allies from Hollywood willing to publicly vocalize their support for her. That’s why you may be surprised to learn that she indeed has a movie star in her corner: her Aquaman co-star Dolph Lundgren, who plays Nereus. The Rocky IV actor is painting a very different picture of Heard (who plays Mera) from what we’ve seen, and has only good things to say about her, according to a report from ComicBook.com.
“She’s terrific. I had a great experience with her,” Lundgren said of Heard in the interview. “She’s very kind, nice to the crew, nice to everybody, just down to earth. She had her newborn baby with her on set with the nanny which was kind of cute.” Lundgren worked with Heard last fall in London on Aquaman 2, although recent reports indicate her work on the film may be significantly pared down, if not removed altogether. An online petition to have Amber Heard removed from the film completely is about to reach 4.5 million signatures.
On Wednesday, a jury found that Amber Heard did indeed defame Johnny Depp in an op-ed claiming he abused her for years. She not only is facing having to pay millions in restitution, her career and personal reputation are in shambles. Although she did prevail in one claim of defamation against Depp’s attorney, there wasn’t much good news for her on verdict day, except for a new interview with Lundgren posted by The Independent, in which the actor called Heard “great,” “terrific,” and “very kind” in his experiences with her on the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom set. That film is due to release in theaters on March 17, 2023. The two also worked together on the original 2018 film.
Dolph Lundgren joins a fairly short list of celebrities willing to publicly support Amber Heard. While there are a few recognizable names on the list, most don’t exactly have a lot of support from the general public. That includes Kathy Griffin, who tweeted support for her during the trial. That support isn’t likely to go very far, as Griffin herself is widely disliked, nearly as much as Heard herself is these days. Ellen Barkin, who testified against Depp during the trial, also supports Heard, as does actress Julia Fox (Uncut Gems).
Heard’s testimony on the stand was her undoing, as viewers following the televised trial found her to be unconvincing. The jury, in its decision, also stated that they did not believe her claims, but the internet went a step further, mocking her “performance” on the stand as bad overacting. One moment, in which Amber Heard recounted her dog stepping on a bee, went viral, with TikTok users taking their own spin on her delivery, as this video shows.
Johnny Depp sued Heard for $50 million in 2020, claiming a Washington Post op-ed she penned accused him of spousal abuse, even without naming him. The fallout from the op-ed caused Depp to lose several film roles, including his role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with Disney and his recent role in the Harry Potter spinoff series Fantastic Beasts. Amber Heard countersued for $100 million (although she only received $2 million in her counterclaim). Depp was awarded $15 million in damages by the jury, who ruled in favor of all his claims.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” Amber Heard said in a statement after the verdict. “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband. I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.” Depp also responded to the verdict, stating “The jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled…The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun. Truth never perishes.”