Why Amber Heard Felt "Less Than Human" During Johnny Depp Defamation Trial

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Amber Heard explained why she didn’t feel confident that the jury would rule in her favor during the Johnny Depp defamation case.

By Mike Vulpo Jun 14, 2022 5:52 PMTags

Amber Heard is standing by her testimony made during Johnny Depp's trial.

Close to two weeks after a Virginia jury ruled that Heard was liable of defaming Depp, the Aquaman actress sat down with NBC News' Savannah Guthrie to reflect on a case that captivated much of the world. 

"Every single day, I passed three, four, sometimes six city blocks lined with people holding signs saying, ‘Burn the witch. Death to Amber,'" Heard shared. "After three and a half weeks, I took the stand and saw just a courtroom packed full of Captain Jack Sparrow fans who were vocal, energized."

"This is the most humiliating and horrible thing I've ever been through," she added. "I have never felt more removed from my own humanity. I felt less than human."

For several days in May, Heard took the stand and testified that Depp physically and psychologically abused her. Depp denied the claims before his attorney Camille Vasquez said in closing arguments that Heard took on "the role of a lifetime" as a domestic abuse survivor.

photos
Johnny Depp's Dating History

In part one of her interview, which aired June 14 on Today, Heard said she had no regrets. "To my dying day, [I] will stand by every word of my testimony," she said. "I spoke it to power and I paid the price."

On June 1, a Virginia jury awarded $10 million to Depp in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate later reduced the punitive damages to $350,000, which is the state's legal limit, making his total damages less than $10.4 million. Heard's attorney Elaine Bredehoft confirmed on June 2 that the actress plans to appeal

As for Heard's countersuit, the jury awarded the actress $2 million in compensatory damages.

When asked if she was feeling confident the day of the verdict, Heard admitted that she wasn't sure what the jury would decide.

Michael Reynolds; Steve Helber/AP/Shutterstock

"I wish I could say yes to that," she told Guthrie. "I want to say yes to you, but it wouldn't be true. Even if you think that I'm lying, you still couldn't look me in the eye and tell that that you think on social media, there's been a fair representation."

Depp's lawyers previously shut down accusations that the jury's verdict was "influenced" by social media. 

"I don't think there's any reason to believe that the jurors violated their oath," Depp's attorney Ben Chew said on Today June 8. Vasquez added that although social media "is everywhere," the jury was "admonished every single night. And they had a tremendous amount of respect for the court and the process, and they were doing the best that they could."

As for critics who question why two stars chose to air the highs and lows of their relationship so publicly, Heard understands why they are turned off by the ordeal. "I would not blame the average person for looking at this and how it's been covered and not think that it is Hollywood brats at their worst," she said. "But what people don't understand is that it's actually so much bigger than that."

E! News has reached out to Depp's team for comment on Heard's interview and has not heard back.

To hear more from Heard, watch Today on June 15 and a special Dateline airing June 17 at 8 p.m. on NBC.

(E! and NBC are part of the NBCUniversal family.)

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App