Amber Heard was named GQ Australia’s Woman of the Year, for some reason. Don’t get me wrong, I like Amber. But 2017 wasn’t her year – 2016 was her year, that was when she finally divorced that drunk bag of abusive scarves. But I guess it’s better late than never for this honor. Incidentally, Aussie gossips claimed that Amber was a total brat about appearing at the awards show in Sydney – allegedly, she arrived to the red carpet one hour late, then refused to drink the VIP liquor that was offered to all of the biggest celebrities, so someone from the event had to find her some different booze. I’m not sure what I believe, but whatever. In any case, here are some highlights from her GQ Australia cover story:
Whether she appreciates that she’s a role model: “I feel incredibly fortunate that I’m in a position where I could be of any help. At times it’s a burden to consider that your life is no longer just yours and it’s not private. It can be hard to know that you can’t function in full—that anonymity is no longer a valid goal and that your actions and words, whether they’re done on a red carpet or in the most intimate corners of your personal life, to know that those aren’t fully yours anymore. That’s a difficult realization to come to when it does hit you. It’s severe but you grow and move on from that, and on balance, I take into consideration all of the incredible fortune I have being in this position. It’s hard to stay mad at it for long.”
She doesn’t mind being called inspirational: “I always tend to do things truthfully and do the right thing. All I strive for in life is never get the temptation to try to be popular, liked, accepted. It’s never anywhere equal to the desire I have to live my life truthfully and with dignity and with pride. I wouldn’t be able to do that if I wasn’t living honestly, so it was never tempting to me to live another way.”
She’s been concentrating on work while sexual-harassment scandals rock Hollywood: “I have been enjoying the exhaustion that comes with having nothing but 16-hour days. With my head down, you know, in my spandex suit saving the world as one does. All I can say is I’m grateful for the work and the fact that I’m far away and removed from the drama that’s going on in Hollywood. I’m far away from home, but I’m in a place that feels like a second home. And I’m spending a lot of time getting to know the crew. I think I’m falling in love with the Australian point of view. It’s been an unbelievable seven months. I’ve met so many amazing people and being here has been a gift of fortune.”
The secrecy around sexual harassment & abuse: “You scratch your head wondering why women go through this sort of harm most often behind closed doors. Just look at how we treat those who do come forward? We have a long history of dismantling and discrediting women with ease in a public theatre. So, you can understand why it would be so intimidating to say anything whether you’re a man or a woman. It’s a club as well, a small world. And I imagine that being that small it adopts a certain posture.”
“Just look at how we treat those who do come forward? We have a long history of dismantling and discrediting women with ease in a public theatre.” Exactly. It’s still gross what Johnny Depp and his press machine – aided in no small part by his bros and TMZ – did to Amber when she finally did speak publicly about the abuse. They called her every name in the book, they made her sound like an unhinged nutjob, a golddigger, a liar, a fantasist and more. And she survived. I do hope her survival did inspire other women in similar circumstances.
Photos courtesy of Getty, cover courtesy of GQ Australia.
She doesn’t want to be popular, she wants to be famous! Get it right peasants!
I believe her about the abuse. I also think she is an entitled brat.
+1
Yep.
You’re so correct! People just have a hard time realizing that not every victim is a likable and that being unlikable doesn’t mean you warrant abuse.
Oh, good, another thread bashing Amber Heard for doing nothing wrong except for failing to meet the ever-mysterious likability standard.
I know what you mean. It’s tiresome. I also notice the catchphrases “entitled” and “difficult to work with” that were frequently thrown at HW’s victims. As well as a general trashing of her character. Misogyny at its best.
Well, she’s also a de facto member of #me too. Just one of the first and most notable because it happened in 2016.
Depp is known for his violent rages and abuse. Remember when he trashed a hotel room while Kate Moss was with him? Only that time he was actually and finally arrested. He’s got a history of doing this. No big surprise that there are still Depp apologists and people more than willing to victim shame Heard.
Heard was arrested for grabbing her partner, Tasya, in an airport several years ago. When the story surfaced, she tried to claim the arresting officer was homophobic. The officer is a lesbian. Tasya came out in defense of Amber once the incident came to light, calling it a misunderstanding. There were also pics that surfaced of an instance of Amber screaming at Tasya in the street and Tasya was upset. That doesn’t mean Heard was any less a victim of Depp’s abuse. But she has her own issues.
@Donna I remember that. And you might want to stop and think outside of the box for a second – just because you’re a lesbian, it doesn’t mean you can’t be biased, particularly if you’re in law enforcement. Just a thought.
It’s pretty unbelievable how hard Heard still gets dragged. For anything. Unfuckingbelievable.
Meanwhile Depp laughingly blamed a fucking armadillo for destroying a hotel room. And everyone found that adorable.
yep. i don’t see why we can’t just NOT like someone and believe they were a victim of abuse
Have never understood why some don’t like Amber. I see nothing wrong with her, with what I’ve seen. I remember reading blind items a couple years ago before the divorce news, about her taking meetings about Depp’s movies, charging a fee and pocketing it. I think those were planted by his people, though I could be wrong.
As for the dogs, yeah that was entitled and wrong. Not excusable. But we’ve all done stupid sh– that we want a pass for (or at least no criticism).
can’t help but like her “DNGAF” attitude, even if it is all for press…and i don’t blame her one bit for sneaking in the dogs, animals are never right after being held in quarantine for months without their owner, it’s inhumane to the animals and cruel. she wanted her pets with her, and for them not to be quarantined…can’t help but think i’d do the same dang thing if i had a private jet and millions.
She’s not wrong there. Nothing wrong there. I think 2016 was her year too but it’s nice that she is getting the recognition a little removed from such an awful time in her life.
I do believe the stories about her at the awards…she’s had that rep long before Depp about being a mess at work functions.
and trying to sneak dogs into Australia?
I’ll always side-eye her (and Depp of course) for that. A few months ago when Barnaby Joyce’s whole citizenship drama came to light she was on Twitter gloating. Which…don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loathe the man in almost every respect, but he wasn’t wrong about those dogs.
She somehow still doesn’t seem to get that she broke our laws, laws we really do care about. Almost all Australians take bio-security very seriously, what with being on an isolated island. Idiots smuggling in pets because they don’t think the rules apply to them create an actual health risk for our animals. I think she’s still of the opinion she was unfairly treated. In reality, she got off really, really light. Most normal people would have lost their dogs and had a hard time ever returning here. She got to go home with her dogs and come back not very long after to film Aquaman.
Worst part for me was the entitlement of Hollywood celebrities thinking laws don’t apply to them because they’re rich and famous. That arrogance is astounding to me. Also, the ignorance. That law was there for a reason.
I feel like both of them were toxic and obnoxious together. It’s like they’re too similar. You put those kinds of people together and it’s dynamite. Like they bring out the worst in each other. But because Johnny has had these issues for a while, he unleashed them on her in a worse, more violent way. I can’t believe his fans don’t want to acknowledge even in the tiniest way how toxic he is.
do you have animals? don’t you find the quarantine process just a tiny bit cruel? why would anyone do that willingly to their pet?
@kaiko I’m Australian and I have pet dog that I love. I also adore the hundreds of beautiful native animals that we have here in Australia, many of which are already endangered. Isn’t it cruel to bring your pet to a country despite the fact that it puts many other animals at risk? Our ecosystem is fragile enough as it is, so Amber had a choice – bring her pets and have them undergo the quarantine process, or don’t bring them.
Someone who really loves animals would not put other animals at risk. That is why they would willingly undergo the quarantine process. It was either ignorance or selfishness that resulted in Pistol and Boo being brought in. I hope it was ignorance and I hope Amber knows better now.
@Jussie, please take a seat! Nobody cares to read your rant on Australian biosecurity laws. Two little dogs arriving on a private jet then kept inside an apartment DID NOT HURT ANY LIVING ORGANISMS IN AUSTRALIA. Heard deserves to be honoured by the Australian government for the international PR and media exposure which followed her innocent actions.
Eh, not a fan. I’ve always found her grating – including before the drunken goon and his minions tried to destroy her. She also almost always sounds incredibly patronizing. That she has a taste for controlling and filthy rich dickheads (Depp, Musk) doesn’t help, either.
She never was popular to me
I think she showed a lot of courage and moral standards The Way she went throught her divorce, she handled herself with diginity in a impossible humiliating situation.
About The press in australia, there were jornalists that compliment her, The ones that bad mouth her were the same that always compliment her ex so…
Not being snarky, but she won because she was willing to show up. There’s practically zero genuinely famous non-Australian celebrities willing to fly long-haul to attend an event for an Australian based magazine, so we end up with some odd choices showing up to win awards or be celebrity guests at events. The events are sponsored and the celebs get paid (Amber was sponsored by Bulgari) but it’s not much, so you have to be really motivated.
Same reason Angel Elgort won the ‘International Sensation’ award. He was willing to show up for a bit of cash from Audi.
Mate fair enough, I appreciate the honesty lmao.
Looks like she’s wearing a plain, JCPenney black leather belt with her sexy dress. Weird.
Oh, I don’t like her and I don’t think she’s likeable enough to ever have to worry about being popular.
She is right – the bloody male dominated media always attacks the women. Just look at Amber, Angelina, Rose and many other women who were crucified for the mistakes men made.
Amber was a gold digger so she deserved the physical abuse from Johnny.
Angelina was a home wrecker so she was the reason Brad was an alcoholic and drug abuser.
Rose was raped but kept quiet and took the money so she has no moral ground to stand on.
These are just 3 examples and the worst thing is that other women buy into this.
Yeah, most tabloids and magazines are ran by creepy dudes who will always side with the men no matter what.
I wish Amber the best of luck, but I don’t see her going far because of Depp. He’s extremely well connected and has friends everywhere.
Johnny Depp is abusive pig. I will never support any film he is in, past or present. I hope his day of reckoning comes soon.
Amber Heard is an annoying try-hard. I have no interest in watching her films.
Amber abused her ex and then tried to tell the lesbian police officer that she was homophobic.
She also dates/dated Musk who told his black employees to get over racism they faced at work.
@NN
And….
That’s simply not true. Her partner went on the record about what happened: they were arguing in an airport, airport security interveened, and when the security guy learned they were lesbians he phoned the police to falsely report the argument as domestic violence over the objections of both women. Amber wasn’t charged, and from day one the partner said Amber was not abusive and that the person who phoned the police did it as an act of homophobic harassment.
Amber didn’t say the cop (who was a lesbian) was homophobic, the partner said the man who initially insisted on calling the police was.
Yes, it is true.
Her partner Tasya lied to save Amber’s ass.
This after they made up by the way.
Are you saying the police officer lied about what they witnessed? They saw Amber hitting Tasya and gave a detailed description of what went down and then filed a police report.
That comment was a reflection on Elon and his fucked up views on how racism works, not on Amber just because she’s dated him before. Unless he’s expressed that attitude around her and she was cool with it.
I really, really like Amber. Before the mess with Depp I barely knew who she was and couldn’t care less about her, but now I’m rooting for her. We need more famous women like Amber. She’s not perfect and not everything she says is right, but she’s intelligent, her heart is in the right place, and she’s not afraid to say things that desperately need to be said. She handled her divorce from a powerful, abusive man with grace and poise while he raged against her and threw everyone and everything within his power at her to squash her. She refused.
Their divorce and Amber’s actions rolled back the curtain on who Depp really is, which I believe laid at least part of the groundwork for this year’s exposure of other famous, powerful abusers. True, not everyone believed her, but many, many people did. That was significant, something that had not happened in recent memory. A woman spoke up. Against a powerful onslaught of pressure, bad press, and the beloved persona (and money) of a Hollywood legend, a woman spoke up. That meant something. Love or hate or don’t care about Amber, that meant something.
This! +1,000,000,000
+1 This!
Disney wants to save their Pirates franchise. These “stories” about Heard are going to continue as long as Depp is an asset to Disney. It’s so obvious.
I definitely don’t doubt that’s true of many of the stories spread about her, but she’s also had a reputation for bratty, entitled behaviour since long before Depp. I first heard she was unpleasant to work with over a decade ago (from multiple people who worked on Pineapple Express) and the same sort of stories kept coming out while she was with Depp. Towards the end he was probably egging that on, but in the beginning he was trying to make her a beloved A-lister like him (weren’t those the days).
I think she’s realised she needs to work on that though. Aquaman is the first film she’s done where she hasn’t alienated all her colleagues.
Jussie, you make good points. My personal view is that if she would be so hard to work with, she would have been blacklisted years ago. She is not a big enough star to make or break a movie.
On the other hand, you could be right on all accounts. Just my 2 cents.
I’ve heard the exact opposite. That she was fun, kind to all the movie staff and very professional to work with. I guess it depends on what you read. Also depends on who is spreading the gossip and what their agenda is.
Total BS.
She wants to say she doesn’t care or come across like she doesn’t care but the girl cares. Probably more than most.
I don’t know why I find her entirely unsufferable and can barely tolerate her on screen either.
I’m with you on this. I think she’s a poser. It didn’t take her long once she had the platform of being engaged to Depp (regardless of how that marriage turned out) to give an interview in which she was attempting to position herself as the next Angelina Jolie.
I’m not particularly a fan of Jolie, but I will give her credit for living her life as she pleases because she truly doesn’t give a hoot what people think. And that’s not something she ever had to “explain” because it’s glaringly obvious.
I agree too.
Has anyone read the Elon Musk interview he did for Rolling Stone recently? Its a good read, Elon talks about Amber breaking his heart and has he always needs to be in a relationship. Guess she is the one that broke his heart? Well its what he says, he actually comes off very strange in the interview. Smart for Amber to have broke it off with him.
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/elon-musk-inventors-plans-for-outer-space-cars-finding-love-w511747
She is trying be accepted which is why she is playing “poor me love me”.
Apart from being a conventionally attractive public figure, I don’t think her levels of shallowness and self regard are that extraordinary.
I like her (although that wasn’t always the case) and I’m rooting for. I think I understand why she tries so hard to go against the grain as it were. Or be the ‘cool girl’ as some people term it. She is adamant about not being seen as just another pretty face. It might make her seem pretentious but I understand it.
Love what she had to say in this interview.
Which is, of course, why she’s on the cover of a men’s magazine and employs a PR team. Sure, Jan.