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Amber Heard Is More Complicated Than You Think

June 9, 2015 by Jessica Pressler

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The ball-busting actress—whom you may know as Mrs. Johnny Depp— shows her true colors in ELLE’s July issue.

Amber Heard wears a coated wool jacket from Ralph Lauren Collection, a one-piece maillot from Thapelo Paris, silver-plated gold, blue enamel, and diamond rings from Fred Leighton, and her own earrings.

How much do you really know about Amber Heard, actress and Johnny Depp slayer? For this month’s cover story, ELLE sat down with Heard in advance of the July 1 release of Magic Mike XXL, and discovered she’s far more complicated—and even more fun—than the tabloids let on. Here’s just a sneak peek at what Heard had to say. For the full story, pick up the July issue—available digitally and in select cities on June 16, and on newsstands nationwide June 23.

On the dearth of layered female roles in Hollywood:

“I get a stack of scripts, like, once a month, and most of the time, you find these placeholder girls that are there to provide a bounce for the male character. So we know he’s funny because she’s serious and she’s mad at him. We know he’s strong because she needs saving. So really her job is to validate this personality trait of our hero or male. I mean we’re trying to imitate life, and it seems to me a deeply saddening injustice that we are so uncreative and uninterested in developing representations of female life.”

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Braided devore dress, ALTUZARRA, price on request, collection at Norstrom stores nationwide. Enamel, diamond and silver-plated gold rings, both, FRED LEIGHTON, prices on request.

On tiring of being put in “a Barbie box”:

“I feel like I’m constantly fighting against my exterior, or this exterior presentation of myself because of how I look or perhaps because of who I’m with.”

On life since marrying her husband, Johnny Depp:

“Nothing is a dramatic change. We’ve been together for a long time now, so it’s been a fairly organic process. I have a fiercely independent spirit.”

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Silk and viscose dress CÉLINE, price on request, at Céline, NYC. Enamel, diamond, and silver-plated gold rings, diamond and silver-plated gold ring, all, FRED LEIGHTON, prices on request. Her own rings.

On the fear of losing her freedom to fame:

“The thing that really scares me is the potential of losing my freedom. I never want for my life to lose the ability to transverse the world, with freedom and ease. The freedom and ease I have worked so hard to acquire for myself.”

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Faux fur coat, DRIES VAN NOTEN, $1,465, collection at Julianne, Port Washington, NY. Vintage denim shorts, THE CASTINGS FOR ARITZIA, $95. Enamel, diamond, and silver-plated gold rings, both, FRED LEIGHTON, prices on request.

Filed Under: News

Jessica Pressler Jessica Pressler is a staff writer at New York magazine. She is the the former editor of the magazine’s news blog, Daily Intelligencer, and a regular contributor to GQ and Elle. In 2015, Pressler was nominated for the National Magazine Award.
Jessica Pressler JESSICA PRESSLER is a staff writer at New York magazine. She is the the former editor of the magazine’s news blog, Daily Intelligencer, and a regular contributor to GQ and Elle. In 2015, Pressler was nominated for the National Magazine Award. Read More...

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