Heard said she "understands" why she lost the case to "fantastic actor" Johnny Depp.
Amber Heard has broken her silence after losing a defamation case against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, revealing that she doesn't "blame" the jury for finding in his favour.
The Aquaman actor told The Today Show that she understood why the jury in Fairfax County, Virginia, last month found that she had defamed Depp, awarding him $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages, in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed where she spoke about being a victim of domestic violence.
In a preview of the interview, seen below, Heard tells presenter Savannah Guthrie that Depp is a "beloved character" and she understood the outcome.
"I don't blame them. I actually understand. He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him," Heard said of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor. "He’s a fantastic actor," she added.
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Heard called the social media frenzy surrounding her case "unfair" as many posts on TikTok and Twitter overwhelmingly appeared to favour Depp during the six-week trial. The TikTok hashtag 'Justice for Amber Heard' received 27 million views, while one for Depp raked in 20 billion.
"I don’t care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors," Heard explained.
"I don’t presume the average person should know those things. And so I don’t take it personally. But even somebody who is sure I’m deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying, you still couldn’t look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation."
She added: "You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”
While Depp was awarded the biggest payout, the jury found Heard had also been defamed and awarded her $2m. Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, has previously said her client plans to appeal and that she can't afford to pay Depp.
Depp sued Heard for $50m over the op-ed and she counter-sued him for $100m. The exclusive interview with Heard will air Tuesday and Wednesday on The Today Show and in a special Dateline episode on Friday at 8pm ET.
