Why Amber Heard ‘Had to Get Out of the U.S.’ Last Year After Johnny Depp Trial: Exclusive

A source tells PEOPLE the actress, who received death threats and became the subject of cruel Internet memes, felt there was too much “chaos” stateside

Amber Heard moved abroad last year because she felt she “just had to get out of the U.S.” following her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp, 60, a source reveals in the new issue of PEOPLE.

The 37-year-old Aquaman actress, who received death threats and became the subject of cruel Internet memes, felt there was too much “chaos” stateside, continues the source, and left the country with her now-two-year-old daughter Oonagh Paige.

The six-week trial, which exposed shocking details of their tempestuous five-year relationship and threatened to end their careers, concluded on  June 1, 2022, when the Fairfax County, Va., jury largely ruled in Depp’s favor — finding that Heard defamed him when she wrote a 2018 Washington Post op-ed alleging she was a victim of domestic abuse. (Heard paid her ex $1 million in damages — a settlement negotiated down from more than $10 million — last month, a Depp source confirmed.)

The actress, who had been living in the California desert town of Yucca Valley, retreated from the public eye after slamming the verdict as moving women’s rights “backward.” Heard “lost the case and was treated as such,” says a film source. “She felt like a pariah.”

Related: Johnny Depp Feels 'Lucky,' Amber Heard Is Doing 'Better' One Year After Trial: (Exclusive Sources)

Heard first moved to the Spanish island of Mallorca — where she reportedly rented a home using the pseudonym Martha Jane Cannary, the real name of Wild West gunslinger Calamity Jane — before settling down in an upscale neighborhood of Madrid. There, says the source, “she gets more privacy.”

While finding a routine — jogging through the city and taking Oonagh to the park — Heard worked to put the trauma of the defamation case behind her. Part of that involved her decision last December to stop appealing the verdict and agree to pay Depp $1 million.

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“The trial was beyond stressful, and she wanted to start fresh,” explains the Heard source, who says she now “has new energy and is focused on things that she loves.” Adds another source: “She’s independent and smart. She needs to heal.”

In a video that began circulating on TikTok in June, Heard answered questions from local reporters on the sidewalk, saying in Spanish, "I love Spain so much." When they asked if she plans on staying, she replied, "Yes, I hope so. Yes, I love living here."

Saying goodbye to the people filming her, Heard said, "I hope you are well, ciao. And thank you, nice to meet you."

After being asked if she has movie projects on the horizon, she confirmed that she does, adding, "I move on. That's life."

Later that month, the actress appeared at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily to promote her new thriller In the Fire, about a 19th-century American psychiatrist who treats a Colombian boy some think may be possessed by the devil.

“It’s a beautiful movie about the almost supernatural effect and force of love,” Heard told PEOPLE at the fest. “I don’t want to sound cheesy about it, but it’s a movie about love.”

The movie’s director, Conor Allyn praised the star, too. “Amber has an incredibly bright future ahead," he told PEOPLE. "I think In the Fire showcases her talents as an actor. I know this is something she is very proud of and it’s something we are very excited to release to the public.”

“I think it will be a great opportunity for her to have something beyond the trial and stuff to talk about and to be a platform for a hell of a comeback,” he added.

Allyn said he can envision Heard directing films one day.

“As a director, I never look for more competition than there already is. But Amber absolutely has the ability and the intelligence and the charisma to direct or to write if she wants to,” he said.

For more on Amber Heard, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE.

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