Amber Heard Left Home To Start Modeling At 17
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Amber Heard has been a big name in Hollywood for almost two decades now, and she's got the acting credits to prove it. From Aquaman to Justice League, chances are you've seen more than one Amber Heard movie in recent years.
But last year, Heard's personal life was put on center stage. In 2022, the defamation trial between Heard and her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp, made national headlines for weeks. Depp alleged that Heard publicly defamed him in a newspaper op-ed where she claimed she was the victim of abuse. A jury ultimately found Heard liable for defamation (and found that one statement by Depp's former attorney defamed Heard), and ordered Heard to pay compensatory and punitive damages to her ex-husband, per CNN. Both Depp and Heard appealed the verdict, but in December 2022, they agreed to drop their appeals and for Heard to pay Depp $1 million in settlement of all claims.
Now, a new Netflix documentary premiering August 16, Depp v. Heard, dives into trial tapes, presenting side-by-side testimonies while also explaining the mayhem the trial wreaked in the court of public opinion.
With all the noise around the Depp v. Heard trial and upcoming documentary, it’s understandable to have some questions about Heard, including how much money she's worth. Here’s what you need to know:
Heard began modeling as a teen.
This Texas native took part in beauty pageants growing up, according to The Independent. Then, at just 17, she dropped out of high school and tried to start modeling in New York, the outlet reported. Later, she headed to LA to try her shot at acting.
She started out doing music videos.
The budding actress first appeared in a slew of big music videos during the early days of her career. She was in Kenny Chesney’s “There Goes My Life” video, along with Brooks & Dunn's video for “Red Dirt Road.” Check it out:
She transitioned to movies and TV.
Eventually, Heard segued into roles on TV shows and movies, landing small parts in Jack & Bobby, Friday Night Lights, and The O.C. She later began securing bigger gigs, including: The Rum Diary, Magic Mike XXL, Aquaman, and The Stand, per IMDB. It's unclear how much money she made from these roles, but her list of accolades includes 49 film credits.
Heard is also set to star in the second Aquaman installment, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom installment, which will air in December of 2023.
How much did Amber Heard get paid for Aquaman and The Stand?
Aquaman was a big-budget action movie and Heard's salary reflected that investment. She earned $1 million for the first Aquaman movie, and is apparently set to earn $2 million for the second one, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Heard also starred in the 2020 TV miniseries, The Stand, where she played Nadine Cross. The series is based on a Stephen King novel about a post-apocalyptic world, and was actually first released as a TV series in the 1990s. Heard reportedly made $200,000 per episode, Celebrity Net Worth reported.
Her ex-husband Johnny Depp sued her for $50 million in a 2019 defamation case.
In 2019, Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard in Virginia’s Fairfax County in relation to an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, where she called herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse" and wrote about her experience as a victim. In the op-ed, Heard did not specifically name Depp. However, his lawyers argued that it was a clear reference to a time in 2016 that Heard alleged that Depp was physically abusive during their divorce proceedings, per The New York Times.
Heard filed a counterclaim for $100 million, saying Depp and one of his attorneys defamed her by calling her claims a "hoax," Courthouse News reported.
She was ordered to pay damages.
In June 2022, the jury found Heard had defamed Depp, and that her statements were made with "actual malice," Courthouse News said. Heard was ordered to pay Johnny $10.3 million in damages. Depp was also ordered to pay Heard $2 million, CNN reported. This came after the jury found he had defamed Heard in one instance, after one of his former lawyers made a statement to a tabloid that suggested she wrecked the couple’s penthouse then blamed Depp for the damage, per The New York Times.
Despite the verdict, in June of 2022, Heard told the Today show that she will “stand by every word” of her testimony to her “dying day," the New York Times reported. She still alleged instances of physical and sexual abuse by Johnny Depp, which he denied.
How much did she pay Johnny Depp after the trial?
Heard didn’t actually end up paying the $10.3 million. In December 2022, Depp agreed to accept a $1 million payout from Heard to settle the case, per People. A source told the magazine that Johnny gave the money to five charities: Make-A-Film Foundation, The Painted Turtle, Red Feather, Tetiaroa Society, and Amazonia Fund Alliance.
What is her total net worth in 2023?
While Heard earned $10 million between 2013 and 2019, Celebrity Net Worth says she’s now worth $500,000.
You can hear more about the trial and Heard's role in Netflix's new documentary, Depp v. Heard.
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