Amber Heard is a Hollywood rebel without paranoia


She carries a .357 Magnum, rides a ’68 Mustang and dates one of the most successful actors of our time. The Rum Diary starlet doesn’t resile from openly addressing her bisexuality, and her efforts of signing a petition urging the U.S Government to grant amnesty to NSA-leaker Edward Snowden.

And with her undeniable look of a Hollywood bombshell the outspoken and fierce 27 year old Amber Heard could probably not appear any more rebellious.
Yet her eloquent speech, fiery wit and insatiable choice of keeping her relationship to Johnny Depp off the grounds of the public interest separate her from many other actresses in Hollywood.

Indeed, Heard reveals, “The beauty of my job is I don’t have to deal with myself or talk about myself at all.”

Because actually, the Texas-born actress yearns to avoid overshadowing her true and only love, the art of acting, with distracting information about the famous man she is dating. Immersing in characters is her liberation from departing the world.

“How do I escape? Well, I make movies. I create characters and that’s the best escape there is.”

In fact, the eloquent actress gets so remarkably engaged in her work, that she becomes too acquainted with her characters, suffering from challenging phases of depression, every time she wraps up a movie project.

When asked about her relationship with Depp, however, she shies away.

“I very much wish I could give you everything that you want,” she assures UK screen at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. “But for me to exist and be happy and feel in a relationship with myself, I keep it for myself, or else I feel a loss of connection to myself.”

Speaking of privacy, given the current political debates involving Wikileaks and the NSA disclosures, Heard’s upcoming thriller Paranoia, directed by Robert Luketic, could not be released at a more appropriate time.

At the side of film veterans Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford, Heard plays the role of the fierce and driven Ivy-leaguer Emma, who is determined to break through the glass ceiling she faces at her technology corporation.

Heard specifically chose to represent the headstrong and independent Emma, due to the parallels of people in her life.

“Just like the characters I choose to play or take on, individuality and strength are the main qualities that I am attracted to in anyone really. Attraction comes from respect, things you admire about the other person, in my case it’s individuality and strength.”

Heard proved she had guts and strength herself at an early age. Born to a strict Catholic family in Austin, Texas, she dropped out of High School at age 17, moved to Los Angeles, and ultimately landed her film debut role in the 2004 drama Friday Night Lights.

It wasn’t until her breakthrough with roles in Never Back Down and Pineapple Express in 2008, that Hollywood took notice of the beautiful brunette. But an acting career never came at ease for Heard, who has been supporting herself since the first day she arrived in Los Angeles.

“I laugh when journalists still say, up and coming, cause it’s great for me, but it’s been a decade, I am 27, that’s a significant portion of my life.

I still have to work like a dog and fight for every part I get. Rather, I have seen my professional life as a kind of continuous smooth uphill battle, every project and every role has been a slight build on to the other.“

Furthermore, Heard’s brains and erudition suggest that she is far ahead of other professionals in her field. Paranoia director Robert Luketic admitted, “She’d be reading books I couldn’t even pronounce the titles of.”

Yet the avid reader and avowed fan of George Orwell has her own unique approach to interpreting intelligence.

“Real intelligence isn’t just relying on one’s genetic gift, the hand of cards that you were given by many generations of genetic mismatching. I think real intelligence is curiosity and humility and the ability and the desire to learn.”

Heard’s inspiring persona is what truly lets her characters stand out, letting not only Depp, but also her audience wanting for more.

Fortunately, she has more projects coming up, including Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills coming out in September and Luc Besson’s Three Days to Kill, which she will co-star in with Kevin Costner.

Watch out Johnny, Hollywood is head over heels for your Amber.

Paranoia comes out in the movie theatres on August 16th.