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Amber Heard may be the most talked-about person on the planet for the last 2 months. In the wake of the defamation trial with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, Heard’s popularity has bottomed out. Now, even more so because of the verdict. But while everyone is talking about her, the talk is all the same. Nowhere are you seeing anything about her actual body of work. So now we are going to look at some Amber Heard roles and movies you may have missed.
If you watch her body of work, you pick up on something strange. A theme between her characters. Our thoughts are, perhaps through the roles she chooses, she was telling us something the entire time. We just weren’t keen enough to pick up on it. The truth that exists when you read between the lines. What people may find shocking is just how wide of a library of films she’s appeared in. From horror flicks to a stoner comedy people forget she was in, here are 10 Amber Heard movie roles to check out post-trial.
If Heard could bring on a specialist to judge Depp based on his roles, it’s time we do the same to her.
10. Drive Angry
Drive Angry was a Nicolas Cage ‘revenge’ movie. Anyone who knows Cage knows what that means. Insane histrionics. Bouts of manic energy. Improv lines that are oddly surreal. It was a throwback to the car exploitation movies of the ’70s. And as long as you go in with low expectations, it can be kind of dumb fun.
Oh, and Amber Heard is in it. Truthfully, she is there to look pretty. That is all. Honestly, it is hard to notice anyone but Nic Cage in Nic Cage movies. The man suffers under the massive weight of an unbearable talent.
9. London Fields
This is honestly the first of what will be a running theme here. Amber Heard’s movie roles are often about her being pretty and using that beauty to ruin the lives of men. No, really. London Fields is a thriller with a fantastic cast. Heard plays Nicola Smith, and a quick watch of the trailer might actually give you chills. Why? Because there seems to be an element of her real-life in this character. A dangerous woman who cares not about who she hurts.
We won’t spoil its ending, but worth it just to see how it all plays out for her character. Oh, and THIS SHOCKING STORY is from this movie. Yikes. Poor Kevin Costner.
8. 3 Days to Kill
In this thriller, Heard plays Vivi Delay. A CIA assassin with somewhat of a soft spot for the antagonist in between all the killings. The movie focuses on another CIA assassin, Ethan Renner. A hitman was diagnosed with Cancer. Heard’s character assists Renner from time to time and seems to be his only source of humanity during this period of chaos for him.
She plays a sympathetic but deadly character. It sort of makes you think back to some of the moments of the trial. Less sympathetic, just as deadly in real life.
7. Pineapple Express
This is the entry that inspired the list. Why may you ask? Because go ask someone who saw this stoner comedy if they remember Amber Heard’s role? Most react with: She was in that? Yes, she was. And she played the pretty but stupid high school girlfriend of Seth Rogan’s character. Yes, she was a minor dating a grown man in that film.
Which is honestly kind of gross and not a cool thing to normalize. Moving on…
6. Machete Kills
The one where Amber Heard dies. Well, honestly, she dies in a few of these. Another example being…
5. Zombieland
So weird. She knows she is sick and unwell (in this movie) yet still manages to manipulate a man with her beauty. At first, she cuddles up to him, but she quickly turns into the living dead and tries to eat his face. Please note how a large portion of their fight in this scene is in a kitchen.
Again, life imitating art of art imitating life? At this point, all these coincidences make it seem like it’s satire.
4. The Rum Diaries
While this film is fresh on everyone’s mind as it was brought up in the trial, no one saw it. The movie did very low numbers at the box office and is only noted now because that is where Heard and Depp officially met. What makes it sad now, in retrospect, is that they had natural on-screen chemistry. It was and very much still is palpable to anyone who saw it.
The problem is that the hottest loves have the coldest ends. Watch this simply to see the two the last time they were truly happy together.
3. The Ward
In this film, Heard plays a girl named Kristen who has had mental problems and ends up in a psychiatric ward. She quickly realizes that something is haunting and tormenting her and the other patients. It was directed by horror icon John Carpenter, a master of the craft, but there is nothing of substance here.
The reality is that scares were lacking, and the film felt slow. It felt like a drawn-out excuse to film Heard in the shower—another thing you often see in her work is showering for no solid reason.
Now for some low-hanging fruit…
2. Her Smell
Sorry, but this had to be added. I mean, come on. “Her Smell” post this shocking news story? This kind of entry writes itself. Honestly, though, Elizabeth Moss kills it in this movie. Worth seeing for her performance alone.
Oh, and Amber Heard is in there, too, looking pretty and confused, which is pretty much the same thing she did on the stand. But again, we couldn’t skip this joke. ‘Her Smell‘ evokes specific images in our minds now.
1. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
Of all the Amber Heard roles mentioned, this one is the most powerful. Why? If you watch this movie post Amber Heard-Johnny Depp’s trial, it will blow your mind. Sadly, to tell you too much is to ruin the film completely. While not a particularly noteworthy film otherwise, it has a truly haunting ending. Even more so now, post the verdict.
It makes you rethink everything you saw before. Some people call this movie Heard’s ‘blueprint.’ Do with that what you will. I’ll say that she plays the titular character and is truly in her element here. Much like all the films on the list, to see them now is to see them with different eyes. In 80% of Amber Heard roles, you will note that she was playing someone sort of vile. They do say play what you know best, after all.
But perhaps the best thing we can do now is move on. The circus has officially left town.
