Amber Heard will return to the silver screen with an “original concept” film, her former agent says.
The actress looks set to be blacklisted by Hollywood producers amid the fallout from her multi-million dollar defamation trial loss to Johnny Depp.
But Jeffrey Nightbyrd, who signed Heard when she was 17, believes she has what it takes to rebuild her career on her own terms.
Speaking from his home in Oaxaca, Mexico, Jeffrey, 79, said: “She has a very good brain and she should do her own projects.
“No one is going to produce her, so she should produce her own.
“I would bet one day Amber will produce and direct a film with an original concept.” Jeffrey stopped working with Heard before her breakthrough role in 2018’s Aquaman.
He says she would be well advised to focus on projects of “substance”.
“Johnny Depp has been working on meaningful projects for the last year and a half,” he said. “Amber got captured thinking money was the goal. She should learn from those people. In this era, when most women’s roles are either silly or comic book like action adventures, Amber will surprise everyone by going outside the system and embracing a role that challenges conventional thinking.”
The US defamation trial ended on Wednesday, with the court finding a Washington Post editorial written by Heard had defamed her ex-husband.
Jurors found Heard’s claims about her marriage were “false” and she had acted with “actual malice”. Three of Depp’s claims were accepted, as was one of Heard’s. The parties were awarded $10.35m (£8.25m) and $2m respectively.
Domestic violence campaigners called the verdict a “setback for all women”. Heard plans to appeal.
In a statement after the verdict, Depp said “the jury gave me my life back”.
On Friday he was blown away by the reception from fans in Scotland as he performed with guitar legend Jeff Beck.
A member his road crew said of the gig at the City’s Royal Concert Hall: “It felt like a stadium concert even though there were a few thousand. They were chanting his name – it made his day.”
Fans grew hysterical, screaming and chanting “innocent, innocent”.
Jane Donaldson, 38, who spoke to the actor outside the venue, said: “I told him his fans are right behind him and he thanked me. He’s so sweet, really.”