Amber Heard attends the 69th Taormina Film Festival on June 24, 2023.Photo:Ernesto Ruscio/Getty
Ernesto Ruscio/Getty
Amber Heardis receiving some serious kudos from herIn the Firedirector and costars.
The 37-year-old actressmade an appearanceatthe 69th Taormina Film Festivalin Italy over the weekend alongside the movie’s director Conor Allyn, where he toldDeadlinehe’s “so happy” that while Heard “went through something so awful,” the experience “didn’t change her as a person.”
Heard famously faced off against her ex-husbandJohnny Depplast spring in a defamation trial theEdward Scissorhandsactor brought against her, in which a seven-person jury reached a June 1, 2022, verdict that largely sided with Depp 60, though Heard won one of her three counterclaims.
Speaking with Deadline on Saturday at the premiere ofIn the Fire, Allyn said of Heard, “She’s still the shining light … and to go through something that terrible and be able to come out the other side and be whole, well, I can’t imagine it.”
Heard’s costar in the thriller, Luca Calvani, had similar words for the actress, telling Deadline, “Anyone that suffers that sort of ordeal and is able to overcome it with grace, no matter what side you’re on, no matter what you believe or which social media [outlet] you plug into or whatever your hashtags are, you have to give credit for the incrediblejourney this woman has been through, and she can teach us all a couple of things as far as resilience and courage.”
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Amber Heard and Conor Allyn attend the 69th Taormina Film Festival on June 24, 2023.Ernesto Ruscio/Getty
Calvani, 48, also praised Heard as “a star,” adding that “she has that light” and was “generous and encouraging” on the film’s set.
“She glows and she pulls you in and she shares it with everybody. The last person on set will feel it and feel a connection with her," he added.
Duringthe premiere on Saturday, Heard walked thered carpetin a long black dress that featured a belt across her waist. She had her hair styled in tight curls that fell around her shoulders and wore a bold red lipstick.
She told PEOPLE aboutInto the Fire, “It’s a beautiful movieabout the almost supernatural effect and force of love. It is about the boundaries that love can cross and its creation, and really about the overwhelming power that love has.”
“I don’t want to sound cheesy about it, but it’s a movie about love,” the actress added.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in spring 2022 during their defamation trial.Kevin Dietsch/Getty ; Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty
After news of the$1 million settlement she paid to Deppearlier this month — and thefive charities he’ll donatethe money to — Heard was photographedsmiling while out in Madrid. (The actress previously relocated to Spain and now lives there with her 2-year-old daughterOonagh.)
When she announced the settlement, Heard said in part that it was “not an act of concession” and “there are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.”
Depp’s first movie since the trial,Jeanne Du Barry, hadits world premiereat theCannes Film Festivalin France last month. It is alsoslated to be screenedat the Taormina Film Festival this Friday.
The 69th Taormina Film Festival kicked off June 23 and runs through July 1.
source: people.com
