Amber Heard is receiving some serious kudos from her In the Fire director and costars.
The 37-year-old actress made an appearance at the 69th Taormina Film Festival in Italy over the weekend alongside the movie’s director Conor Allyn, where he told Deadline he’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-husband Johnny Depp last spring in a defamation trial the Edward Scissorhands actor 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 of In 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 incredible journey this woman has been through, and she can teach us all a couple of things as far as resilience and courage.”
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.
During the premiere on Saturday, Heard walked the red carpet in 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 about Into the Fire, “It’s a beautiful movie about 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.
The premiere marked Heard’s first appearance promoting a movie since the end of the defamation trial brought against her by Depp.
After news of the $1 million settlement she paid to Depp earlier this month — and the five charities he’ll donate the money to — Heard was photographed smiling while out in Madrid. (The actress previously relocated to Spain and now lives there with her 2-year-old daughter Oonagh.)
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, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France last month. It is also slated to be screened at the Taormina Film Festival this Friday.
The 69th Taormina Film Festival kicked off June 23 and runs through July 1.
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