Amber Heard has said that she came out publicly to destroy the taboo around being bisexual.
The Aquaman star, who revealed her sexuality in 2010 at a GLAAD event, told Italian magazine IO Donna that she made the move because she felt a responsibility to “offer young people someone to look up to.”
Heard explained how in 2010, her “colleagues were increasingly demanding privacy and in the meantime being bisexual was considered a taboo.
“But to be silent about something means to admit underneath that that thing is wrong. But I knew it was not like that,” she continued.
“So I told myself to describe reality in a truthful way and to offer young people someone to look up to, since those of my generation had grown up without any model of reference.
“Who knows,” she added, “thanks to me, maybe someone has felt less inadequate.”
Amber Heard has opened up about struggling against prejudice since revealing she’s bisexual
The 32-year-old Justice League actress said she felt “a responsibility rooted in me” to be this kind of icon for her fans.
“The luck of this job is that it offers me an important platform, but I have a duty to give something back,” Heard said.
“To talk about justice, to make my roles have an impact… it’s the least I can do.”
In this vein, the American actress said that when it came to the #MeToo movement, she was “happy that the conversation has changed radically; today there is much more awareness,” before adding that the fight was not over.
“We women are at a crossroads: we are galvanized because we finally know what is ours, what is our place,” she said.
“But,” she added, “at the same time we are exhausted by the attitudes that so far have held us in check, diminished or reduced us to objects.
“The film industry still has a lot to do to get back on track: we need more women behind the camera and equal pay for everyone.”
The star has spoken out about how difficult it was to come out publicly.
In 2017, Heard said that when she was considering talking about being bisexual, “everyone told me: ‘You cannot do this.’
“Everyone said: ‘You’re throwing it all away. You can’t do this to your career.'”
She said people senior to her in the film industry pointed out how few actresses were out, and said it would be the end of her acting career.
Heard said she responded by telling them: “I cannot do this any other way. Watch me.”
The actress has said she felt she was passed over for roles because of her sexuality, but decided that it was worth it to change the culture for those who came after her.
“I saw myself being in this unique position and having a unique responsibility,” Heard explained. “So I bit the bullet.
“If every gay man that I know personally in Hollywood came out tomorrow, then this would be a non-issue in a month,” she added.