Amber Heard, who is set to star in
NBC's upcoming drama The Playboy Club, says she's never been
in the closet.
The 25-year-old actress created a stir
last year when she walked the red carpet at an event to celebrate the
25th anniversary of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD) in Los Angeles with her girlfriend of nearly three
years, photographer Tasya Van Ree.
In
an interview with Playboy,
Heard said she doesn't want to be defined by her sexual orientation.
“First of all, to say I came out
implies that I was once in. Let me be straight about that – no pun
intended [laughs] – I never came out from anywhere. I've always
lived my life the way I've wanted and have been honest with myself
and everyone around me. It didn't really affect anything in my
career. I don't think the producers and directors I've worked with
care one way or another. The only frustrating part has been all the
media attention. For someone like me who prefers to keep her life as
private as possible, it has been disconcerting to have to define so
much about myself. I don't want to be labeled as one thing or
another. In the past I've had successful relationships with men, and
now I'm in this successful relationship with a woman. When it comes
to love I am totally open. And I don't want to be put into a
category, as in 'I'm this' or 'I'm that,'” Heard said.
She added that she is passionate about
marriage equality for “other people”: “It is an important
issue, and I'm fighting for the right to get married. For other
people.”
Heard also stars opposite Johnny Depp
in the upcoming film The Rum Diary, set to open in December.