Did Amber Heard's abuse allegations against Johnny Depp play a major role in catapulting her career?
Even as Johnny Depp fans demand Amber Heard's removal from the sequel of 'Aquaman' as well as the spokesperson of cosmetics giant L'Oréal Paris following the release of audiotapes in which the actress allegedly admitted to physically abusing her former husband, she continues to earn millions after her career catapulted to new heights of fame in 2017.
Incidentally, 2017 was also the year when her divorce with Depp was finalized. A year before, she obtained a temporary restraining order against him, stating in her court declaration that he had been verbally and physically abusive throughout their relationship. She alleged that the domestic abuse took place when the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Although Heard's career in the entertainment industry began in 2003 when she appeared in two music videos, Kenny Chesney's 'There Goes My Life' and Eisley's 'I Wasn't Prepared," and went onto star in an array of TV shows and movies, her career really took off in 2015 — the same year when she married Depp — when she had prominent roles in four mainstream movies. 
She played a photographer who flirts with Channing Tatum's protagonist in the comedy-drama 'Magic Mike XXL,' which like its predecessor, 'Magic Mike' (2012), was a huge box office success. Heard also had a small supporting role as a ballet dancer in the critically acclaimed historical drama 'The Danish Girl.' Her third role was in the independent crime thriller 'The Adderall Diaries,' where she starred opposite James Franco, Christian Slater, and Ed Harris. She also appeared opposite Christopher Walken in the television film 'One More Time.'
The Independent called 2015 a "watershed year" in her career.
From 2017 — the year her divorce with Depp was finalized and with she continuing to hurl abuse charges against him — her rise has been meteoric.
'Aquaman'
In 2017, Heard joined the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) cast as Aquaman's Atlantean queen, in the superhero film 'Justice League'. 2018 marked her first major role in a studio film when she reprised her role as Mera in 'Aquaman' (2018), which co-starred Jason Momoa, Nicole Kidman, and Willem Dafoe. Aquaman became the fifth most profitable release of 2018, and the most profitable DCEU installment till that point.
She said that what attracted her to the role was the fact that Mera refused to be called Aquawoman because she was "a strong, independent, self-possessed superhero in her own right."
L'Oreal's spokesperson
When L'Oreal announced in 2017 that Heard will be the new global spokesperson they called her "fearless, witty and smart" and a woman who defied definition and rejected convention.
"l have always loved the fun of beauty and the power of transformation," said Heard at the time. "To become a spokesperson for this dynamic, world loved beauty brand that's been telling women we're worth it since before I was born, and to join the L'Oréal Paris family of changemakers is such an honor. I feel like these women - my fellow ambassadors - represent a voice, a power, a movement, an opinion."
Activism
In December 2018, she was appointed American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ambassador for women's rights with a focus on gender-based violence. In the same year, she was named a Human Rights Champion for the Stand Up for Human Rights campaign by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
A couple of years prior to that, she collaborated with actresses Gabourey Sidibe and Freida Pinto, to read a speech on behalf of sexual assault victim Emily Doe at Glamour's Women of the Year Awards. She went on to open up about her own experiences of domestic violence in the December 2016 issue of Porter magazine and in an op-ed for The Washington Post in December 2018.