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“Maybe I’m just weird…”
It’s a long way from Texas to Hollywood but it hasn’t been hard going for Amber Heard, an actress going places fast and who talks it as entertainingly as she walks it
“People seem to find me hilarious,” says Amber Heard, looking slightly worried, “but I don’t think I’m funny at all. I sometimes think that people are laughing at me rather than with me. Maybe I’m just weird.”
It’s a mere four years since the 22-year-old Texan launched herself as an actress, graduating from car commercials to small TV roles to the young Josey Aimes in the 2005 sexual-harassment drama North Country. Her breakthrough came in 2006’s playful horror flick, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, and that rise continues with a major role in the new comedy Pineapple Express, starring Seth ‘Knocked Up’ Rogen.
Were you a rebellious child?
I was educated at a very strict Catholic school but I struggled with the idea of conformity. Growing up in Austin, Texas, there weren’t that many outlets in terms of causing trouble even if I’d wanted to. At my school the most rebellious thing you could possibly do was read books by [controversial novelist] Ayn Rand and George Orwell rather than [theologian] Thomas Aquinas. The moment I raised my head in classes and started asking questions, then I was immediately a problem case.
So were you thrown out of schools or did you simply not stick around?
A bit of both really. I was always something of a tomboy. Until I reached the age of 14, my father seemed to be completely unaware that I was a girl, so I was always his hunting and fishing buddy. I do love shooting a gun. I still get to the shooting range once in a while but I’d love to do more. I’m a single girl living in LA so I don’t see anything wrong in keeping a couple of guns.
Most teenagers experience at least one life-changing moment. What was yours?
At 16, I lost my very closest friend in a car accident. It was heartbreaking, of course, but it set in motion a train of events that led to me finally dropping out of school. It convinced me I was in charge of my own destiny every step along the way and that it had nothing to do with some undisciplined, omnipresent God. So I stopped pretending to pray for something to happen, told my parents I was leaving to be a successful Hollywood actress, and that was that as far as I was concerned.
Was there any fear of failure?
Given the odds on making it, it was like walking along the edge of a cliff without realising I was doing so. It’s only when you look back that you see the risk involved. It just turned out that my hunch was right.
Are you a believer in the idea that life only has meaning if danger is in the wings?
Maybe I used to believe that. Growing up, I was into rock climbing and bungee jumping in a big way. But less so nowadays. Meeting with Hollywood producers is the closest I get to dangerous sport now.
Rumour has it you’re the most accomplished female golfer in Hollywood. If Tiger Woods was having an off day, could you beat him?
If he was having a really, really bad off day, I could beat him even if I was playing in high heels. But I’d need to be in good form. I love to golf but I haven’t played in over a year. Without getting some practice in on the driving range, I’d be lucky to even hit the ball.
What are you completely useless at?
You’d best ask my boyfriend that. Oh, hang on – I just remembered I don’t have one. Ask any of my previous boyfriends and they’ll tell you I’m hopeless at walking. When it comes to putting one foot in front of the other, I’m a complete klutz. I practically require a stunt double to walk down a flight of stairs. I’m also very good at breaking things. If it’s in a room, I’ll break it.
Tell me about your role in Pineapple Express.
It’s a hysterically funny improvised comedy, in which Seth Rogen plays this stoner who buys a powerful strain of weed called Pineapple Express off his dealer and gets mixed up in a murder scene. I play Seth’s very highly neurotic psycho-bitch girlfriend. I can’t see why he’s chosen to be with a psycho-bitch. Then again, life with a psycho-bitch is never going to be boring. At least that’s what I’ve told all my ex-boyfriends. I would safely describe myself as high-maintenance in relationships. Hey, maybe that’s why I haven’t got a boyfriend!
This is an edited version of the Amber Heard interview. To enjoy the full version, subscribe to Sony Magazine here
Pineapple Express is released on September 12
Story by Jon Wilde