Amber Heard was born and raised in Austin, Texas.
She was a Catholic schoolgirl who grew up in a Catholic family, but things didn't quite turn out like her parents expected. After her best friend died in a car accident when Heard was 16, she declared herself an atheist.[1] It was soon after the accident that Heard's boyfriend introduced her to Ayn Rand, which either precipitated the conversion or reinforced it.[2]
But Heard is no Richard Dawkins. She's not trying to convince the world there is no God. Atheism is just her way of looking at things, and it's not for everybody.
I'm not saying that this is the only way to be or it's how everybody should live. Some of my best friends here in LA are devoutly religious people. I'm completely supportive and interested in people doing their own thing. That's a motto that I try to live by, and I hope that's how other people treat me. Live and let live.[3]
Bleeding Heart Liberal… mostly
Heard hasn't endorsed any political party or candidate, but for the most part she is very liberal. She participated in the Occupy Wall Street movement[4] and she's a champion of liberal social causes like gay rights, the latter of which is particularly personal for Heard, who is bisexual.
Heard was, obviously, an opponent of Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative that passed, making gay marriage illegal in that state. And she showed up at the rallies to show support for the opposition.[5] She also appeared in a short video made by her then-girlfriend, artist Tasya van Ree, called Amber Heard For Equality. In it, the actress appears nude with the following words painted on her body:
Those who believe in democracy, liberty, or freedom; must support equality. Those who believe in Truth, Justice, or love; already do.[6]
But she's not into all the lefty causes–she seems to actually think through issues instead of blindly following the path laid out by other Hollywood celebrities. She's an Ayn Rand fan, for one, which could put her in the Libertarian category. And she loves guns unabashedly. She grew up in Texas, after all. Says the actress about firearms:
I don't have children in the house, so I sleep with my gun in a place that's close enough that if I needed to protect myself, I could. It's not in bed with me, though; it's in a safe location. I'm fully trained and I'm an active member of a gun club. I'm definitely pro-gun.[7]
One could easily look at the classic bombshell blonde and assume she's just another Hollywood star. But the atheist bisexual gun-toting liberal is clearly paving her own road through life.
Loading comments...