Amber Heard on Speaking Out About Domestic Violence: 'I Had to Make It Better for the Next Person'

amber heard allure
amber heard allure cover

The 'Justice League' star covers the December issue of 'Allure,' where she candidly addresses using her platform for good.

Amber Heard is using her platform for good.

The Justice League star covers the December issue of Allure, where she candidly addresses why she was compelled to speak out about domestic violence.

“I don’t have to; I have to. If I didn’t have a platform, I would stand on my toes," the 31-year-old actress explains. "I have a semifunctioning brain and a semifunctioning limbic system, and as a human being, it is incumbent on me to make the world a better place in any small, insignificant way I can. I’ve always tried to do the right thing. I used everything I was given. I had to make it better for the next person.”

Daniel Jackson for Allure

Last year, Heard went through a messy divorce with actor Johnny Depp, initially filing for a domestic violence restraining order, on allegations the Pirates of the Caribbean star denied. Ultimately, the two settled their divorce, and the restraining order was dropped, with the couple saying in a joint statement, "Neither party has made false accusations for financial gains. There was never an intent of physical or emotional harm."

However, Heard has continued to use her platform to support victims of domestic violence, and in the interview, she cites a lifelong call to social justice, explaining that even as a feminist young woman, she underestimated the scope of sexism in society.

“When I was growing up, my friends had ’N Sync posters, and I collected feminist propaganda from World War II," she shares. "Our mothers and grandmothers worked to make an environment that was deceptively comfortable. I took it for granted. By comparison to other places or previous generations, we’re doing great. Yeah, sure, there have been some sexist things here…. I was so wrong. I was so f**king wrong."

Heard's issue of Allure comes out on Nov. 21.

ET's Carly Steel spoke with the actress at Monday night's Justice League premiere, where she described what it was like stepping into the DC Universe.

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"The suspension of reality is unparalleled. This genre is really... there's nothing like it," she said. "But what I wasn't expecting more than anything is the joy, the fans. The fans make this genre everything."

Justice League opens in theaters on Nov. 17. Watch the video below for what the cast told ET they'd change about their superhero costumes!