Danish Girl actress Amber Heard has said she was told revealing her bisexuality would end her movie career.

Johnny Depp's ex-wife said film-makers doubted whether she could play a straight woman in a romantic lead role after she revealed her sexuality seven years ago.

Speaking at The Economist's Pride & Prejudice event in New York, she said: "It did impact my career, it was difficult.

"It was not easy. I was the only one working in this way, so it was definitely difficult because no one had done it.

"I did that even though everyone told me it would end my career, without a doubt."


Image: Amber Heard and Johnny Depp divorced after claims of abuse

The 30-year-old said she has never hidden her sexuality and did not make any big "coming out" announcement as has been reported.

"When I hear someone comment about me coming out, I think it's funny because I was never in," she said.

Heard said she was asked directly about her sexuality by a reporter at the time and she answered "honestly" and "off the cuff".

"Then I realised the gravity of what I had done," she added.

"I started to understand why so many people - studio execs, directors, advisers, agents, producers - why everyone was so adamant about this not being the label that comes before my name.

"I quickly became, not actress Amber Heard, but out lesbian Amber Heard."

Heard was in a relationship with photographer Tasya van Ree and then began dating Depp after they met making the 2011 film The Rum Diary.

They married in 2015 but she filed for divorce the following year, amid claims of domestic violence.

Depp vehemently denied he had been "verbally and physically abusive" throughout their four-year-relationship.

Under the divorce settlement she dropped a claim the Pirates of the Caribbean star had assaulted her.

In a joint statement issued at the time, they said: "There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm".