Amber Heard at the Taormina Film Festival in June.Photo:Ernesto Ruscio/Getty
Ernesto Ruscio/Getty
Amber Heard’sIn the Firedirector Conor Allyn recalls how the actress always put her daughter first while making the movie.
“Amber’s such a dedicated mom,” Allyn tells PEOPLE, adding “she is really good about making the time” for her 2-year-old Oonagh Paige.
Allyn says Heard, who welcomed her daughter as a single mother in 2021, brought her little one to Italy when they filmed the 19th century-set thriller in the spring of 2022.
He quoted Heard, 37, as saying, “‘Oonagh’s coming with me. I’m going to see her during the day. Yes, I’m going to work a really hard day and I’m totally committed to that. But at lunch, Oonagh’s going to join me for an hour and [also] when I’m not shooting.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Amber Heard and daughter Oonah Paige in 2022.Amber Heard/instagram
Allyn says her dedication makes her stand apart from others in the industry.
“I admire it greatly, particularly in Hollywood where I think generally speaking, I don’t want to paint with a broad brush, but generally speaking, whether it’s the marriage or the kids that is often forgotten in the heat of making a movie,” he says.
Allyn, a married father himself, says he was “jealous” of the time his leading actress got to spend with her daughter.
“I find it more difficult to do that,” he says. “I’m married, have a wife. She works, but she was willing to support me while I’m chasing my dreams in Italy. She [was] here [in the U.S.] with all three kids and I couldn’t spend that kind of time [with them].”
While Heard looked after her daughter, she also looked after the cast and crew after hours. Allyn says theAquamanactress hosted meals at her temporary housing.
“We went over to Amber’s place and she cooked dinner,” he says. “It was usually low-key because we were working very hard.” On the menu? A “very impressive” mezze platter with hummus and tapas.
Amber Heard stars in ‘In the Fire’.Courtesy Taormina Film Festival
Courtesy Taormina Film Festival
Allyn previously told PEOPLE that Heard, whom he considers a “great friend,”is now “finding happiness” in Europe, where she moved after she largely lost her defamation trial to ex-husbandJohnny Depp, 60.
“She’s living her best life in Spain with her daughter and just finding happiness in that way,” Allyn says of Heard, whose lastpublic appearance was at the Taormina Film Festival in Junefor theIn the Firepremiere.
Allyn, who keeps in regular touch with Heard, says she has “moved on” from the legal ordeal with Depp, but adds, “I think people carry trauma for a long time.”
In the Fireis in select theaters and available on demand Friday.
source: people.com
