Embattled actress Amber Heard appears to be hoping that a new PR team will help ease a lot of the negative attention she has been getting in the press in recent weeks. Currently, Heard is in the midst of a trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp with the former spouses suing one another. Asking for $50 million, Depp first sued Heard for libel, alleging that Heard fabricated domestic abuse allegations to defame him. Heard counter-sued for $100 million, claiming she's the one being defamed.

On the stand, Depp spoke about different times he was allegedly abused by Heard. This includes the Aquaman 2 actress allegedly tossing a vodka bottle at him, which shattered against his hand and severed one of his fingertips. Another outlandish moment of the trial saw Depp claiming Heard defecated in his bed after one of their final arguments before the end of the marriage. Before the trial, Heard denied these allegations, and she is set to take the stand herself to provide her side of the story in the coming days.

Days ahead of her testimony, The New York Post reports that Heard has cut ties with Precision Strategies, the crisis PR firm she had been working with. According to the publication, Heard was "getting frustrated with the press she's received" since the start of the trial, with a source noting that she "doesn't like bad headlines." She has since hired consulting firm Shane Communications on retainer in an effort to get more of the public opinion on her side.

Shane Communications has history with Depp, which might have been one reason why Heard sought their services. The firm previously worked with Depp's former business managers after he'd had a falling out with them and is said to be responsible for press about Depp's "compulsive spending" in 2017.

Related: Amber Heard Rumored to Have Heavily Reduced Screen Time in Aquaman 2

Amber Heard's New PR Team May Be Fighting an Uphill Battle

Amber Heard as Mera in Aquaman.
Warner Bros.

Of course, changing public perception about a celebrity in such a dramatic way is not quite as simple as hiring a new PR firm. Amber Heard is facing an uphill battle as the public perception seems to be heavily swayed in Depp's favor. PR insiders don't believe it will be easy to "rewrite the history of what's happened," referring to the major damage Heard's reputation has suffered since the start of the trial.

Before the trial, Heard's legal team had sought to bar cameras from the courtroom while Johnny Depp wanted the entire proceedings televised. For better or for worse, this means that every part of the trial, from witness testimony to both Heard and Depp giving their sides of the story, can be viewed by everyone. Depp did have the advantage of testifying before Heard, and his testimony did not paint her in a very flattering light. It's up to Heard to bring some of her doubters back over to her side when she goes on the stand this week.

Because of the backlash against Heard, a petition to have her removed from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has soared in popularity and is set to surpass three million signatures. Other petitions have also been gaining traction, such as one to replace Heard with Emilia Clarke and another for Johnny Depp to get his Pirates of the Caribbean role back. Whatever it was that really happened between Heard and Depp, Shane Communications will have their work cut out for them on this one.