Amber Heard on NBC's The Playboy Club: "Women Deciding for Themselves — That's Women's Lib"

On September 7, 2011, Amber Heard joined a press call ahead of the premiere of NBC's The Playboy Club, debuting Monday, September 19 at 10 p.m. She plays Maureen, a Bunny at the Chicago Playboy Club whose life changes on her first night on the job. Heard spoke about the research, the physicality of the role, and why the early 1960s setting gave the show an unusually rich platform.

Learning the Bunny Dip — and everything else

The physical demands of the role began with the costume itself. "The Bunny suit requires a whole number of things," Heard said. "It requires a small team to get you in and out of them. It requires a modification of how you do certain things — just carrying yourself is something that you have to relearn." The cast trained with choreographer Fatima Robinson on period-specific movement: the Bunny Dip, the Bunny Perch, the Bunny Stance. "We have very specific dance numbers and also more elaborate choreographed pieces and then more 60s freestyle dancing. So it keeps us busy." On top of the movement work, Heard was also preparing for The Rum Diary, set in the late 1950s, which she noted shared a similar energy: "I also have dancing and performances in that. It very much reminds me of this in certain ways."

Surprised by Hugh Hefner

Heard's research into the Club and its founder repeatedly surprised her. "I kept being surprised by the things that I learned about the Club, the Club ethics, and also the man who started it. Whether it was about his workplace integration or the integrity in which he solved disputes between the Clubs and how they dealt with racial discrimination in the early 60s — I was impressed." She cited his legal battles over editorial freedom: "He fought numerous political measures that tried to stop him from printing what he wanted to print and saying what he wanted to say. I was impressed by the articles and the journalists that he decided to work with in the early career of the magazine. I continue to be impressed by him."

The Playboy Club and women's lib

Asked whether the real Playboy Clubs of the 1960s were necessary to bring about change for women, Heard was thoughtful: "The early 60s was on the eve of women's lib and on the cusp of the sexual social revolution. The Club could have only existed in that way at that time. And that's what's so special about our show." On the Bunnies themselves: "Women stepping out and deciding for themselves what they wanted — how they wanted to earn their money — that's an important part of what we know now to be women's lib. Women deciding for themselves how they wanted to conduct their lives and express their sexuality is nothing but those women's choices. And I think it's important that they were brave enough to step out and say: this is what I want to do with my life for right now, and I'm going to challenge the status quo." She noted that many former Bunnies the production spoke to "talk so fondly about their experiences and are happy to have been trendsetters." The Playboy Club premieres Monday, September 19 at 10 p.m. on NBC.

For more upcoming events across South Florida, visit the Premier Guide Miami Events Calendar.