According to the actress, Amber Heard’s Aquaman role was almost taken away from her. In her testimony during her defamation trial with Johnny Depp, Amber claimed that her role was significantly cut from the DC movie due to her defamation lawsuit. But was that the real reason?
On May 7, 2022, Amber testified that the trial and her public image from her relationship with Johnny impacted her role as Mera in the Aquaman sequel. “I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it, that depicted my character and another character — without giving any spoilers away — two characters fighting with one another, and they basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch out.”
Hollywood expert Kathyrn Arnold said that Amber’s reputation has affected her roles. “They [Hollywood] like her work, but they can’t work with her because every time her name is mentioned, the negativity flares up again.” Amber also said in her testimony that she “fought really hard to stay in [Aquaman] when they didn’t want to include me in the film.”
However, DC Films president James Hamada testified on behalf of Johnny’s legal team and said that Amber’s “lack of chemistry” with Jason Momoa’s Aquaman character was the reason why she had cuts. “They didn’t really have a lot of chemistry together,” Hamada said during cross-examination. “The reality is it’s not uncommon on movies for two leads to not have chemistry. It’s sort of movie magic and editorial, the ability to sort of put performances together with the magic of, you know, a great score and how you put the pieces together. You can fabricate that sort of chemistry.”
Yet cast and crew of Aquaman were still in support of having Amber in the film, despite what was going on in her trial. Aquaman lead Jason Momoa and director James Wan were reportedly “adamant she was in the film.” James confirmed his stance as he was “committed to her.”
The defamation trial against Amber Heard began on April 11, 2022, two years after Johnny sued his ex-wife for writing an op-ed in the Washington Post that described domestic abuse. Johnny claimed that the op-ed cost him his roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Fantastic Beasts, among others, and is suing Amber for $50 million. The trial is expected to end before Memorial Day weekend.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) for confidential support.