Amber Heardclaims her part in theAquamansequel was reduced as a result of fallout from ex-husbandJohnny Depp’s claims that her allegations of domestic violence were a “hoax.”
Heard — who is countersuing Depp for $100 million for defamation — testified that her role as Mera inAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the female lead opposite Jason Momoa’s title character, was drastically reduced because of bad press aimed at her. (Heard hasalready filmed the movieand it is set to hit theaters March 2023.)
Prior to Depp’s attorneys publicly calling her abuse claims a “hoax,” Heard had been able to “get my life back on track” after filing for divorce and a domestic violence restraining order in May 2016. The firstAquamandebuted in December 2018 and went on to make more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
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“The trajectory was positive,” she said.
Heard explained that she had a three-picture deal to play Mera, starting with 2017’sJustice League, with her pay increasing with each subsequent DC film. Per the contracts brought forth in court, she was paid $1 million upfront forAquamanand $2 million for the sequel, both with potential bonuses for box office performance.
“I fought really hard to stay in the movie. They didn’t want to include me in the film,” Heard testified.
“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,” she added.
Along-running fan petitionto have Heard removed from the upcomingAquamanmovie has surpassed 4.2 million online signatures during the current trial in Fairfax, Virginia, where Heard hastestified about “vitriol from Johnny Depp supporters.”
Amber Heard inAquaman(2018).Warner Bros/DC/Kobal/Shutterstock
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Back in November 2020, Heard toldEntertainment Weeklythat rumors of her not returning for the nextAquamanwere untrue: “I’m super excited about the amount of fan love and the amount of fan appreciation thatAquamanhas acquired and that it has garnered so much excitement for Aquaman and Mera that it means we’ll be coming back. I’m so excited to film that.”
November 2020 is also when Depplost his highly publicized U.K. libel lawsuit caseagainst British tabloidThe Sunfor calling him a “wife-beater.” The court upheld the outlet’s claims as being “substantially true” and Heard testified to back up the claims. In March 2021, Depp’s attempt tooverturn the decision was overruled.
Brendan Smialowski/AP/Shutterstock
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomproducer Peter Safran toldDeadlinein July that the production was never “going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure” to remove Heard altogether. “You gotta do what’s best for the movie. We felt that if it’s [director] James Wan and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was,” he said.
Safran added, “One is not unaware of what is going on in the Twitter-verse, but that doesn’t mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes. You have to do what’s right for the film, and that’s really where we landed on it.”
Depp’s agent Jack Whigham has testified that it’s been “impossible” to get Depp a part in a big-budget studio film ever since Heard’s op-ed. TheAlice in Wonderlandsupposedlylost a $22.5 million paydayfor a potential sixthPirates of the Caribbean, though a written contract was never made.
In a recent interview with the U.K.‘sThe Sunday Times,Piratesproducer Jerry Bruckheimer offered an update on an in-the-works sequel for the franchise, sayingDepp is “not at this point” planned to be in it, though “the future is yet to be decided.” Depp, however, testified that he would not work with Disney again, even if they offered him $300 million.
source: people.com
