How Amber Heard’s Role in Aquaman 2 Was ‘Pared Down’ After Johnny Depp Lawsuit
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Months before the release of the sequel, director James Wan clarified why Amber Heard’s role in Aquaman 2 was cut down. The actress spoke about her role in the Johnny Depp defamation trial last year.
Amber Heard was married to Johnny Depp from 2015 to 2017. Following their divorce, The Stand actress wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in 2018 about her experiences with domestic abuse. Although she did not mention a name in the article, the public speculated that she was referring to her ex-husband Johnny. Johnny sued Amber in 2019 for defamation, claiming that the op-ed article ruined his career and took away his acting opportunities, as well as his long-standing role in Pirates of the Caribbean. Their trial began on April 8, 2022, in Fairfax, VA.
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On June 1, 2023, the LA Times put out an article declaring the winning of Depp’s lawsuit. Depp had sued her for $50 million, and Heard countersued for double. The judge awarded Depp $10 million for compensatory damages plus an additional $5 million for damages in the trial. Yet, they were immediately reduced to $350,000. Heard was given $2 million in compensatory damages based on the accusation that “she and her friends created a hoax that included roughing up her apartment to look worse for police,” which was an accusation from Depp’s prior attorney Adam Waldman after the article about assault came out.
In a final statement, Heard said: “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. … It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
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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.
So what is Amber Heard’s screen time in Aquaman 2? Read more to find out.
Is Amber Heard In Aquaman 2?
Is Amber Heard in Aquaman 2? Yes, Amber Heard is in Aquaman 2, but she does not have as much screen time as she did in the first movie.
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 making it a “very pared-down version” of her character. “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.”
During the trial, 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.”
In September 2023, James Wan clarified why Mera didn’t have a lot of screen time in the sequel. “I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go,” Wan told Entertainment Tonight. “The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm. So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We’ll leave it at that.”
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