The defamation trial between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard, has been dominating entertainment headlines for over a month now, and it seems as though each new day of testimony brings one bombshell revelation after another. Depp maintains that Heard’s claims of domestic violence are false. Additionally, he continues to insist that her accusations caused him to miss out on several lucrative acting jobs, including a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film. But now, Heard alleges that Depp’s “smear campaign” damaged her career as well, including her role in next year’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
On Monday, Heard (via EW) discussed her dwindling work opportunities when she took the stand for her third day of testimony in the trial. Heard first obtained her restraining order against Depp in 2016. By that point, Warner Bros. had already cast her as Mera in Justice League. But because Depp began publicly asserting his innocence around this time, hanging onto the role wasn’t without its challenges.
“I had to fight really hard to keep my career after I got my [restraining order against Depp],” said Heard. “I lost opportunities, I got dropped from jobs and campaigns, I fought to keep my job and the biggest movie opportunity I had to date [with] Justice League with the option to [star in] Aquaman.” She also noted that she had “to fight really hard to stay in Justice League because that was the time of the divorce.”
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Heard also described the specifics of her working relationship with Warner Bros. and DC. Apparently, her contract covers three films: Justice League, Aquaman, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. But returning for next year’s sequel proved to be a different kind of struggle. Heard claims that WB “didn’t want to include [her] at all” in the second installment. In the end, she had to settle for a “very pared-down version” of Mera’s original character arc.
“I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it,” continued Heard. “[The scenes] 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.”
Mera and Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry officially became a couple at the end of the original Aquaman in 2018. The film’s closing moments also suggested that the pair would eventually rule together as Atlantis’ new king and queen. But if Heard is telling the truth, that might not be the case after all. Regardless, it’s worth noting that WB had no problem restoring her original scenes as Mera in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which premiered on HBO Max last year. She also filmed an additional scene for the Knightmare sequence.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will hit theaters on March 17, 2023.
You can share your thoughts on Heard’s latest testimony in the comment section below.
Recommended Reading: The Art and Making of Aquaman
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