Aquaman's Amber Heard has set the record straight on whether her ex-husband Johnny Depp helped secure her the role of Mera in the DC Extended Universe.
During Heard's fourth day on the stand at Depp's ongoing defamation trial against the actor, Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez asked Heard under cross-examination how she got the Aquaman role. According to Unilad, Vasquez asked Heard, "Mr. Depp got you that role in Aquaman, didn’t he?" The actor replied, "Excuse me?" After Vasquez repeated the question, Heard flat-out declared the claim a lie. "No, Ms. Vasquez, I got that role by auditioning," testified Heard, who was signed on in 2016 to play Mera in Justice League (2017) and Aquaman (2018).
Heard's involvement in the DC franchise has been a point of contention during the trial. The actor has been repeatedly asked about her role in the upcoming sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). "I fought really hard to stay in the [Lost Kingdom]," Heard testified on May 16. "They didn't want to include me in the film." Heard added that although she's in The Lost Kingdom, it's a "very pared down version of that role."
The actor elaborated that her role was severely reduced after multiple script revisions. "I was given a script," she explained. "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. They basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch."
The negative publicity from the trial has resulted in a Change.org petition that calls for Warner Bros. and DC to remove Heard from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom being resurrected. The petition currently sits at 4,247,101 signatures at the time of writing and continues to steadily grow. Warner Bros. has not publicly commented on the petition's revival, but producer Peter Safran commented on the petition back in 2021. He stated that the studio was never "going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure. You gotta do what's best for the movie. We felt that if it's James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That's really what it was."
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in defamation for a 2018 Washington Post op-ed detailing her alleged experience with domestic abuse. Depp claims the op-ed ruined his career and cost him a $22.5 million payday for a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film. He also asserts that Heard was the actual abuser in their relationship. Heard has denied the accusations and counter-sued Depp for $100 million in defamation. The trial began in April and is scheduled to conclude on May 27 where it will then go to the jury for deliberation.
Source: Unilad