Amber Heard revealed that her role in the “Aquaman” sequel has been significantly reduced due to her ongoing legal battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Heard, 36, returned to the stand Monday in the Fairfax, Virginia, court where Depp is on trial for defamation.
As per IB Times, she testified that she was almost cut from Warner Bros.’ upcoming film “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” in which she reprises her role as Mera, Aquaman’s love interest.
“I fought really hard to stay in the movie. They didn’t want to include me in the film,” Heard was quoted as saying by Insider.
Heard said that while she managed to keep her role as Mera, she ultimately performed “a very pared-down version of that role.”
She explained that she had received several versions of the script, with the most recent one removing many of her scenes.
“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. They basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch out,” Heard added of the changes that were made to her role in the sequel.
Several weeks before Heard’s testimony, film journalist Grace Randolph reported, citing unnamed sources, that the actress has less than ten minutes of screentime in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”
The journalist did not specify whether Heard’s role in the sequel was always intended to be minor or if it was reduced as a result of her legal battle with Depp.
During the ongoing trial, a Change.org petition calling for Heard’s removal from “Aquaman 2” received over 4 million signatures.
“As Amber Heard is a known and proven domestic abuser, Warner Brothers, and DC Entertainment should and must remove Heard from their ‘Aquaman 2’ film project. They must not ignore the suffering of Heard’s victims, and must not glamorize a domestic abuser,” the petition’s description read.
However, according to Deadline, producer Peter Safran stated last year that “fan pressure” would not influence his decision to fire Heard.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in retaliation for a Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as a victim of domestic violence in 2018. Though he was not named in the article, the actor claimed that it ruined his career and cost him roles in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Fantastic Beasts” movie franchises.
On March 17, 2023, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” will be released.
