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Amber Heard Testifies That Her Role In 'Aquaman 2' Has Been Pared Down Following Defamation Trial

There have been reports that Heard's role in 'Aquaman 2' has been brought down to only 10 minutes.

Source: IMDb

Following the Johnny Depp - Amber Heard defamation trial, a petition asking to remove Heard from Aquaman 2 gained attention again. Just as Depp was asked to step down from two film franchises, the petition demanded Heard should step down from the DC superhero film. The petition has now exceeded four million signatures. 

Source: Change.org

The high-profile trial has gained a lot of public attention, with people negatively responding to Heard's testimony in court. This subsequently led Warner Bros. to reduce Heard's role as Mera in the film to the bare minimum. The 36-year-old addressed the consequences the trial had on her role in the movie.

Amber Heard In Aquaman 2

"I fought really hard to stay in the movie. They didn't want to include me in the film," Heard testified. She explained that she had a three-film deal starting with 2017's Justice League, with her pay increasing with each subsequent DC film. According to the contracts presented in court, she was paid $1 million upfront for Aquaman and $2 million for the sequel. Both films also came with potential bonuses for box office performance. She stated that following the "hoax" comments and headlines, the studio nearly stopped all communication with her. Her role also became "very pared down" in the sequel.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 28: Amber Heard arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice, the Strand on July 28, 2020, in London, England. The Hollywood actor Johnny Depp is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) and the Sun's executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article published in 2018 that referred to him as a "wife-beater" during his marriage to actor Amber Heard. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

"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," Heard explained. "They just removed a bunch out." The first Aquaman film starring Heard along with Jason Momoa in the titular role shattered box-office expectations at the time by grossing over $1.1 billion. It also became one of Warner Bros.'s most successful DC films.

The next film is set to release on 17 March 2023.



 

There have been reports that Heard's role in the film has been brought down to only 10 minutes in the sequel titled: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Last year, producer Peter Safran told Deadline, “I don’t think we’re ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure,” in reference to pressure from Depp fans demanding Heard's removal from the movie. “You gotta do what’s best for the movie,” he continued, “We felt that if it’s James Wan and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was.” He 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.”