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At the beginning of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's defamation trial, fans fought hard to get the actress out of DC's Aquaman. Now that Depp has won the trial, he's reportedly making a comeback with an upcoming album with Jeff Beck. Meanwhile, Heard's career is set to go downhill from here. Here's why.
Jason Momoa & Amber Heard Had Chemistry Issues In 'Aquaman'
During his testimony in the defamation trial, Walter Hamada, president of DC Films at Warner Bros., said that Heard's scandal with Depp wasn't the reason for her limited exposure in Aquaman 2. "The character's involvement in the story was what it was from the beginning," Hamada said of Heard's character, Mera during a pre-recorded deposition. Then he revealed that the studio had "concerns" over the actress' "natural" chemistry with lead actor, Jason Momoa. "Editorially, they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie," he explained. "They didn't really have a lot of chemistry together."
"The reality is it's not uncommon on movies for two leads to not have chemistry," he continued. "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." He added that despite " a lot of effort," the lack of chemistry between the actors was still obvious onscreen. "At the end of the day, I think if you watch the movie, they look like they had great chemistry," he said. "I just know that over the course of post-production, it took a lot of effort to get there. ... You know it when you see it. The chemistry wasn't there."
Heard previously claimed that her part in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was "very pared down" and that the studio "didn't want to include [her] in the film" due to her controversy. "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," she said. "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."
Jason Momoa Reportedly Fought To Keep Amber Heard's In 'Aquaman 2'
Entertainment industry consultant and expert Kathryn Arnold said during her testimony that Aquaman was Heard's "a star is born moment." That's why she, Momoa, and film director James Wan were "committed to her" and were "adamant she was in the film." She also defended the actress from the "lack of chemistry" claims. She said Heard had a "strong romantic arc the entire film and some great action sequences" in the movie's first draft. She said that her role was "dismissed" after training five hours a day — having most of those scenes "cut out" and her part "radically reduced."
Speaking about the Rum Diary star's "bad reputation," Arnold said that "They [Hollywood] like her work but they can't work with her because every time her name is mentioned, the negativity flares up again." Fans don't believe most of the statement but they're now unsure whether Momoa really supports Heard or not. "Aquaman 2 truly is dead in the water," tweeted a fan. "Disappointing to see Jason Momoa supporting a proven abuser. Not the man we thought he was after all. I'm no longer a fan. Hope she was worth ruining your marriage JM. #AmberHeard #JusticeForJohnnyDepp." Fans are also confused that the Dune star liked both Depp and Heard's post-verdict statements on Instagram.
Is Amber Heard Really Out Of 'Aquaman 2'?
Geeks WorldWide's KC Walsh recently claimed on Twitter that all of Heard's scenes in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are now deleted. The writer claimed that after an alleged meeting between Warner Bros. executives, they decided that Mera would die during childbirth at the start of the sequel. As of this writing, DC still hasn't released an official statement regarding the matter.