Actor Amber Heard has claimed that Warner Bros studio "removed a bunch out" of her role from the upcoming "Aquaman" sequel in the aftermath of her divorce from Johnny Depp.
Heard, 36, made the comments on Tuesday during the hearing of the libel suit filed against her by Depp, 58, in Virginia's Fairfax County Circuit Court.
According to Variety, she said Warner Bros, the banner behind "Aquaman" franchise, "didn't want to include me" in the film.
Headlined by Jason Momoa, "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is slated to be released on March 17, 2023.
Heard stars as Mera in comic book films from Warner Bros and DC Entertainment. She first played the character in 2017's "Justice League", which she described as "a three-picture option".
The actor said she was "actively scheduling timing for filming" the movie until Depp's team called her a liar regarding her abuse claims against Depp. Heard said that "communications" about the sequel "stopped at that point".
She said she had a more co-lead role opposite Momoa in "Aquaman", for which she earned USD 1 million. Heard said she earned twice as much for "Aquaman 2", the third film in her contract, but also said that her role in the film was "a very pared-down version".
"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 spoiler away, two characters fighting with one another, and they basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch out," Heard said.
When Depp's lawyer, Camille Vasquez, suggested that she only got the role in "Aquaman" with Depp's help, Heard dismissed the claims, saying "No, Ms Vasquez, I got myself that role by auditioning." Yesterday, lawyers for Depp questioned the truthfulness of Heard's accusation that Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle.
Depp is suing Heard over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse". His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name. The trial is now in its fifth week.
Last year, Depp told The Sunday Times that he was being boycotted by the film industry amid the domestic abuse allegations by his former wife and "The Rum Diary" co-star as his latest movie "Minamata" was yet to get a release in the US. "Minamata", on which Depp also served as a producer, eventually released in the US in February 2022, by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
The interview marked the embattled Hollywood star's first media interaction after losing libel case against British tabloid The Sun, which referred to Depp as a "wife-beater" in an article about him and Heard.
Published - May 19, 2022 06:53 pm IST
