This is an interesting turn of events. There has been a lot of talk about Amber Heard’s minimized role as Mera in the DC sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Whether she has been trimmed down to ten minutes of screentime or if she will be cut from the film entirely has been up for debate as the defamation trial involving her and Johnny Depp heads into its final days. Today, however, DC head honcho Walter Hamada sat in for a deposition that was played by Depp’s legal team and he’s saying that her role in Aquaman 2, no matter how minimal it might end up being, was not affected by the drama involving her and Johnny Depp.
Hamada was brought in as a rebuttal witness following Amber Heard’s legal team resting their case. Hamada tells Johnny Depp’s attorney Ben Chew, as obtained by TMZ, that whatever drama was going on between Heard and Depp these last few years had absolutely no bearing on the studio’s decision to downplay her role. It also didn’t affect how much the actress was paid for her participation in the film. It should also be noted that he expressed that Heard was never released from Aquaman 2 at any point during the production but she was considered to be replaced, not because of the drama with Depp, but because of perceived poor chemistry with Jason Momoa. Hamada said, “They didn’t have a lot of chemistry together. Editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie, but there was a concern that it took a lot of effort to get there.” Lastly, he also points out that even in the early scripting phase, Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson, who plays King Orm, were always intended to be co-leads of the sequel because it was kind of conceived as a “buddy comedy” between the two characters.
This is in direct contrast to what Amber Heard’s attorneys have been alleging during the trial. They have brought in witnesses that suggested Heard lost out on a big role in the sequel but also big money that should’ve come along with it. Heard appeared in Justice League and then Aquaman so it was assumed that she would be in for a big payday as she renegotiated her contract for the sequel, which is pretty normal for these kinds of tentpole releases. Hamada also addressed that notion by saying Warner Bros. is trying to reign in pay raises like that on his watch. These movies are costly endeavors and he says that he wants to hold performers to option agreements in contracts that they originally signed with them. According to Hamada, Heard fell into this category. The actress received $1 million for the first film and since the studio exercised her option for the sequel without messing with the deal, they gave her $2 million for the follow-up. Her lawyers say this is a clear sign that her reputation has been damaged by her ordeal with Depp but Hamada seems to point out that this is merely how business is being done at Warner Bros.
I’m not sure how much of a blow this is to Amber Heard’s claims about how her career was damaged but it does make some of the assertions made by her team lately seem like they’re reaching a bit. Her team had an entertainment industry expert testify on Monday that the actress lost $45-50 million in endorsements and TV and film income over the claims that she faked the domestic abuse allegations against Johnny Depp. The expert, Kathryn Arnold, compared Heard’s earnings to a series of other “comparable” actors like her Aquaman co-star Jason Momoa, Ana de Armas, Gal Gadot, Zendaya, and Chris Pine. Per Variety, Arnold claims Heard could’ve renegotiated her Aquaman 2 contract for $4 million but she had no leverage to do so. Given what Hamada testified, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
What are YOUR thoughts on Walter Hamada’s assertions that Amber Heard’s drama with Johnny Depp has nothing to do with her minimized role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?