Amber Heard’s Diminished Role in Aquaman 2: How Did Johnny Depp Controversy Affect Heard’s Acting Career?
DC Studios’ highly awaited Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom starring Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, etc., directed by James Wan premiered on 22nd December 2023. Momoa who plays the titular character in the movie had reportedly pitched the idea for the sequel movie during the production of Aquaman.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom officially marks the end of the DC Extended Universe as the new co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran plan to reboot the DC Universe. Ahead of the release of the sequel fans were curious to know how much Amber Heard has been involved in the movie, especially after her controversy with her ex-husband Johnny Depp. Let’s take a deep dive into knowing more.
Amber Heard’s screen time reduced to 20 minutes
Actress Amber Heard who portrays the character of Mera opposite Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry/Aquaman in the movie reportedly had just 11 lines in the movie. Her screen time was also reduced to 15-20 minutes out of the movie’s 124-minute runtime.
According to BI, the actress’ character was barely shown in the movie as she appeared at the start and the end of the movie with many of her lines simplified. She appeared only for the action sequences towards the beginning and the end of the movie but was largely erased from the main plot even though Mera and Arthur’s son served as the central plot in the movie.
It was revealed earlier that it’s going to be Patrick Wilson who is going to take the charge for the second lead alongside Momoa. This should not come as a surprise that Heard’s screen time was downplayed, as it was a direct result of her defamation trial with ex-husband and actor Johnny Depp. Ex-Warner Boss, Walter Hamada was grilled in a deposition back in 2022 where he revealed that the reason why her screen time was limited was because of the lack of chemistry.
He had admitted that Heard and Momoa did not have the chemistry they hoped for which is why the story for the sequel was heading in a different direction. James Wan shared with Variety,
“The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm. So the first was a romance-action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We’ll leave it at that.”
Amber Heard was not seen during the promotions of the movie as well.
How has the defamation trial against Johnny Depp affected Amber Heard’s career?
The defamation trial between Johnny Depp-Amber Heard was highly publicized because it was live-streamed for the world to witness. On one hand, it brought a lot of clarity to the fans in regard to the accusations against the actor, it also had a huge effect on both of their careers. The jury found Amber Heard liable on three counts which included her defaming her ex-husband with her essay for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a victim of domestic violence.
During the trial, Amber confessed that the trial had affected her career badly as it brought in a lot of negative press for her compared to Depp who she said was quite influential and has had a successful career. She shared at the time that she had to fight for her role in Aquaman 2 adding that she has been cast in only one movie in the last two years.
Also read: 3 Johnny Depp Movies That Almost Won Him the First Oscar of His Acting Career
The trial opened many of the locked secrets between the two of them exposing everything for the world to witness and make their own judgements which makes it challenging for the two of them to come back. The world knows a little too much about them than it should.
It’s not surprising to see Amber Heard away from the spotlight spending time with her daughter to avoid the paparazzi and the questions that would follow about her career. The actress expressed her disappointment with the verdict at the time and has remained away from the spotlight. It’s not clear if she is attached to any of the projects as of now. But one clear thing is that the trial did bring in a lot of negative press for her and her career which is hard to come back from.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is playing in theatres.
