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DC Films President Walter Hamada (inset) testified Tuesday that Heard’s salary and screen time in the upcoming “Aquaman” sequel was unrelated to gossip about her turbulent marriage to Johnny Depp. |
After her ex-husband Johnny Depp started a smear campaign against her, Amber Heard requested that her role in the impending "Aquaman" sequel be significantly reduced.
In a stunning blow to the actress, the high-powered CEO of DC Films testified Tuesday that gossip about her turbulent marriage to Depp had no bearing on her position in the big-budget film.
At the former couple's blockbuster defamation trial in Virginia, Walter Hamada made the accusation through a video connection.
Hamada, who has been president of DC Films since 2018, claimed that Heard's part in the franchise was always supposed to be minor.
Producers were so concerned about Heard's lack of chemistry with co-star Jason Momoa in the first "Aquaman" picture, he claimed, that they contemplated recasting her in the sequel.
"I think editorially they were able to make that connection work in the first film," the studio executive said. "However, there was fear that it would be preferable to find someone with more natural chemistry with Jason Momoa and continue ahead that way."
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Hamada said producers were “concerned” about a lack of chemistry between Jason Momoa (left) and Heard in the first “Aquaman” movie. |
Despite the fact that Heard was able to maintain her position in the sequel, she claims her role was considerably reduced.
"I was given a screenplay and then given revised copies of the script with sections removed...basically, they pulled a lot out of my character." Last week, Heard testified that "they simply took a bunch out."
Hamada, on the other hand, refuted that allegation, claiming that she was always meant to be a supporting character in the sequel.
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High-powered Hamada — who has been president of DC Films since 2018 — testified via video link on Tuesday. |
"The magnitude of her involvement in the picture was established in the early stages of screenplay creation, which would be in 2018," he claimed. "The character's role in the tale was very much the same from the start."
"The movie was created around the characters of Arthur [Momoa] and Orm [Patrick Wilson] from the very beginning of the script development," Hamada continued.
Heard's legal team called entertainment industry analyst Kathryn Arnold as a witness on Monday, claiming that Heard was paid $2 million for the sequel, a price agreed upon around the time the first "Aquaman" picture was released in 2018.
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Heard is pictured in court on Tuesday. Hamada’s testimony is a blow for the actress, as it counters claims her team put forward saying her screen time and earning capacity were reduced by Depp’s smear campaign. |
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Depp is pictured in court. He is suing Heard for defamation over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed that the actress wrote, in which she said she was a victim of sexual violence. |
The actress might have renegotiated for up to $6 million, according to the consultant, if Depp and his lawyer Adam Waldman hadn't defamed her by labeling her allegations of abuse a "hoax."
Arnold said that the accusations, which surfaced in 2020, had a substantial impact on Heard's earning potential and negotiation strength.
However, Hamada said on Tuesday that Depp and Waldman's allegations had no bearing on the actress's pay.
Meanwhile, since the trial began, almost 4 million Depp fans have signed a petition requesting DC Films to withdraw Heard entirely from "Aquaman 2."
The highly anticipated picture will be released in March of next year. The first "Aquaman" picture, which was released in 2018, was a box office success, making over $1 billion worldwide.
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| The first “Aquaman” film — released in 2018 — was a box office smash, grossing more than $1 billion across the globe. |
Depp is suing Heard for defamation over an op-ed she published in the Washington Post in 2018 in which she claimed she was a victim of sexual violence.
She didn't mention Depp by name in the essay, but it was written after Heard sought a restraining order against her now-ex-husband in 2016 due to domestic violence claims.
Depp is suing for $50 million in compensation. Heard has countersued for $100 million.
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