Amber Heard has insisted that her role in the upcoming sequel “Aquaman” was drastically reduced after her ex-husband Johnny Depp launched a smear campaign against her saying he lied about allegations of abuse.
But once again for the actress, the powerful head of DC Films said on Tuesday that the role of the star in the big-budget film was not affected in any way by the innuendos surrounding her tumultuous marriage to Depp.
Walter Hamada made the claim via a video link to the defamation trial of the former couple in Virginia.
Hamada, who has been president of DC Films since 2018, alleged that Heard was always thought to have a smaller role in the film franchise.
However, he added that the producers were so “concerned” about the lack of chemistry between Heard and his co-star Jason Momoa in the first film “Aquaman” that they even considered returning it to the sequel.
“I think editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first film,” the head of the film said. “But there was concern that it would take a lot of effort to get there and that it would be better to find someone with more natural chemistry with Jason Momoa and move on like that.”
DC Films president Walter Hamada (insert) said Tuesday that Heard’s salary and screen time in the upcoming Aquaman sequel had nothing to do with gossip about his turbulent marriage to Johnny Depp. Hamada said producers were “concerned” about the lack of chemistry between Jason Momoa (left) and Heard in the first “Aquaman” movie. AP
Although Heard managed to keep his place in the sequel, he alleged that his role was significantly reduced.
“They gave me a script and then they gave me new versions of the script that took away scenes … they basically took a lot of the paper out of me. They just took out a lot,” Heard said last week.
However, Hamada directly answered this statement, saying that he was supposed to always be a secondary character in the sequel.
The powerful Hamada, who has been president of DC Films since 2018, testified Tuesday via a video link. POOL / AFP via Getty Images
“The size of the role he played in the film was determined in the initial development of the script, which would be in 2018,” he alleged. “The character’s involvement in the story was a bit like it was from the beginning.”
“From the earliest stages of script development, the film was built around the character of Arthur [Momoa] and the character of Orm [Patrick Wilson]Hamada said.
On Monday, Heard’s legal team testified to entertainment industry consultant Kathryn Arnold, who said Heard was paid $ 2 million for the sequel, a sum negotiated around when the first movie “Aquaman” came out in 2018.
Heard is set to appear in court on Tuesday. Hamada’s testimony is a blow to the actress, as she contradicts claims her team made by saying that her screen time and ability to win were reduced by Depp’s smear campaign. AP Depp appears in court. He is suing Heard for defamation of a 2018 Washington Post opinion piece written by the actress, in which he said he was a victim of sexual violence. REUTERS
However, the consultant said the actress could have renegotiated up to $ 6 million, had it not been for Depp and his lawyer Adam Waldman defaming him for calling his allegations of abuse a “deception”? .
Arnold said Eard’s ability to win and bargaining power were significantly reduced by these claims, which began circulating in 2020.
But Hamada also insisted on Tuesday that the actress’ compensation was not affected in any way by Depp and Waldman’s claims.
Meanwhile, since the trial began, more than 4 million Depp fans have gathered to sign a petition urging DC Films to remove Heard from “Aquaman 2” altogether.
The long-awaited film will be released next March. The first “Aquaman” movie, released in 2018, was a box office success, grossing more than $ 1 billion worldwide.
The first “Aquaman” movie, released in 2018, was a box office success, grossing more than $ 1 billion worldwide.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation of a 2018 Washington Post opinion piece that the actress wrote, in which she said she was a victim of sexual violence.
He did not specifically name Depp in the article, but it was written after Heard filed a restraining order against her now ex-husband in 2016 on charges of abuse.
Depp is seeking $ 50 million in damages. Heard has filed a $ 100 million counterclaim.