Jason Momoa tried to stop DC Films from cutting Amber Heard out of ‘Aquaman 2’

By Alma Fabiani

Published May 25, 2022 at 01:50 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

As the Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard defamation trial continues to flood the internet, yet another specific fact which has been revealed is currently being dissected by netizens. After “entertainment industry consultant” Kathryn Arnold (whose job mostly consists of testifying about the industry in court cases such as this) spoke on the potential effects that Heard and Depp’s divorce, as well as the subsequent backlash against the actress that followed, had on Heard’s career. 

Long story short, Arnold concluded that yes, it did end up having a significant impact on the actress’ professional life—more specifically, concerning Heard’s starring role in the Aquaman franchise of DC Films and sub-franchise of Warner Bros. films. The expert’s testimony confirmed some of the rumours many had seen circulating before, including the fact that Heard was deliberately left out of promo materials for the film’s sequel, banned from DC’s FanDome event and was almost straight-up fired from the movie.

Arnold—who was called as a witness on Heard’s behalf—noted that “research showed whenever Heard’s name was mentioned, whether in connection to a film, TV show, magazine article, or endorsement deal, there was immediate backlash from fans on social media.” The studio reportedly went as far as to push to have her removed from Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom outright, a move that was stopped by a united front from co-star Jason Momoa and director James Wan.

According to Arnold’s testimony, Wan and Momoa were both “committed to her” and were “adamant she was in the film.” Regardless, Heard has testified that her part in the film was cut short, though it was officially blamed on a supposed lack of chemistry with Momoa.

That being said, Arnold’s take was followed by none other than Walter Hamada’s, President of DC Films, who counterargued that no, the star’s role in the big-budget sequel was in no way impacted by rumours surrounding her tumultuous marriage to Depp.

Instead, Hamada alleged that it was always intended for Heard to have a smaller role in the film franchise. He then added that producers were so “concerned” about a lack of chemistry between Heard and Momoa in the first Aquaman that they even considered recasting her in the sequel. Though Momoa and Wan’s pushback stopped this from happening, fans have already shared their opinion on which star is the best to replace Heard as Queen Mera.

“I think editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie,” Hamada stated. “But there was a concern that it took a lot of effort to get there and that would we be better off finding someone with more natural chemistry with Jason Momoa and move forward that way.”

The movie tycoon further insisted that the actress’s compensation was in no way impacted by the claims made by Depp.

When testifying on Monday 23 May, Arnold also claimed Heard could have been enjoying the same career success as “comparable actors” such as Zendaya, Gal Gadot and Momoa if not for her ex-husband’s team’s alleged “smear campaign” against her.

“When you look at the time frame of when the [Adam] Waldman statements came out [in 2020], and you look at what was going on with Ms Heard’s career prior to the statement and what happened after the statement, it’s very clear to make that correlation,” Arnold told the court.

Then again, Depp’s lawyers were quick to push back on the expert’s assessment of Heard’s career during cross-examination and claimed her comparison of Heard with the aforementioned actors was way off, adding that they were either stars of blockbuster franchises or had higher profile careers than Heard in 2020.

Depp’s team also noted that Gadot played a recurring role in the Fast & Furious franchise before joining the DC universe as Wonder Woman while Heard’s appearance in Aquaman as Mera was a “supporting role” to Momoa’s titular superhero.

Keep On Reading

By Charlie Sawyer

How did we go from rainbow washing galore to Pride Month 2023’s complete lack of it?

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Transgender woman wins Miss Netherlands for the first time and will be heading to Miss Universe

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Netflix takes things too far with new AI reality TV show Deep Fake Love

By Mason Berlinka

Watch viral video of woman claiming her SKIMS bodysuit saved her life after she was shot four times

By Abby Amoakuh

Kim Kardashian shows up with cameras for jury duty in gang murder case

By Abby Amoakuh

Boris Johnson’s new gig at GB News is a match made in problematic heaven

By Charlie Sawyer

Co-founder of Titanic submersible that imploded wants to send 1,000 people to Venus

By Mason Berlinka

The rise and fall of Scooter Braun: Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato latest to part ways with manager

By Abby Amoakuh

Far-right influencers try to bail out Elon Musk as Disney and Apple leave X due to antisemitism claims

By Mason Berlinka

Viral TikToker Rodger Cleye, 58, accused of sexually harassing 19-year-old singer

By Charlie Sawyer

TikToker reveals the underwhelming food served at the White House Pride event

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Hundreds protest Italian right-wing prosecutor’s cancellation of birth certificates for lesbian couples

By Alma Fabiani

Netizens think Taylor Swift attended a New York Jets game to detract from her private jet controversy

By Alma Fabiani

Who are gen Z? Introducing the new generation

By Alma Fabiani

Creepy video of Ashton Kutcher goes viral amid backlash over support of Danny Masterson

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Meet the man behind London’s lockdown raves, and hear what’s next in store

By Charlie Sawyer

What to do if Monzo freezes or closes your bank account

By Charlie Sawyer

Updated release dates for 5 of the most popular TV shows affected by Hollywood writers’ strikes

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Colombia sterilises first hippo left behind by Pablo Escobar amid ecological disaster

By Charlie Sawyer

Azealia Banks is cancelled once again after calling Troye Sivan an expired Twink