Amber Heard kept her role in Aquaman 2 because her co-star Jason Momoa fought for her to stay after an online petition, claims Kathryn Arnold.
The former Hollywood producer took to the stand on Monday (May 23) to testify as Heard’s witness and discussed the actress’ role in the superhero blockbuster franchise.
Arnold, who is now an entertainment industry consultant and expert, claimed Heard only kept the role because Momoa and the movie’s director James Wan “committed to her” and were “adamant she was in the film.”
She also told the court about Heard’s Hollywood career after starring in Aquaman and admitted she believed it should have been her “a star is born moment.”
Hollywood actress Ana de Armas was referenced as Kathryn said: “After her ‘A Star Is Born moment’ she’s got a lot more big roles and that’s what we hoped for Miss Heard.”
Heard starred as Mera opposite Jason Momoa in the first Aquaman which was released in 2018.
For the Aquaman sequel, officially titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Arnold told jurors that Heard’s character was meant to have a “strong romantic arc and some great action sequences.”
After Johnny Depp’s lawsuit against her came to light, a petition calling for Heard’s removal from Aquaman was launched and has since amassed over 4.3 million signatures.
Arnold explained that when Heard arrived on set, she was told her action sequences had been “cut out” and that her role was “radically reduced.”
Speaking to the court about Aquaman last week (May 16), Heard claimed she had to “fight really hard” to remain a part of the sequel and her role was “a very pared-down version.”
Depp, who was married to Heard from 2015 to 2017, is suing his ex-wife for defamation because of an op-ed she published in the Washington Post in 2018 in which she claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse.
Although she didn’t mention Depp by name, he believed it suggested he was abusive towards her during their marriage and caused significant damage to his career.
The actor was replaced as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and was dropped from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million (£40m), while Heard is countersuing her ex-spouse for $100 million (£809m).
The trial continues.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk