Amber Heard claimed Monday that her part in the "Aquaman" sequel was reduced as a result of fallout from ex-husband Johnny Depp's claims that her allegations of domestic violence were a "hoax."
Depp and Heard met on the set of “The Rum Diary” in 2009, married in 2015, and went on to be embroiled in a contentious split for months.
The actress filed for porce from her ex-husband in May 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. The porce was finalized in 2017.
The pair is currently locked in an explosive court battle. The trial kicked off on April 11 and is set to continue for the next six weeks in the Washington, D.C.-adjacent jurisdiction. It will broadcast on Court TV.
Depp is suing his ex-wife for defamation over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote about her experience with domestic abuse.
The actor was not referred to by name in Heard’s piece, however, the abuse allegations had cost him money and career opportunities.
In the years prior to its publishing, the actress had alleged Depp bruised her face after throwing a phone at her in their Los Angeles home. Depp denied the allegation and was not charged with any crime.
During her testimony Monday, the 36-year-old actress claimed her reputation and career took a hit,
She testified that her role as Mera in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom", the female lead opposite Jason Momoa's title character, was drastically reduced because of bad press aimed at her.
Heard had already filmed the movie and it is set to hit theaters in March 2023.
She explained that she had a three-picture deal to play Mera, starting with 2017's "Justice League", with her pay increasing with each subsequent DC film. Per the contracts brought forth in court, she was paid $1 million upfront for "Aquaman" and $2 million for the sequel, both with potential bonuses for box office performance.
Heard alleged that after the "hoax" comments made headlines, the communication stopped between the studio Warner Bros. and her about scheduling and planning for "Aquaman 2".
She noted her role eventually became very pared down in the sequel.
"I fought really hard to stay in the movie. They didn't want to include me in the film," Heard added.
"I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it, that depicted my character and another character — without giving any spoilers away — two characters fighting with one another, and they basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch out," she pointed out.
A long-running fan petition to have Heard removed from the upcoming movie has surpassed 4.5 million online signatures during the current trial in Fairfax, Virginia.
Back in November 2020, Heard addressed the rumors of her not returning for the next Aquaman.
"I'm super excited about the amount of fan love and the amount of fan appreciation that Aquaman has acquired and that it has garnered so much excitement for Aquaman and Mera that it means we'll be coming back. I'm so excited to film that," she noted.
Depp had lost his highly publicized U.K. libel lawsuit case against British tabloid "The Sun" for calling him a "wife-beater" that month.
The court upheld the outlet's claims as being "substantially true" and Heard testified to back up the claims. In March 2021, Depp's attempt to overturn the decision was overruled.
After losing the case, Depp announced that he had agreed to step down from his role in Warner Bros.'s Fantastic Beasts franchise. He was later replaced by Mads Mikkelsen as Grindelwald, which hit theaters last month with the lowest box office performance of the Harry Potter franchise.
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