Amber Heard only remained in the forthcoming “Aquaman 2” movie because her co-star Jason Momoa fought for her to stay in the franchise, former film producer Kathryn Arnold testified in the ongoing defamation trial between the actress and her ex-husband Johnny Depp. Kathryn, who now works as an entertainment industry consultant, appeared at the Fairfax courthouse in Virginia on Monday, where she claimed that the lawsuit Johnny had filed against Amber had a drastic effect on her career — particularly regarding her role as Mera in the DC motion picture.
While it’s no secret that the Texas native had a prominent part in the first installment, which was released in 2018, the upcoming sequel, which is expected to hit theaters in March 2023, has reportedly seen her part reduced to just a few minutes on-screen at the beginning of the movie and somewhere towards the end. Kathryn spoke with Amber before her court appearance to prepare for her testimony, and from what she’s said while on the stand, the 36-year-old lost out on a huge opportunity not only to negotiate a more significant salary but also to acquire further projects because she’s no longer deemed one of the main stars of the superhero film.
With her part reduced to what some could consider a supporting role, Aquaman would have propelled Amber to receive further acting jobs in Hollywood, but the controversy surrounding her and Johnny’s abuse claims, on top of his lawsuit filing, has subsequently hindered that from happening, Kathryn explained. What’s more, the film industry expert asserted that while Amber initially planned to pull out of the sequel after seeing the little screen time she’d have in the movie, Jason and the film’s director James Wan “committed to her” and were “adamant she was in the film.”
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Why Did Johnny File A Lawsuit Against Amber Heard?
The ongoing trial stems from a lawsuit Johnny filed against Amber for her 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, where she regarded herself as a victim of domestic abuse, just one year after her divorce with the Pirates of the Caribbean star was finalized. Though she never mentioned her ex by name, his legal team believes there’s enough evidence proving that Amber was referring to Johnny, which has prompted them to battle it out in court.
When Kathryn was asked who had caused the damage to Johnny when the op-ed was published, she responded, “Filing lawsuits, bringing to light the issues is Mr. Depp doing that of his own accord. Any statements by his team are associated with Mr. Depp. He’s causing his own demise by bringing these lawsuits forward and continuing to ignite the fire of negative publicity around both of them.”
Yesterday, it was reported via The New York Post that ex-girlfriend and supermodel Kate Moss will be testifying in the case on Wednesday via video link, after Amber brought up a rumor during her own testimony, where she implied Johnny had once pushed her down the British fashion icon down a flight of stairs. It’s believed that this incident never occurred.