Amber Heard inAquaman(2018).Photo: Warner Bros/DC/Kobal/Shutterstock
Amber Heardis responding to a report that she has been dropped fromAquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
On Tuesday,Just Jaredpublished a story claiming sources told the outlet that Heard is “being cut out of” the already-shot sequel, which is set to hit theaters in March 2023.
“The rumor mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane,” a spokesperson for Heard tells PEOPLE in response to the report.
A rep for Warner Bros., the film’s studio, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The story comes two weeks after the verdict was read in the defamation trial between Heard and ex-husbandJohnny Depp.
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Earlier this month, aseven-person jury reached a verdictin the trial that began April 11 in Fairfax County, Virginia, deciding that Depp, 59, proved Heard defamed him in a 2018 op-ed. (TheEdward Scissorhandsactor has maintained that he never assaulted Heard, andclaimed she physically harmed him.)
The jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages butHeard will only have to pay $10.35 milliondue to a Virginia law limiting punitive damages (the judge reduced the amount). In her countersuit, Heard won one of the three defamation counts, and was awarded $2 million in damages.
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Johnny Depp; Amber Heard.getty (2)
Heard was first cast as Mera, the princess of underwater kingdom Xebel, in 2017’sJustice League, and reprised her role in the originalAquamanthe following year.
During the defamation trial, her talent agent, WME’s Jessica Kovacevic,virtually testifiedthat she was told Heard received a smaller part in the forthcoming sequelbecause of her “lack of chemistry"with costarJason Momoa, who leads the film.
Kovacevic also told the court there were no “performance issues raised” with Heard’sAquamanrole; instead, to her understanding, the actress “tested extremely well” for the film.
During the trial, Heard’s role in theAquamanmovies came up several times. Depp claimed he played a part in getting her cast after she auditioned,making a phone call to Warner Bros. executivesto seal the deal. She denied that, also saying thatshe “fought really hard” to return for the sequelwhen “they didn’t want to include me in the film.”
“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,” Heard testified of the sequel script, adding that her role was “very pared down.”
RELATED VIDEO: DC Films President Says Johnny Depp Controversy Didn’t Affect Amber Heard’sAquamanFate, Cites Lack of Chemistry
While sheand her talent agent surmisedthat the Depp controversies played a part in the reduced role, DC Films President Walter Hamada testified on behalf of Depp, saying the studio had “concerns"about Heard’s on-screen chemistry with Momoa, 42. They even considered at one point recasting her role, he said.
“The character’s involvement in the story was what it was from the beginning,” Hamada, 54, said of Mera’s importance in the upcoming “buddy-comedy” sequel, which mainly follows “co-leads” Momoa andPatrick Wilson.
Dolph Lundgren, who played King Nereus inAquamanand reprises his role in the sequel, recently recalled Heard being “terrific” on both sets.
“Ihad a great experience with her. She was very kind, nice to the crew, nice to everybody. Just down-to-earth,” said Lundgren, 64,via Instagram Live.
source: people.com
