As the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial continues, more about Heard’s role in DC’sAquamanfranchise continues to be discussed. This time around the topic of discussion is how Heard scored the role as Mera in the first place.
Throughout the duration of the trial, Heard has been adamant in discussing how Depp’s claims have allegedly thrown a major wrench in her acting career. She has even gone as far as to allege that her role in the upcomingAquamansequel was substantially reduced due to the claims and that the studiodidn’t want her to be featured inAquaman 2in the film at all.
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The studio has since denied these claims, stating that Heard’s ongoing legal battle was not the reason for her screen time being less in the upcomingAquamansequel. DC Films chief Walter Hamada claimed that it was due to worries about Heard and the lead lacking natural on-screen chemistry, adding that the sequel film was going in a completely different direction than its predecessor and that having a love interest wasn’t going to be a primary focus. As Depp took the stand again in the courtroom, he was asked to reflect on Heard’s audition process forthe firstAquamanfilm. Depp told the court how Warner Bros. told Heard that the film would be shooting in Australia, which could’ve been an issue for the actress.
Depp then went on to share that Heard asked him to speak to the studio since he had a long relationship with Warner Bros. since he had starred in many projects with the studio, likeBlack Mass,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,andThe Fantastic Beastssequel. He agreed to do so, making a few phone calls to higher-ups in the company. Depp couldn’t give a confirmation that he was the reason why Heard wascast as Mera inAquaman, but he did admit he believed he “curbed their worries” about working with the actress.
It’s unclear if Depp is the sole reason that Heard was awarded the role of Mera, but it does seem that Depp played a role in her scoring the part in the DCEU’s highest-grossing film to date. Hamada testified that Heard had little to no chemistry with co-star Jason Momoa and that it certainly took a lot of editing post-production to make it look like they did inthe firstAquamanmovie. That being said, the chance of Depp being the reason Head was cast isn’t too far-fetched, considering the studio allegedly had their doubts about using the actress from the start of it all.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomis scheduled to premiere in U.S. theaters on July 12, 2025.
