Aquaman 2 has finally hit the theaters five years after the first film’s release. As this comes after the high-profile defamation case of Amber Heard against her former husband, Johnny Depp, conquered the headlines, the actress has a much-reduced role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Though she’s still very much part of the sequel, fans may be surprised to see how little the 37-year-old’s role is.
Amber Heard Has a Small Part in Aquaman 2
Amber Heard has returned to Aquaman 2 as Mera, the love interest of Jason Momo’s Aquaman. However, compared to her major part in the first movie, she only has a small role this time despite being married to Arthur Carry and giving birth to their child.
The Zombieland star has become a tertiary character and only has little dialogue. Her “pared down” role has already been felt in the film’s trailer. She only appears in a blink-of-an-eye moment at the very end of the preview, proving her claim about her reduced part is true.
During her defamation trial against Johnny Depp, Heard told the court in May 2022 that her part in the film was a “very pared-down version” of what was originally planned.
“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 spoiler away, two characters fighting with one another, and they basically took a bunch out of my role,” she said, via Entertainment Weekly.
The film director James Wan denied the claim, telling EW in September 2023 that it was what he planned “from the get-go.”
“The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm. So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie,” he explained. “We’ll leave it at that.”
Does Amber Heard’s Reduced Part in Aquaman 2 Because of Her High-Profile Case?
With Amber Heard’s reduced role in Aquaman 2, many can’t help but think that it may have something to do with the defamation case she got embroiled in with Johnny Depp in 2022.
However, James Wan has said time and over again that it isn’t the case, stressing that the legal battle has nothing to do with it.
Heard’s talent agent, Jessica Kovacevic, revealed she was told about her talent’s smaller part in the movie because of her “lack of chemistry” with Jason Momoa. However, she strongly believed it was because of the negative news surrounding Heard and the online attacks directed at the artist.
After Depp’s team claimed her domestic violence allegations weren’t true at all, the studio seemed to have distanced itself from Heard.
A lot has been said about Amber Heard’s role in Aquaman 2. As they say, there are always two sides to a story, and the parties have different claims about her part in the film. Though no one actually knows the truth but them, it cannot be denied that Heard’s reduced role is very evident in the movie. In the under-two-hour film, her screen time only clocks at about 15 to 20 minutes, and she doesn’t appear until the first 35 minutes and the final half hour. So, it’ll be up to the viewers to judge whether her part is reduced.
