Amber Heard issues statement after reduced role in Aquaman 2

By Stephen Porzio

Her

The actress only has a reported 11 lines in the superhero flick

Amber Heard has taken to social media to thank fans for their support of her return in Aquaman 2.

The actress’ post is noteworthy as she reprises her role as Mera opposite Jason Momoa in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but her character plays a far smaller part in the follow-up than she did in the first film.

According to Business Insider, the actress only has 11 lines in the superhero flick and is “minimised to a tertiary character with little dialogue.”

This is despite the fact that her character is now married to Aquaman in the movie and has given birth to their baby.

Although Heard appears in some action sequences in the first half hour and the final half hour, her total time on screen comes to “about 15 to 20 minutes”.

“Devoid of any real depth, Heard’s entire existence in The Lost Kingdom feels purely contractual to fulfill her three-movie deal with Warner Bros,” Business Insider reports.

Her reduced part in the sequel follows the long and bitter defamation trial against her former husband Johnny Depp in summer 2022, during which there were reports that she would be cut from The Lost Kingdom.

Amber Heard testified during the trial that she had been given a “very pared-down version” of her role in Aquaman 2.

The actress claimed her character’s part in The Lost Kingdom had been slashed and that she had to “fight” to stay in the movie as its producers “didn’t want to include” her in the film.

She 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 spoilers away, two characters fighting with one another.

“They basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch.”

he movie’s director James Wan denied these claims, saying that the intention had always been for Heard to take a backseat in the sequel.

He said: “I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go. The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm [Aquaman’s brother, played by Patrick Wilson].

“So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie.”

Wan’s explanation did not stop some fans of Heard from claiming they would boycott the superhero sequel.

In the days following the movie’s release, the actress took to Instagram to thank fans for their “overwhelming support”.

She said: “After all this time, Aquaman 2 made its splash (sorry, it’s too easy).

“Thank you to all of my fans for the overwhelming support and love in Mera’s AQ return. Thank you so much.”