Information has come to light in the ongoing trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard that shows Jason Momoa ensured Heard remain in the upcoming Aquaman film.
The President of DC Films, Walter Hamada appeared in a prerecorded deposition that was played at the Depp/Heard trial on Tuesday. The testimony confirmed that Amber Heard was very close to losing her starring role as Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Hamada confirmed that while Heard almost lost her part in the Aquaman sequel, it wasn’t because of the incredibly public and tumultuous trial but instead due to a lack of chemistry between her and Jason Momoa.
“They didn’t have a lot of chemistry together,” Hamada said.
“The reality is it’s not uncommon on movies for two leads to not have chemistry and that it’s sort of movie magic and editorial—the ability to put performances together with the magic of a great score and how you put the pieces together, you can fabricate that chemistry. At the end of the day when you watch the movie, it looked like they have great chemistry.
The Aquaman director went on: “But I just know that through the course of postproduction, it took a lot of effort to get there. Sometimes you don’t, sometimes it’s very easy. Sometimes you just put characters together on the screen and they work…. It’s like what makes a movie star a movie star. You know it when you see it. The chemistry wasn’t there…. This one was more difficult because of lack of chemistry between the two.”
Earlier in the week, Kathryn Arnold, a film producer and industry expert claimed that Momoa and the film’s director James Wan were “committed to her” and “adamant” that Heard remain in the film.