Amber Heard and Jason Momoa lacked natural 'chemistry' in 'Aquaman,' president of DC Films testifies
The
head of DC Films, which produced "Aquaman," testified that the
creative team had concerns about Amber Heard's role in the film's sequel over a
lack of chemistry with co-star Jason Momoa.
On
Tuesday, a March recorded deposition of Walter Hamada, President of DC Films,
which is a division of Warner Bros., was played for the jury in the defamation
trial between Heard and her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. Hamada testified that
"Aquaman" was the highest grossing film ever for the company. He said
the studio never planned to portray Heard as a co-lead in "Aquaman 2"
and that Heard's role was not reduced in the forthcoming film, titled
"Aquaman the Lost Kingdom."
"The
size of the role of the film that she has was determined in the early
development of the script, which would have happened in 2018 I would say. The
character's involvement in the story was sort of what it was from the
beginning," Hamada testified in the deposition. "From the early
stages of development of the script, the movie was built around the character
of Arthur and the character Orm. Arthur being Jason Momoa and Orm being Patrick
Wilson. They were always the co-leads of the movie."
Depp
has sued Heard for $50 million over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote that
the actor claims defamed him and has resulted in him allegedly losing work. Heard
has countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming statements his attorney made in
which he called her allegations of abuse by Depp a "hoax" defamed her
and cost her work.
Heard
testified she believes her role in "Aquaman 2" was scaled back and
that she had to fight to even be in the movie, which is in post-production and
scheduled to debut in 2023. (CNN and Warner Bros. are both part of Warner Bros.
Discovery.)
But
Hamada testified in his deposition that after filming "Aquaman,"
there was discussion about Heard's role in a sequel.
"I
think editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first
movie but there was a concern that it took a lot of effort to get there and
would we be better off recasting, finding someone who had better, more natural
chemistry with Jason Momoa and move forward in that way," Hamada
testified.
Hamada
testified that the pair appeared to have good chemistry in "Aquaman,"
but that the film relied on the "magic of post-production," including
editing, sound design and music, to help "fabricate" their chemistry.
"It's
like what makes a movie star a movie star. You know it when you see it. And the
chemistry wasn't there," Hamada said in the deposition. "A good
editor and a good filmmaker can pick the right takes and pick the right moments
and put scenes together against score. The music in the scene makes a big
difference."
Hamada also testified that Heard's role in the film and her
ability to re-negotiate her compensation was not impacted by her involvement in
the dispute with Depp, or any statements made by representatives of Depp.
Heard's
attorneys rest case
Earlier
Tuesday, attorneys for Heard rested their case.
Heard
testified over the course of five days this month. Witnesses for her side have
included actress Ellen Barkin, whose recorded testimony was played for jurors
last week. Barkin stated that while in a sexual relationship with Depp in the
1990s, she once saw the actor throw a wine bottle at a wall during an
altercation.
A
motion to strike Heard's counterclaims against Depp was denied Tuesday.
His
team is expected to continue presenting rebuttal witnesses on Wednesday, who
may include Kate Moss,
Depp's former girlfriend.
Closing
arguments are expected on Friday.
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