Aquaman 2 Director Addresses Amber Heard Role Controversy

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s Amber Heard role controversy gets addressed by the movie’s director. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the last movie of the DCEU, and the film has not managed to escape the same level of controversy that several different entries in the shared universe dealt with in the past. Multiple reports have touched on Heard’s Mera having a reduced role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s story, with the actress unhappy about the ordeal.

Speaking with Empire Magazine (via The Direct), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan defended his choice to have Mera play a smaller role in the sequel than she did in the original Aquaman. Wan thinks Heard’s complaints are fair, saying, “Actors don’t necessarily know what we [directors] behind the scenes are thinking about.” According to Wan, the decision to make Heard have a reduced part in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s cast was due to the sequel not being “an action-adventure romantic comedy” but “an outright buddy comedy” between Arthur Curry and Orm. Check out the full quote below:

“It’s fair that [Heard] said that [about the character being pared down], because she wasn’t in my head as I was working on this movie. Actors don’t necessarily know what we [directors] behind the scenes are thinking about. But this was always my plan. From the start, I pitched that the first film would be a ‘Romancing The Stone’-type thing — an action-adventure romantic comedy — while the second would be an outright buddy comedy. I wanted to do ‘Tango & Cash!'”

All The Behind-The-Scenes Issues Involving Mera’s Role In Aquaman 2 Explained

Heard’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom role has generated a lot of controversy. A recent report on the behind-the-scenes of the Aquaman sequel by Variety shed light on where things stand with the actress. Heard was part of a highly publicized trial that saw her and ex-husband, Johnny Depp, make headlines around the world. The report was able to get notes from Heard’s therapist, Dr. Dawn Hughes, which were submitted as part of the defamation trial.

According to the notes, Aquaman actor Jason Momoa allegedly showed up drunk on the set of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The movie’s leading man would then go on to taunt the Mera actress, with the notes from the trial stating that Momoa allegedly dressed up as Depp and tried to get Heard fired from the movie. Also, according to the notes from Heard’s December 27, 2021, therapy session, Wan allegedly raised his voice at the actress and did not allow other actors to take photos with her on set. A DC spokesperson said there was no truth to the statements made about Momoa and Wan’s behavior.

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