Amber Heard breaks her silence on returning to the role of Mera in Aquaman 2 as she admits there’s a lot of pressure on the movie
Amber Heard has broken her silence about her return to the role of Mera in the Aquaman sequel.
The actress, 37, said she was “honoured” to return to the DC Extended Universe, but admitted there was “a lot of pressure.”
Compared to her latest movie, In the Fire, Amber said deadline: ‘These are very different types of projects representing two very different ends of the spectrum in my industry.
“There’s tremendous pressure on these big franchise movies, with millions and millions of dollars at stake, and compromise is part of trying to make the most successful of them.
At the other end of the spectrum is a small indie film like In The Fire, a work of art and a labor of love, with nowhere near the same resources, so there are compromises.
Speaking up: Amber Heard has broken her silence on her return to the role of Mera in the Aquaman sequel
Return: The actress, 37, said she was “honoured” to come back to the DC Extended Universe, but admitted there was a “ton of pressure” (depicted in the first movie)
“The best luck you can have as an actor is to be able to balance both. Aquaman, that franchise and the machines behind it, I’m very honored, honored to be a part of that.
“And then there are those little passion projects like In The Fire, where I’m proud to have gotten to know the filmmaker and the cast, and we got down and dirty together to bring this story to life.
“There’s something cool about that, and I think success is an actor who can have both.”
Amber starred in the first Aquaman movie in 2018, but her return in the sequel was controversial after she accused her ex-husband Johnny Depp of abusing her.
A petition was launched by the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor’s fans demanding her role be recast, accusing her of a “systematic crusade to ruin Depp in Hollywood.”
Johnny was dropped from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, after losing his case against News Group Newspapers for calling him a “wife beater,” which a judge ruled was “substantially true.”
The petition garnered millions of signatures, but Amber rejected it, telling Entertainment Weekly: “Paid rumors and paid social media campaigns don’t dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality.’
Controversy: Amber starred in the first Aquaman movie in 2018, but her return in the sequel was controversial after she accused her ex-husband Johnny Depp of abuse
Reduced role: During Amber and Johnny’s highly publicized trial last year, Amber testified that she “fought really hard to stay in the movie,” but that “they didn’t want to put me in the movie” and only a “very stripped-down version” of her role
The film’s producer, Peter Safran, echoed this, saying, “I don’t think we’ll ever respond to, frankly, sheer pressure from fans. You have to do what’s best for the movie. We felt that if it is [director] James Wan and [star] Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was.
“People aren’t ignorant of what’s going on in the Twitter verse, but that doesn’t mean you should react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes. You have to do what’s right for the movie, and we’ve really landed on that.’
However, during Amber and Johnny’s highly publicized trial last year, Amber testified that she “fought really hard to stay in the movie,” but that “they didn’t want to put me in the movie,” and only a “very easy-down version.” of her role.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom stars Jason Momoa, as well as Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Temuera Morrison, and is set for release in December.