In his defamation trial against Amber Heard, Johnny Depp testified on Wednesday that he helped win her breakout role as Mera in Aquaman by speaking with Warner Bros. officials worried about Heard’s legal difficulties in Australia, where the film was shot. Heard was arrested in Australia in 2016 for bringing her pets into the country illegally. In exchange for the charges being dismissed, Heard agreed to plead guilty to making a false customs declaration by claiming she didn’t have any animals when she arrived.
Heard testified that Depp did not assist her in landing a role in the DC film, to which her ex-husband replied, “It’s not precisely accurate.” Depp added that when Heard auditioned for Warner Bros. in 2015, she was concerned about Warner Bros.’ reservations regarding her ability to shoot in Australia. He recalled how she requested him to speak to the studio. “I called three upper-echelon Warner execs, Kevin Tsujihara, Sue Kroll, and Greg Silverman,” Depp said. “I can only say that, in the end, she did get the part in the film,” the actor said. Hopefully, I was able to alleviate some of their concerns.”
On Tuesday, DC Films president Walter Hamada testified that Heard’s Mera in Aquaman was nearly replaced owing to “chemistry” concerns with star Jason Momoa. “There were talks about perhaps recasting” Heard in the Aquaman sequel, he claimed, but not because of her legal dispute with Depp. The evidence contradicted Heard’s assertion that she was on the verge of being booted from the film because her ex-husband portrayed her abuse accusations as a fake. Depp was supposed to testify as a witness Monday during Heard’s case in chief, but he didn’t show up. The trial will come to a close on Friday with final arguments.
