Did Johnny Depp land Amber Heard her role in 'Aquaman'? Actor called up top Warner Bros execs
During his return to the stand on Wednesday, 25 May, Johnny Depp implied that he had a role in helping Amber Heard get 'Aquaman', refuting her claims that he didn't assist her in bagging the 2018 film.
Last week in Virginia's Fairfax County Circuit Court, Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez questioned Heard about how she landed the part in the film, implying that her ex-husband got her the role; to which she said: "I got myself that role by auditioning."
After hearing recordings of Heard shouting insults at Depp in court, the actress acknowledged calling her ex-husband "horrible, ugly things," before Vasquez asked, "Mr Depp, doesn't he mention Aquaman?" Vasquez further questioned: "Mr Depp got you that role in Aquaman, didn't he?
"Excuse me?" Heard replied, showing her dissatisfaction, asking Vasquez to recite her question again. "No, Ms Vasquez. I got myself that role by auditioning. That's how that works," Heard stated during her cross-examination.
When Depp returned to the witness stand on Wednesday, he contradicted Heard's account, testifying that he interfered when Warner Bros executives had "concerns" about Heard shooting the film on-site in Australia. "It's not exactly true," Depp said in court when asked whether he recalled Heard testifying that he "did not assist her in gaining her job in Aquaman."
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He said he remembered the day Heard auditioned for the DC film because his band, Hollywood Vampires, was set to perform at the Rock in Rio event on September 24, 2015.
"Ms Heard had wanted to come with me and Whitney [Henriquez], her sister, had come as well," said Depp, adding that he was in Portugal for the festival when Heard informed him that she would be coming back to Los Angeles for an audition.
The actor then said, "And that audition was at Warner Bros. Whatever film it was." "I was informed by Ms Heard that the film was going to be shooting in Australia, and that was of concern to her, because it was of concern to Warner Bros," Depp informed the court.
Heard had been then embroiled in a tangle with Australian authorities over getting her pet dogs into the country without proper procedure.
He further continued: "For a few years I had had a multi-film deal with Warner Bros., so we'd been in business together. So I knew these people. I'd been on films with them. So [Heard] asked me if I would speak to them. I made a phone call and I spoke to the three upper echelon Warner executives—Kevin Tsujihara, Sue Kroll, and Greg Silverstein."
When enquired about what result did he achieve by his alleged calls, he replied: "I can only say that ultimately she did get the job in the film. So hopefully, I suppose I had curbed their worries to some degree."
Depp, 58, is in the last week of his high-profile defamation lawsuit with ex-wife Heard, 36, whom he is suing for $50 million over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, in which she claimed to be a domestic violence survivor. Heard, who is counter-suing for $100 million in damages, did not specifically mention Depp in the piece, but his attorneys have maintained that it was clear she was talking about the actor. Both actors have rejected charges of domestic violence against one another.
Heard's court struggle with Australian authorities in May 2015 for bringing the couple's beloved canines into the island nation without disclosing them appears to be the source of his fears about the filming in the country. Heard escaped conviction at the end of the trial. Heard apologized for not declaring her terriers, Pistol and Boo, when she entered Australia, which is notorious for its rigorous quarantine restrictions, in a filmed apology. When foreign pets are first brought into the nation, they must be quarantined for ten days. According to a spokeswoman for Australia's Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE), investigations into claims that Heard lied under oath are still underway.
Heard went on to play Mera in the big office success 'Aquaman', but she has said that recasting in her role for the impending sequel proved difficult. She said, "They released me from my contract. And I fought to stay in it, and they kept me in it. I just don't know how much I'm in, actually, of the final cut."
She added, "I don't know if I will even be in the final cut or how much I will be. It was difficult to stay in the movie. I fought really hard to stay in the movie. They didn't want to include me in the film."
Jessica Kovacevic, Heard's agent, testified last week that Warner Bros was considering recasting Heard in her part owing to a lack of chemistry with Jason Momoa, not because of the negative headlines surrounding her court fights with Depp.