Amber Heard managed to keep her role in the forthcoming Aquaman 2 movie because Jason Momoa - who plays the movie's titular superhero - fought for her to stay, the jury was told.
The court proceedings continued in Fairfax, Virginia, on Monday, with Johnny Depp and his ex Heard suing each other over a 2018 op-ed the actress wrote for The Washington Post.
Attorneys for Depp argue that the piece implies he was physically abusive towards his former wife - despite the fact that he was not named in it. His legal team also allege that Heard's accusations cost him his reputation and his illustrious Hollywood career.
Former Hollywood film producer Kathryn Arnold, who is now an entertainment industry consultant and expert, testified as Heard's witness on Monday. She had spoken to the Rum Diary star before appearing in court.
Per The Independent, Arnold spoke about Heard's role in the Aquaman franchise and said it should have been her "a star is born moment", launching her to super stardom in the industry.
However, a petition to remove Heard from Aquaman 2 began rapidly gaining signatures after Depp filed his defamation lawsuit.
Arnold testified that Heard only managed to keep her role because Momoa, who plays the film's lead star and the director James Wan were "committed to her" and were "adamant she was in the film".
She also told the court that the first draft of the film's sequel, officially titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, involved Heard's character Mera having a "strong romantic arc the entire film and some great action sequences".
But when Heard made her way onto the set to start shooting, a costume designer reportedly told the actress that her appearance in the second instalment had been "diminished". Heard was informed that her action sequence was "cut out" and that her role had been "radically reduced".
Arnold also denied claims that this was because of the supposed lack of chemistry between Heard and Momoa.
The entertainment expert went on to say while on the stand that Heard was "fighting for her life" to be in the sequel and was paid $2 million for it, which was the same amount she reportedly earned for the first movie.
