Amber Heard has spoken out about her role in the upcoming Aquaman sequel amid her defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp.
The 58-year-old Edward Scissorhands star is suing his ex-wife for $50 million after Heard, 36, referred to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse" in a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post.
Depp has repeatedly denied the allegations that he was physically violent toward his ex-wife.
Heard is countersuing Depp for $100 million, claiming she was only ever violent against her ex-husband in self-defense or defense of her younger sister, per NBC News.
On Monday, following a 10-day hiatus in the trial, Heard once again took to the stand to continue her testimony.
Speaking on May 16, the actor was asked if she was about to film her scenes for the upcoming comic book movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - which is the sequel to the 2018 movie Aquaman.
Heard starred as Mera - the princess of Xebel and the love interest to Jason Momoa's titular Aquaman - in the franchise's first outing.
However, speaking yesterday, she said that she had performed a "very pared-down version of that role", per Insider.
"I fought really hard to stay in the movie," she said, adding: "They didn't want to include me in the film." ("They" presumably referring to the movie's officials.)
Heard added:
"I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it that depicted my character and another character - without giving any spoilers away - two characters fighting with one another.
"They basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch out."
The actor's comments come after a Change.org petition calling for her removal from the movie has seen an influx in signatures.
As of this writing, more than 4.1 million people have signed the petition - addressed to DC Entertainment and Warner Bros - which states: "Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment should and must remove Heard from their Aquaman 2 film project. They must not ignore the suffering of Heard's victims, and must not glamorize a domestic abuser.
"Men are victims of domestic abuse, just like women. This must be recognized, and action must be taken to prevent a known abuser from being celebrated within the entertainment industry.
"Do the right thing. Remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2."
Additionally, earlier this month, movie critic Grace Randolph tweeted that Heard's screentime in the sequel amounts to under 10 minutes. However, this claim is yet to be verified.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently due to be released in March 2023, but the movie's producer has previously stated that execs won't give in to "pure fan pressure" when it "pure fan pressure".
Peter Safran previously told the Deadline Hero Nation podcast: "You gotta do what’s best for the movie."
"We felt that if it’s James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard," he added. "That’s really what it was."
Speaking from the stand on Monday, Heard said that she just wants to "move on" with her life and career.
"I have a baby; I want to move on," she told the court. "I want Johnny to move on, too. I just want him to leave me alone."
