Dolph Lundgrenhad a good experience working withAmber Heard.
The 64-year-old actor plays King Nereus in 2018’sAquamanand the upcoming sequelAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, in theaters March 2023. Speaking with Redline Steel founder Colin Waynevia Instagram Liveon Memorial Day, Lundgren was asked about working with Heard, 36, who plays Mera in the superhero franchise.
“She was great. I worked with her on the firstAquaman, now the second one we shot last fall in London. She’s terrific,” he said. “I had a great experience with her. She was very kind, nice to the crew, nice to everybody. Just down-to-earth.”
For more on the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
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During the trial, Heard’s role in theAquamanmovies came up several times. Depp claimed he played a part in getting her cast after she auditioned,making a phone call to Warner Bros. executivesto seal the deal. She denied that, also saying thatshe “fought really hard” to return for the sequelwhen “they didn’t want to include me in the film.”
“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, and they basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch out,” she testified of the sequel script, adding that her role was “very pared down.”
While sheand her talent agent surmisedthat the Depp controversies played a part in the reduced role, DC Films President Walter Hamada testified on behalf of Depp, saying the studio had “concerns"about Heard’s on-screen chemistry with Momoa. They even considered at one point recasting her role, he said.
“The character’s involvement in the story was what it was from the beginning,” Hamada said of Mera’s importance in the upcoming “buddy-comedy” sequel, which mainly follows “co-leads” Momoa and Patrick Wilson.
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He added during cross-examination, “They didn’t really have a lot of chemistry together. The reality is it’s not uncommon on movies for two leads to not have chemistry. It’s sort of movie magic and editorial, the ability to sort of put performances together with the magic of, you know, a great score and how you put the pieces together. You can fabricate that sort of chemistry.”
“At the end of the day,” continued Hamada, “I think if you watch the movie, they look like they had great chemistry. I just know that over the course of post-production, it took a lot of effort to get there. … You know it when you see it. The chemistry wasn’t there.”
When asked what issues were had with Heard in the making ofAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Hamada said, “My understanding is actually the production went very smoothly.”
In her expert witness testimony, Kathryn Arnold, an industry analyst, claimed that Momoa and Wan were both “committed to” Heard and “adamant” that she return for the sequel.
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It’s been 18 months since Depp lost his U.K. libel case. Back in November 2020, the actorlost the libel lawsuit casein London against British tabloidThe Sunfor calling him a “wife-beater.” The court upheld the outlet’s claims as being “substantially true” and Heard testified to back up the claims. In March 2021, his attempt tooverturn the decision was overruled.
Last week, when Depp returned to the stand, he vehementlydenied Heard’s “insane” allegationsunder oath, saying, “No human being is perfect, certainly not. None of us. But I have never in my life committed sexual battery, physical abuse, all these outlandish, outrageous stories of me committing these things and living with it for six years and waiting to be able to bring the truth out.”
source: people.com
