Amber Heard Accused Jason Momoa of Being Drunk on ‘Aquaman 2’ Set and Dressing up Like Johnny Depp

During the same week that Warner Bros. launched the trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, defamation trial documents from Johnny Depp‘s lawsuit against Amber Heard, describing the turmoil behind the scenes, were leaked on Reddit. Heard’s therapist’s raw notes, scribbled on a legal pad, were part of last year’s high-profile trial in which Depp largely won. 

His fans paid the court fees for the release of the documents. The Aquaman set was hostile, according to the notes, where allegedly intoxicated Jason Momoa dressed like Depp and tried to push Heard out of the role of Mera role. “Jason said he wanted me fired,” the notes read via Variety. “Jason drunk — late on set. Dressing like Johnny. Has all the rings too.”

Heard’s characterization was refuted by a DC spokesperson, who told the outlet, “Jason Momoa conducted himself in a professional manner at all times on the set of ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.’” Additional Variety sources made similar statements. “Jason works his ass off, likes to have a beer once in a while like everyone, but doesn’t show up drunk to set,” an insider on the London set in 2021 said, adding that the two stars got along and joked together. “And he isn’t dressing like Johnny Depp. He has always dressed in that bohemian style.”

The notes reflect a session held on Dec. 27, 2021, and refer to the Aquaman 2 set, according to a source close to Heard. Sources close to the actress told the outlet that her lawyers fought the release of the therapy notes, which Depp’s lawyers subpoenaed during discovery.

Variety says sources on both sides said Heard was nearly fired from the project. The studio and director James Wan dropped the actress from the sequel after Aquaman was released in 2018 due to her lack of chemistry with Momoa and sent a letter informing her attorney, Karl Austen, of the decision. Former DC Films boss Walter Hamada discussed the “chemistry issue in the defamation trial.” 

According to those sources, the outlet says the decision to bounce Heard did not involve Depp and occurred before he filed suit against her in 2019. Momoa was also not involved in the decision. Another source disputed the lack of chemistry claim. Heard did a chemistry test with Momoa and beat two other actresses, including Abbey Lee, to win the Mera role.

In the end, Warner Bros. never took the initiative to fire Heard because her former boyfriend, Elon Musk, sent a “scorched Earth letter” to the studio’s legal team. An unidentified source claims that Warner Bros. caved in and moved forward with Heard after Musk threatened to “burn the house down” if she was not involved with the sequel, a source familiar with the battle said.

This recurrence of events comes as DC Entertainment’s James Gunn and Peter Safran wind down the previous regime’s superhero endeavors with the Dec. 20 release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Currently, neither Momoa nor Heard will be promoting the film due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Since the WGA has reached an agreement, the strike may end soon, and the stars will go to press junkets, making it difficult for Warner Bros. and Wan to avoid Heard accusing them of significantly reducing her role, according to Variety. 

It has been reported that at least two Heard scenes were cut from Aquaman 2 – an action sequence with Mera fighting Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and a love scene with Momoa. In addition to the friction, Momoa unfollowed Heard on Instagram this summer. According to one source, Heard was even blocked from following him.