On the same day in mid-September that Warner Bros. dropped the trailer for its $215 million “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” embarrassing documents from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial surfaced on Reddit, creating a new headache for the studio behind the film.
Depp fans paid the court fees for the release of documents from Heard’s therapist, Dr. Dawn Hughes. The raw notes, scribbled on a legal pad, were part of last year’s high-profile trial in which Depp largely prevailed. They describe a hostile “Aquaman” set where an allegedly intoxicated Jason Momoa dressed like Depp and pushed to have Heard booted from the role of aquatic superhero Mera.
“Jason said he wanted me fired,” the notes say. “Jason drunk — late on set. Dressing like Johnny. Has all the rings too.”
A rep for Momoa declined comment, but a DC reporter pushed back on Heard’s characterization, saying, “Jason Momoa conducted himself in a professional manner at all times on the set of ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.’” Others echoed that sentiment. “Jason works his ass off, likes to have a beer once in a while like everyone, but doesn’t show up drunk to set,” says an insider who was on the London set in 2021, adding that the two stars got along and were seen joking together. “And he isn’t dressed like Johnny Depp. He has always dressed in that bohemian style.”
Heard declined comment, but a source close to the actress confirmed that the notes refer to the “Aquaman 2” set and reflect a session from Dec. 27, 2021. Another source close to the actress says her lawyers fought the release of the therapy notes, which had been subpoenaed by Depp’s attorney during discovery.
Momoa wasn’t the only “Aquaman” principal to land in the crosshairs. The therapy session also painted a picture of Heard feeling unsupported by the film’s director, James Wan, and treated like a pariah because of her high-profile legal battle with her ex-husband.
“He raised his voice @ me — ‘I can’t even post about Aquaman’ — made it like it was my fault – I said ‘I’m sorry,’” says Hughes’ notes in reference to Wan. “Nobody could take selfies with me on set given blackout.”
Wan declined comment. The DC attendee says, “James is known for treating members of his cast and crew with the utmost respect and for fostering a positive, collaborative environment on set — the ‘Aquaman’ films were no exception.”
And yet Heard was nearly fired, sources on both sides tell Variety. Following “Aquaman’s” release in 2018, the studio and Wan decided to drop the actress from the sequel due to her lack of chemistry with Momoa and sent a letter to her attorney, Karl Austen, informing him of its decision. (Former DC Films boss Walter Hamada cleared in the defamation trial about the “issue of chemistry.”) Those sources underscore that the move to bounce Heard was unrelated to Depp and took place before he filed suit against the actress in 2019. Likewise, Momoa was not involved in the decision-making. But another source pushed back on the lack-of-chemistry narrative, highlighting that Heard did a chemistry test with Momoa before landing the role of Mera and beat out two other actresses who did a similar chemistry test, including Abbey Lee.
