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Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard Trial Peels Back Secrecy on Hollywood Decision-Making

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Numerous Hollywood insiders have testified in the defamation trial. Most have challenged the perception that negative press played any part in decisions affecting the actors' careers.

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Through five weeks of trial, one mystery with a multimillion dollar question mark has lingered: How much were Johnny Depp or Amber Heard’s careers harmed by the actors allegedly defaming each other?

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Hollywood insiders, typically tight-lipped on dealings in the industry, have taken the stand largely to push back on accusations that the duo’s public mudslinging played a part in their tumbling careers.

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Keeping in line with studios insulating themselves from appearing to take sides in the high-profile dispute put in motion at the height of the #MeToo movement, Walter Hamada, president of DC Films and the highest-ranking studio officer to appear in the trial, said on Tuesday that “there were conversations about potentially recasting” Heard in the Aquaman sequel but that they didn’t relate to her legal battle with Depp.

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Hamada attributed the discussions to “chemistry” issues with leading man Jason Momoa.

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The testimony mirrors Disney production executive Tina Newman testifying last week that she wasn’t aware of the December 2018 op-ed at the center of the defamation trial playing a role in the choice not to move forward with another installment to Pirates of the Caribbean.

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Depp has alleged that he was cut from the franchise shortly after the column — which didn’t name him specifically but described “domestic abuse” in a time frame consistent with his marriage to Heard — was published and that he’s still being boycotted by Hollywood.

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In a $100 million counterclaim, Heard has accused Depp of coordinating a campaign aimed at smearing her by calling her abuse claims a hoax.

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In a 20-minute deposition shown to jurors, Hamada detailed how Heard was almost booted from the upcoming movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

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“Concerns were brought up at the wrap of production of the first movie,” Hamada said of whether the studio would be “better off recasting someone who has better natural chemistry with Jason Momoa and move forward that way.”

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Heard’s contract with Warner Bros. paid her $450,000 for her debut as Mera, queen of Atlantis, in Zach Snyder’s Justice League with options by the studio for her to reprise the character in later movies, the actor has testified. She was paid $1 million for Aquaman and $2 million for the sequel. The studio hasn’t decided whether to pick up her option, for which she’d be paid $4 million, for another movie.

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Asked whether allegedly defamatory statements from Adam Waldman — one of Depp’s lawyers who was thrown off the case for leaking information covered by a protective order to the press — calling Heard’s abuse allegations a lie affected Heard’s compensation or role in the Aquaman follow-up, Hamada denied the claim. He described Warner Bros.’ philosophy on “hold[ing] people to their options.”