Jason Momoa and James Wan allegedly saved Amber Heard's role in Aquaman 2, according to entertainment industry consultant Kathryn Arnold.
The former producer and current entertainment industry consultant took to the witness stand during Heard and Johnny Depp's defamation trial on Monday, the Daily Mail reports.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing his ex-wife for describing herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse in a 2018 op-ed. Throughout the trial, his legal team has made the case that Heard's article cost him movie roles - including Pirates 6 - and her team has argued that she lost out on opportunities too.
Arnold supported Heard's claim as she testified on Monday. She alleged that Heard was almost cut from the Aquaman sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but her co-star Momoa and director Wan were "committed to her" and "adamant" she be in the film.
Heard allegedly trained for five hours per day over several months before discovering from a costume designer that her role had been "diminished".
Arnold added that Heard's character was allegedly set to have a "strong romantic arc the entire film and some great action sequences" before her action scenes were "cut out" and her arc "radically reduced".
Stressing the studio's reasoning for these decisions, Arnold said, "They (Hollywood) like her work but they can't work with her because every time her name is mentioned, the negativity flares up again." She described Heard's reputation as "very negative".
The actress previously claimed in court that her role in the sequel had been "pared-down" and a bunch of her action scenes had been cut.
She is countersuing Depp for defamation after his legal team called her allegations false in the press.
The trial continues this week, with closing arguments set to be heard on 27 May.
