As Johnny Depp's defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard continues, an industry insider has said that the Aquaman star was purposely kept off the poster.
Depp is suing Heard over a 2018 op-ed that she wrote for The Washington Post, in which she claimed to be 'a public figure representing domestic abuse'.
The trial is now in its sixth week and has seem some shocking moments, with Kathryn Arnold, an entertainment industry consultant, taking to the stand yesterday, 23 May, to weigh in on things.
Taking to the stand in the Fairfax court house, Arnold told of how Heard had been kept away from promotion for Aquaman 2.
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Arnold said: "Ms. Heard was not invited to be either in the poster or to be at the [FanDome] event, and, in fact, they told her she cannot come."
Arnold was initially hired by Heard's legal team to assess the 'economic loss' the actor incurred 'due to the defamatory statements' made by Depp's attorney Adam Waldman.
Sharing her findings with the court, Arnold said that whenever Heard's name was mentioned in relation to an upcoming creative project, it was met with backlash on social media.
This, Arnold claimed, also impacted her involvement in the upcoming DC movie.
"In February 2021, there were conversations that Amber’s, I’m going to be technical with you, her option for employment was not going to be exercised. So they may not have hired her again.
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“Her management team fought very hard and they ultimately ended up hiring her, but not only because of what her management did, but also because star Jason Momoa and director James Wan committed to her.”
Arnold went on to suggest that Heard's career was significantly impacted by the legal battles: "If you look at the film, the television and the endorsement contracts, it’s very likely that Ms. Heard should have earned between $45 and $50 million dollars."
Heard is set to counter-sue Depp for $100 million, with Arnold adding that her infamous Op-Ed did "very little [to Depp's career]. Hardly anybody knew the op-ed existed before he filed suit."
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She added that it 'kind of came in and out of the radar very quickly if anybody even saw it at all'.
However, Depp's team have centred their case around the Op-Ed and claim that it had a significant impact on Depp's career.
Depp's defamation suit against Heard is expected to wrap up this week.
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Topics: Amber Heard, Johnny Depp, Celebrity, News