Amber Heard Reveals Why She Initially Didn’t Want ‘Aquaman’ Role

Amber Heard will be bringing Mera to the big screen in this year’s Aquaman, but she was a little hesitant to take on the role initially.

Heard’s first appearance as Mera appeared in Justice League, but she will make her real introduction in James Wan’s Aquaman movie. In a new interview she reveals she was a little hesitant to enter the superhero movie world, but Zack Snyder managed to convince her with his pitch.

“Yeah, they had me at sword and a crown,” Heard told ET. “I was like okay! Zack Snyder and I spoke on the phone and I didn’t really think the comic book world would be something appropriate for me, I didn’t really, knowing nothing about the comic book world, knowing nothing about the universe, I didn’t really have any reason to feel like that would resonate with my sensibilities or my core principles. I had a limited experience or limited exposure to women in that world and then he explained this badass kickass warrior queen to me and I thought…again…sowrd and a crown, okay.”

She explains that it was really after diving into the comics that she understood why Mera was such a fantastic character.

“So I read the comic book and I remember being an adult woman sitting in a nail salon reading a comic book..A..that’s kind of weird. B, I remember the first scene I read in this comic. Mera, my character, and her male counterpart Aquaman, played by Jason Momoa, they are in the comic book version they’ve just saved the town from some aquatic disaster, hurricane or something to that effect, and as the townspeople and civilians are picking up pieces of their life they look and say it’s Aquaman! They look to Mera and they’re like ‘who are you? Is that Aquawoman? And she stops what she’s doing and she says ‘I have my own name. I’m not Aquawoman. I have my own name. My name is Mera. And I was like (snaps), I can get behind that woman.

Aquaman stars Jason Momoa (Arthur Curry/Aquaman), Amber Heard (Mera), Nicole Kidman (Queen Atlanna), Patrick Wilson (Orm/Ocean Master), Willem Dafoe (Nuidis Vulko), Yahya abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta), Temuera Morrison (Thomas Curry), Randall Park (Stephen Shin), Michael Beach (Jesse Kane), Ludi Lin (Murk), and Dolph Lundgren (King Nereus), and is directed by James Wan.

Aquaman sails into theaters December 21st.