While it certainly was never guaranteed, Aquaman has been smooth sailing through the treacherous holiday blockbuster season ever since its release, and now it's nearing the one-billion-mark in worldwide earnings. Aquaman's leading lady, Amber Heard, who plays the fierce underwater warrior Mera in the blockbuster hit, is now sharing a behind the scenes shot of her fearless character in full costume and makeup. Take a look:
The 32-year-old actress took to her official Instagram account to show off the stunning picture of as her character, accompanied with the caption "#tbt reflective Mera on the set of #Aquaman."
Amber Heard's acting credits date back 15 years, but her involvement in the DCEU universe, starting with an appearance in 2017's Justice League, certainly marks her highest-profile role to date. She will likely always be remembered as the flame-haired partner to Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry, and with the film's continuing success, she has a lot to be proud of.
Amber Heard wasn't always on board to brave the seven seas in a DC film when she was first approached by Justice League director Zack Snyder about the role. You can't blame her; female characters in comic book movies often get a bad rep for being one-dimensional damsels in distress or the eye candy standing behind the leading superheroes -- which presumably any beautiful Hollywood woman could do.
Zack Snyder assured her that Mera is no damsel. "She's a warrior queen," he told her, and that's when Amber Heard became interested.
Since Aquaman started filming in May 2017, the actress has taken her Instagram followers along for the ride as she spent over four months getting in shape to be Mera. She would train for six days a week on weight and strength workouts and learning special martial arts training for the many action-packed sequences she has beside the star-studded Aquaman cast.
Mera is the daughter of King Nereus, played by Dolph Lundgren in Aquaman, and she is on a mission with Arthur Curry around the world in search of Atlantis' lost trident and to convince Arthur to step forward and embrace his destiny as the rightful king. In the comics, she is Aquaman's queen, though only a potential budding romance second to their working partnership in the blockbuster.
The character is being introduced for the first time to many on the big screen with Aquaman, which first became a big hit in China before blowing the domestic box office out of the water too. The most popular scene among China audiences in Aquaman is apparently one funny moments that features Mera eating a flower.
Mera is also one of the few female heroes in the DCEU, only second to Wonder Woman. As the DC universe expands, Warner Bros. does look to aspire to introduce more badass women from the comic books with Birds of Prey featuring Huntress and Black Canary alongside Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, and a Batgirl project in the works. Until then, you can meet Mera in Aquaman, in theaters now.
