Atlantean princess Mera is one of the most graceful characters in the DCEU. She was born and raised underwater and moves through the ocean like an apex predator, so skilled in combat she came close to finishing off Steppenwolf single-handedly. We were introduced to her in Justice League, saw her share the spotlight with Arthur Curry in Aquaman, and she recently reprised the role for some cool new scenes in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which revealed her as a Knightmare future survivor.
But Amber Heard wants us to know that Mera’s poise is movie magic and has given us a hilarious peek behind the curtain of what it’s really like to play her. To mark her thousandth Instagram post, she released a short video showing us the struggles of wearing Mera’s armor. In the clip, she has trouble sitting down, clumsily wobbling about her trailer and giggling as she knocks things over, unable to properly bend her legs.
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Judging by the costume, this was shot during the reshoots for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which would mean the suit’s limitations makes sense. After all, if you’re only shooting a single scene, it doesn’t have to be very flexible. The Mera costumes used in Aquaman allow her to move far more naturally, though the downside is that they aren’t quite so ornate. Even so, this video is a window into what actors are dealing with off camera and why an increasing amount of superhero costumes are being realized in CGI.
The Aquaman 2 shoot is expected to begin imminently, so Heard will likely be preparing to squeeze into yet another scaly, form-fitting one piece. I hope we get a glimpse of it soon, but I’d also love to see a (bendier) take on this costume return so we can get a full movie of Amber Heard‘s Mera battling Darkseid and Superman in the Knightmare timeline as a member of Batman’s ragged post-apocalyptic version of the League.
