Johnny Depp opens up on exit from 'Fantastic Beasts' amid Amber Heard case: 'I was shunned and canceled'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Johnny Depp says being dropped from the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise left a deep mark, linking the decision to his public legal fight with ex-wife Amber Heard.
The actor opened up about the personal toll, saying he was blindsided by the move during filming.
Johnny Depp says 'Fantastic Beasts' exit felt like a 'millisecond' blow
Johnny Depp portrayed the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the first two films of the 'Harry Potter' spinoff series before being asked to step down in November 2020.
He said he was stunned when Warner Bros requested his resignation in the middle of production.
“It literally stopped in a millisecond,” said Depp in an interview. “Like, while I was doing the movie. They said, ‘We’d like you to resign.’ But what was really in my head was they wanted me to retire.”
Describing how he processed the message, Depp said, “There’s far too many of me to kill. If you think you can hurt me more than I've already been hurt, you're gravely mistaken.”
Johnny Depp opens up about being ostracized during public legal war with Amber Heard
The fallout came after years of legal drama involving Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The two married in February 2015, but Heard filed for divorce in May 2016, accusing Depp of verbal and physical abuse, claims Depp denied. Their divorce was finalized in January 2017.
In June 2018, The Sun referred to Depp as a “wife-beater,” prompting him to sue News Group Newspapers for libel. In November 2020, a British court ruled against him, finding Heard’s allegations “substantially true.”
Undeterred, Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit in March 2019 against Heard, after she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse in a December 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Depp ultimately won that case in June 2022.
“I was shunned, dumped, booted, deep-sixed and canceled,” Depp told The Telegraph, reflecting on how the lawsuits impacted his career.
Johnny Depp says he won’t hide from controversy
Despite the high-profile backlash, Johnny Depp said he wasn’t surprised by how the industry reacted.
In an interview, he stated, “Listen, they've said all kinds of things out there in the world about me, and it doesn't bother me. I'm not running for office.”
He also expressed sympathy for author JK Rowling, who faced criticism for supporting him during the legal turmoil.
“I felt bad for JK having to field all these various feelings from people out there, but ultimately, there is real controversy. The fact remains I was falsely accused,” Depp said in a previous interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Following Depp’s exit, Mads Mikkelsen stepped into the role of Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,' released in April 2022.
