Johnny Depp Defends His Own Casting In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald

Like it or not, Johnny Depp is starring in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and he isn't backing down from the vocal Harry Potter loyalists who protested his continued casting in light of domestic abuse allegations from ex-wife Amber Heard. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor addresses the controversy that's become the film's darkest cloud.


Any time asked how he felt about the fallout, Depp's first thought went to the magical world's creator, J.K. Rowling. "I’ll be truthful with you, I felt bad for J.K. Having to field all these various feelings from people out there. I felt bad that she had to take that," he said.


Despite support from Rowling and the studio, Depp acknowledged that "ultimately, there really is real controversy," and doubled down on his own self-defense. "The fact remains I was falsely accused, which is why I’m suing the Sun newspaper for defamation for repeating false accusations," he mentioned. "J.K. Has seen the evidence and and for that reason understands I was falsely accused, and that’s why she has publicly supported me. She doesn’t take things lightly. She would not stand up if she didn’t know the truth. So that’s really it."


Rowling, for her part, released a statement defending Depp last December, noting that "the inability to speak openly to fans about this distribute has been challenging, frustrating and at times painful," although soon after several conversations, she remained "genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies."


In the same interview, Depp addressed another (way much less personalized) controversy — how the film would portray young Dumbledore's (played by Jude Law) sexuality. Fans have been eager to be able to see interactions between Grindelwald and the Hogwarts headmaster ever since learning that the two were romantically linked once upon a time, and were understandably disappointed once director David Yates mentioned that Dumbledore is "not explicitly" gay in the next installment of the five-movie series.


"I think it should be left up to the audience to feel it first, and any time the time comes … It makes the scenario with Dum­bledore all of the more intense," Depp mentioned soon after recognizing that "there’s probably a lot of residue left over from days gone by."


He also hints that, at this point in their long history, their passion is still very much alive — it just expresses itself differently than it once did. Any time you loved someone, and cared for someone, and it also arrives into a [combative] arena — as it has with Dumbledore and Grindelwald — it’s very dangerous once it becomes personal."


Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits theaters November 16.