It's not an overstatement to say that the casting of Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts film series ignited a firestorm of controversy, complaint and discussion, not least because he was at the centre of some very serious abuse allegations at the time. Now, talking to Entertainment Weekly to promote The Crimes Of Grindelwald, he's broken his silence about the issue.
Depp's character, revealed as the big bad hiding in the form of Colin Farrell's Percival Graves at the end of the first film, is designed to be the main villain for the film series, including a romantic past with Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law in the Fantastic Beasts series) and a plan to bring magic users to power over muggles in the world.
But the actor, who at the time was accused of abusing ex-wife Amber Heard during their marriage, was something of a lightning rod for criticism. Creator (and screenwriter) JK Rowling defended the decision to keep Depp aboard when the accusations broke before the premiere of the first movie, with more support coming from director David Yates. "I’ll be honest with you, I felt bad for JK having to field all these various feelings from people out there," Depp says. "I felt bad that she had to take that. But ultimately, there is real controversy. The fact remains I was falsely accused, which is why I’m suing the Sun newspaper for defamation for repeating false accusations. JK. has seen the evidence and therefore knows 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." The actual truth of the matter remains unresolved, but for more from Depp, head to EW's site.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald will be out on 16 November, and you can read all about it in the current issue of Empire.
Keep up to date with all the latest movie news, click here to subscribe to Empire on Great Magazines and have the latest issue delivered to your door every month.