Amber Heard Has Spoken Out About Johnny Depp’s Role In ‘Fantastic Beasts’
"Women, continue to stand up and stay strong."
Amber Heard has delivered a pointed message to the creative team behind the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel, after they attempted to defend her ex-husband Johnny Depp’s ongoing involvement with the franchise.
Depp had a small cameo at the end of the first Fantastic Beasts film as the villainous wizard Grindelwald. But the actor’s appearance left a sour taste in the mouths of many viewers given that Heard last year accused Depp of physical and emotional abuse during the two years that they were married. Despite ongoing controversy over Depp’s involvement, the filmmakers have opted not to recast the character, who is slated to play a much larger part in the sequel, titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Earlier this week, Warner Brothers defended Depp’s continued involvement with the franchise, and quoted a joint statement released by Depp and Heard following their divorce. “We are of course aware of reports that surfaced around the end of Johnny Depp’s marriage, and take seriously the complexity of the issues involved,” said the studio in a statement. “This matter has been jointly addressed by both parties, in a statement in which they said ‘there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm’.”
But on Friday, Heard took to Instagram to weigh in on the issue, sharing the full text of the statement that was selectively quoted by Warner Brothers. “To pick and choose certain lines and quote them out of context, is just not right,” Heard wrote in the accompanying caption. “Women, continue to stand up and stay strong.”
Heard’s post comes a day after series creator and screenwriter J.K. Rowling also threw her support behind the decision not to replace Depp, writing on her website that “Harry Potter fans had legitimate questions and concerns” but that “the agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people, both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives, must be respected.”
“Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies,” Rowling insisted.
Franchise director David Yates has also called the controversy surrounding Depp a “dead issue”.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits cinemas on November 16, 2018.