The biggest controversy surrounding Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – we say biggest because there’s been quite a lot – is the backlash against Johnny Depp’s casting as the titular dark wizard in light of the domestic abuse allegations he faced back in 2016. Many felt he should have been removed from the production, but writer J.K. Rowling has since revealed that she stands with Depp on the matter, which is why she ultimately felt it was the right move for him to continue on with the franchise.
Rowling talked about the decision like it was all down to her and director David Yates, and a new interview has confirmed that that’s indeed the case, as the Fantastic Beasts cast were not consulted on their thoughts on Depp’s casting in any way. This comes from Ezra Miller – who plays Credence Barebone. When asked if he was informed about Depp’s involvement, he told Playboy: “No, none of us were consulted. None of us knew.”
He was then asked the big question: how did he personally feel about working with Depp on the movie? The actor’s response to this is hard to decipher, but here’s what he shared:
“Look, I bring forth my work to this job, and I do the best that I can. I would say that literally every single aspect of my reality, inclusive of a lot of things that are not fine with me, are fine with me. It’s amazing how far the banner of all good can extend.”
If we’re interpreting Miller’s words correctly, it sounds like he did feel a certain amount of uneasiness working with Depp. However, for the good of the production, he put his own personal feelings to the side, trusted in the filmmakers and just did his job. His answer is so woolly, though, that your own mileage may differ.
Depp himself recently broke his silence on the controversy and claimed that the reason Rowling and Yates are on his side is because he shared some irrefutable evidence with them that proves the allegations labelled against him by ex-wife Amber Heard are false. It’s believed this evidence will be made public when the actor’s defamation lawsuit against The Sun, which first aired the story, goes to court.
Whatever the feelings of the cast or the outcome of Depp’s court case, he’s a major part of the Fantastic Beasts franchise now and will likely continue to be so for the remainder of the five-movie series. So in other words: get used to him.
