Fantastic Beasts director defends Johnny Depp casting: ‘He’s full of decency’
THE director of the hugely popular Fantastic Beasts franchise has defended its star Johnny Depp following major fan backlash.
WHEN Warner Bros. released their first look at the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, many fans weren’t exactly thrilled about Johnny Depp’s involvement.
The actor has been cast in The Crimes of Grindelwald as the movie’s titular character, Gellert Grindelwald.
The outcry on Twitter was so loud because Depp has recently faced allegations of domestic abuse from his ex-wife Amber Heard.
With other powerful men (Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Jeffrey Tambor, Jeremy Piven, etc) seeing fallout from accusations of misbehaviour, fans are shocked that Depp has been let off the hook after facing very serious allegations.
In one year, return to the Wizarding World with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. #MagicInProgress #FantasticBeasts pic.twitter.com/8aWj8xhGj5
— Fantastic Beasts (@FantasticBeasts) November 16, 2017
But all that hasn’t really affected Fantastic Beasts director David Yates, who has stuck by the decision to bring Depp into the Potter-verse in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“Honestly, there’s an issue at the moment where there’s a lot of people being accused of things, they’re being accused by multiple victims, and it’s compelling and frightening,” said Yates.
“With Johnny, it seems to me there was one person who took a pop at him and claimed something. I can only tell you about the man I see every day: He’s full of decency and kindness, and that’s all I see.
“Whatever accusation was out there doesn’t tally with the kind of human being I’ve been working with.”
Yates then cited other accounts from Depp’s previous exes, ones that have come forward to defend him.
Winona Ryder, who was with Depp for four years in the ’90s, told Time that he was “never, never that way towards me. Never abusive at all towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves.”
Yates says that’s the Depp he’s working with on Crimes of Grindelwald. “By testament, some of the women in [Depp’s] life have said the same thing — ‘that’s not the human being we know,’” Yates said.
“It’s very different [than cases] where there are multiple accusers over many years that need to be examined and we need to reflect on our industry that allows that to roll on year in and year out. Johnny isn’t in that category in any shape or form. So to me, it doesn’t bear any more analysis. It’s a dead issue.”
It’s definitely not a dead issue with fans, though, who have sworn off the prequel franchise as long as Depp is involved.
It breaks my heart that I can't support Fantastic Beasts more because of Johnny Depp's involvement in the franchise. I can't reconcile a beloved chapter of my childhood with an abusive asshole.
— Amy Linares (@flickering_muse) November 16, 2017
There’s very little chance of this controversy dying down, no matter what Yates says.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens on November 16, 2018.
This story originally appeared in Decider and has been republished here with permission.
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