J.K Rowling has issued a statement about Johnny Depp’s casting in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, after fans raised concerns.
Depp made headlines after his ex-wife Amber Heard accused him of emotionally and physically abusive behaviour, they settled in 2016 and issued a joint statement that read: ‘Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.’
Harry Potter fans questioned J.K Rowling about continuing to have Depp in the Fantastic Beasts films, of which she is the screenwriter, but she had been silent, until now.
‘When Johnny Depp was cast as Grindelwald, I thought he’d be wonderful in the role.’ Rowling wrote in a statement on her website. ‘However, around the time of filming his cameo in the first movie, stories had appeared in the press that deeply concerned me and everyone most closely involved in the franchise.
‘Harry Potter fans had legitimate questions and concerns about our choice to continue with Johnny Depp in the role. As David Yates, long-time Potter director, has already said, we naturally considered the possibility of recasting. I understand why some have been confused and angry about why that didn’t happen.’
Director David Yates had already spoken about the Depp casting, saying; ‘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.’
But he appears to see a difference between the cases of stars like Weinstein and Spacey, and Depp.
‘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.’
WATCH NOW: Your student loan: explained
Meanwhile Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard has reposted her statement about the settlement between her and Depp in a post on Instagram and Twitter, captioning it: ‘For the record, this was our FULL joint statement. To pick and choose certain lines and quote them out of context, is just not right. Women, continue to stand up and stay strong. Love, Amber’
Since Rowling has been open about condemningother men who have been accused of assault, for example Harvey Weinstein, fans may have assumed she would do the same in this case.
Kevin Spacey was recast in Ridley Scott’sAll The Money In The WorldAll The Money In The World after numerous sexual harassment allegations, many will be wondering why this couldn’t have happened in the case of Depp.
The issue here is that we get into a debate about which form of sexual assault is ‘worse’, whether it’s ‘not as bad’ if you were in a relationship with the person you allegedly abused and if it’s ‘probably not a big deal’ if there was only one victim.
Assault in any form is wrong, and fans are surprised and disappointed that Rowling went so far as to say she’s ‘genuinely happy’ with having Depp in the film. Whether Heard’s post was in response to Rowling’s statement remains to be seen, but fans are still going to be asking why Rowling defended Depp.
**Like this? You might also be interested in… **
In Post-Weinstein Hollywood Johnny Depp's Role In Fantastic Beast Is Causing A Stir
J.K. Rowling Has Released The Original Pitch She Sent To Publishers For Harry Potter
Follow Phoebe on Twitter @PhoebeParke
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.