Rowling’s defense of Johnny Depp divides ‘Potter’ fans
It looks like this controversy won’t die down. Last week, J.K. Rowling broke her silence on the casting of Johnny Depp in “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the latest installment in her mega-successful familyfriendly “Harry Potter” franchise. She said she is “genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”
While some fans applauded the idea that the iconoclastic actor would bring to life the menacing dark wizard Grindelwald, others were left feeling angry, dismayed and betrayed because Depp was famously accused of being physically and emotionally violent to his exwife, Amber Heard.
Heard made her allegations against Depp in May of 2016, shortly before she filed for divorce. Since then, fans have debated whether this domestic violence allegation should cost Depp his job with the “Potter” franchise. He first appeared in a cameo as Grindelwald in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
Depp defenders said he was never charged or convicted of a crime and accuse Heard of making up the allegations to get a hefty settlement from him.
But other fans feel betrayed by Depp’s casting because Rowling has become known through her fiction and her social media as a strong advocate for women’s empowerment and for survivors of abuse. She has also denounced bullying and sexual harassment, according to the site Showsha.com. Over the past year, Rowling largely stayed silent about the Depp controversy, even as fans tweeted her about it, adding to their frustration and sense of betrayal.
When Rowling finally broke her silence, with a statement issued on her website, she explained that she was limited in what she could say about the casting issue due to “agreements that have been put in place” to protect the privacy of Depp and Heard. Rowling admitted that she was at first thrilled to hear that the Academy Award-nominated Depp, most famous for playing Capt. Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” had been cast as Grindelwald. That was until she began to see stories in the press about him “that deeply concerned me and everyone most closely involved in the franchise.” Rowling then said that the situation has become difficult, frustrating and “at times painful.” But in the end, she felt it was right to defend his casting.