Johnny Depp‘s casting in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was not without its fair share of backlash.
To refresh your memory, Depp played the villain in the franchise’s first film – Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them – but J.K. Rowling was faced with the decision to recast Depp’s role for the sequel after Amber Heard’s domestic violence allegations.
Rowling then revealed that, although she was “deeply concerned” by the allegations made against Depp, she would stand by Depp because the couple had settled out of court and released a joint statement together.
“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,” Rowling said.
“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.”
“I accept that there will be those who are not satisfied with our choice of actor in the title role. However, conscience isn’t governable by committee. Within the fictional world and outside it, we all have to do what we believe to be the right thing.”
Now Ezra Miller, who plays the role of Credence Barebones in both films, is weighing in on the matter.
[jwplayer R96KTr5m]
As part of his recent Playboy feature, Miller reveals that Depp’s continued involvement was a secret to the rest of the cast. “No, none of us were consulted,” Miller explains. “None of us knew.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqPOS-zgbtX/
He then goes on to add some pretty ~cryptic~ comments about how he feels working with Depp:
“Look, I bring forth my work to this job, and I do the best that I can,” he said. “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.”
Yep, so it’s pretty tricky to decipher exactly what Miller’s getting at here but (which is probably deliberate), but it sounds like he’s saying that, despite the fact he’s personally not okay with Depp being recast, he’s deciding to be professional about it.
That or, in the broader scheme of things, he really doesn’t care – it could be read either way to be honest. What do you think?
