Johnny Depp responds to being replaced in the Fantastic Beasts franchise during production following his loss in the 2020 libel case.
More than four years after his sudden departure from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, Johnny Depp opened up about his true feelings when Warner Bros. requested him to step away from the third film of the series. The actor did not feel great about having to give up a huge role.
“F--k you,” In a July 5 interview with The Telegraph, he recounted his thoughts. “There’s far too many of me to kill. If you think you can hurt me more than I’ve already been hurt, you’re gravely mistaken.”
The studio took the decision a few days after the 62-year-old lost his November 2020 libel case against The Sun, which focused on an article that called him a “wife beater” regarding his union with his former spouse, Amber Heard. Even though Depp refuted the allegation, a judge finally decided that the tabloid's depiction of the star was “substantially true.”
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Even though Depp won a different defamation case against Heard in 2022, his participation in the Harry Potter spinoff franchise came to a complete halt after he lost in the High Court of the United Kingdom.
“It literally stopped in a millisecond, while I was doing the movie,” he stated to The Telegraph. “They said, ‘We’d like you to resign.’ But what was really in my head was they wanted me to retire.”
In a statement at the time, Depp—who was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in 2022—thanked his supporters for their support and said he had “respected and agreed” to Warner Bros.’ desire to step out from the role.
“I'd like to thank everybody who has gifted me with their support and loyalty,” after leaving, he posted something on Instagram. “I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days.”
