Johnny Depp’s legal issues dominated headlines years ago and, amid the drama, he experienced professional blows. In 2020, Depp was asked to vacate his role as the villainous Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts movies. Depp’s professional standing has changed since then, as he’s now gradually working his way back into the Hollywood landscape. With that, he’s been opening up about his experiences from the past few years, and he didn’t mind dropping a four-letter word when recalling his Wizarding World gig.
The 62-year-old actor spoke about his life and career during a wide-ranging interview with The Telegraph. Eventually, the topic of his high-profile Fantastic Beasts gig came up. When discussing the situation, Depp suggested that he was taken aback by the turn of events. That was especially due to the fact that he was in the midst of working on the film when the request from the powers that be came down to him:
It literally stopped in a millisecond, like, while I was doing the movie. They said we’d like you to resign. But what was really in my head was they wanted me to retire.
Johnny Depp was asked to vacate his role as the dark wizard after he lost his libel case against News Group Newspapers. The Oscar-nominated actor sued the company due to one of its publications, The Sun, referring to him as a “wife beater” in an article. In the aftermath of the case and Depp’s dismissal from the Harry Potter spinoff series, it was reported that the star had already shot three scenes for 2022’s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Ultimately, Mads Mikkelsen was tapped to replace Johnny Depp in the role, and the news was met with much fanfare. Mikkelsen opted to take a different approach to the character on multiple levels and even sported a less grandiose look than Depp’s version of the villain. During this latest interview, Depp went on to explain exactly how he felt after being asked to relinquish his role. The four-letter word he dropped along with his additional sentiments seem to convey just how Depp was feeling at the time:
Fuck you. 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 Secrets of Dumbledore (which is now streamable with an HBO Max subscription) would be the Ed Wood star’s final film from a major U.S. film studio for several years. After parting ways with the franchise, he became embroiled in a defamation case with ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp received a favorable verdict in that case, as he was awarded $15 million in both compensatory and punitive damages. However, the sum of the punitive damages were later reduced due to a Virginia state law.
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Lately, Johnny Depp has been candid about the case and how many details of his personal life were revealed as a result of it. Despite that, Depp said that he knew he’d have to “semi-eviscerate” himself if he wanted to prove he’d committed no wrongdoing. Now, Depp is making a “comeback,” though he wouldn’t refer to it as that. After spending the last few years working on international films, Depp is now working on Day Drinker, his first major movie with a U.S. studio since he was asked to step away from Fantastic Beasts 3.