Johnny Depp Comes Under Fire for Role in Harry Potter Spin-Off Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

By 
·September 27, 2018

Warner Bros. just released their final trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and it was filled with all kinds of surprises including the revelation that Claudia Kim’s character is actually Nagini. You might recall that Nagini is Voldemort’s pet snake in the main Harry Potter series. A snake he puts a piece of his own soul into.

The trailer also showcases Johnny Depp’s Gellert Grindelwald, who debuted as the infamous criminal in [easyazon_link identifier=”B01MSIWWI2″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them[/easyazon_link].

Apparently Depp’s inclusion in the film as the villain Grindelwald, didn’t sit well with a number of people. Rachel Leishman at The Mary Sue. claims that just the mere presence of Depp in the film is reason to not get excited for the film.

She writes, “The actor being accused of domestic abuse is already enough…but adding in the fact that the Harry Potter series is centered around an abused boy doesn’t help warm Depp’s casting to fans.”

The accusations of domestic abuse that Leishman writes about concerns Depp’s interactions with his ex-wife and Aquaman star Amber Heard. The two separated from each other in 2016 with Amber Heard filing a restraining order and claiming that Depp had domestically abused her. She noted that she had a bruise on her cheek which was the result of Depp throwing a cellphone at her face.

The Los Angeles police investigated Heard’s claims and found no evidence of a crime.

Depp through his lawyers called those allegations bogus and suggested that Heard was trying to get an increased payout from their pending divorce.

Heard would eventually withdraw her request for a restraining order and reach a settlement with Depp in August 2016. Depp and Heard would then release a joint statement that reads, “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gains. There was never an intent of physical or emotional harm.”

Depp’s casting would be defended by both J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. back in 2017. USA Today reports Warner Bros. stated, “This matter has been jointly addressed by both parties, in a statement in which they said, ‘there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.'”

J.K. Rowling released her own statement, “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.”

While Depp was accused by Heard, an investigation appears to have been performed and no evidence was found. The two parties also came to a private agreement to divorce.

However, this wasn’t the only reason why Leishman believes Depp isn’t exciting fans about Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. She points to her own personal belief that Johnny Depp is not a hot commodity in Hollywood.

But Leishman doesn’t just want Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts, she believes he is only fit for a certain type of role moving forward.

“To be fair, the only casting that has seemingly fit for him and his character has been his role as Edward Ratchett in Murder on the Orient Express—you know, the role that is just a gross man.”

Leishman goes on to declare that other people share her opinion, “Depp’s involvement is turning people away from the Fantastic Beasts series.”

And there are some people who agree with her.

However, there are fans who are excited to see Depp in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

The rage against Johnny Depp seems to be completely misplaced. It looks like another case of people trying to weaponize the #MeToo movement in order to malign him.

Actor Sean Penn criticized the movement and rightfully so. He described the #MeToo movement as a “receptacle of the salacious.” He would go on to say, “We don’t know what’s a fact in many of the cases. Salacious is as soon as you call something a movement that is really a series of many individual accusers, victims, accusations, some of which are unfounded. The spirit of much of what has been the #MeToo movement is to divide men and women.” He would add, “I don’t want it to be a trend, and I’m very suspicious of a movement that gets glommed on to in great stridency and rage and without nuance. And even when people try to discuss it in a nuanced way, the nuance itself is attacked.”

I’m sure Depp will perform admirably as Gellert Grindelwald and Harry Potter fans across the world will embrace his performance.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits theaters on November 16, 2018.

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