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Even though Johnny Depp won his defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, the televised trial did massive damage to his public image.
Depp claimed in the suit that statements Heard made in a Washington Post essay cost him millions in earnings. He cited as one example, the fact that he was fired from the Warner Bros. film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Now, as he attempts to rebuild his reputation post-trial, Depp is offering a detailed account of that situation for the first time.
Depp was booted from Harry Potter spinoff project following
After Depp lost his 2020 libel trial against The Sun, Warner Bros. issued a statement indicating that Depp would not be reprising the role of Gellert Grindelwald, a character he portrayed in the first two Fantastic Beasts films.
“Johnny Depp will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date,” the studio wrote.
He was eventually replaced by Mads Mikkelsen after just one day of filming.
At the time, Depp played ball and issued a statement of his own, one in which he claimed that stepping away from the film was hs decision.
“In light of recent events, I would like to make the following short statement,” Depp wrote on Instagram.
“Firstly, I’d like to thank everybody who has gifted me with their support and loyalty. I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days.”
Depp comes clean about ‘Fantastic Beasts’ outrage
In a new interview with UK newspaper The Telegraph, Depp opens up for the first time about his true feelings, revealing that he thought “f–k you” after learning he’d been let go.
“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,” he said.
“Fuck you. There’s far too many of me to kill,” Depp recalled thinking. “If you think you can hurt me more than I’ve already been hurt you’re gravely mistaken.”
Depp says that he was then “shunned, dumped, booted, deep-sixed, canceled” in Hollywood or “however you want to define it.”
These days, Depp is working to rebuild his career without the help of the mainstream blockbusters that made him one of the biggest stars of the 2000s.
He starred in the French film Jeanne du Barry, and he recently completed work on Modi, Three Days On The Wing Of Madness, his first directorial effort in 20 years.
Only time will tell if audiences are willing to move on from Depp’s years of scandal.
Johnny Depp Vents Outrage Over ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Firing: ‘You … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.