“Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them” was every Harry Potter fan’s wet dream when they found out they could still get a taste of magic, J.K. Rowling, and incredible storylines even after the end of Harry Potter. But, when the photos from the second film in the franchise, “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald” was revealed, fans were really, really angry when they realized Johnny Depp was cast as the movie’s main character. It’s no secret that Depp has had a bit of a rough few years. In 2016, he had a very public divorce from his ex-wife Amber Heard and after the divorce was in motion, Heard accused Depp (very publically) of domestic abuse. Seeing as Rowling has been such an outspoken activist in her career, fans were extremely disappointed and urged her to explain just why she would okay Depp’s role in the film.
On Thursday, Rowling tweeted a response to the Grindelwald casting saying:
I'm saying what I can about the Grindelwald casting issue here:https://t.co/NDMjy542Yv
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 7, 2017
The huge, mutually supportive community that has grown up around Harry Potter is one of the greatest joys of my life. For me personally, the inability to speak openly to fans about this issue has been difficult, frustrating and at times painful. However 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. 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.
Although Rowling had taken the time to approach her fans and really take their feelings and thoughts into account, they were still angry that Depp was included in such a major film after being accused of domestic abuse.