J. K. Rowling defends the casting of Johnny Depp in the new “Fantastic Beasts” movie despite allegations of domestic violence against the star.
On her official site, the author said she and the film’s producers were concerned by the stories in the press about Depp and acknowledged fans’ concerns, but stood by their casting decision. On Twitter, Rowling linked to her blog post and said: “I’m saying what I can about the Grindelwald casting issue.”
Depp was accused of domestic abuse during his divorce from Amber Heard, which was settled in January. He denied the allegations and at the time of the settlement the couple issued a statement saying “there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm” by either party.
But some fans of the “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts” movies reacted strongly against Depp’s casting as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” sequel, “Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald.”