David Yates defends, supports Johnny Depp's casting in 'Fantastic Beasts' film series
 

Director David Yates took the straight line of defense when it came to Johnny Depp's casting as Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts film series, including the current production of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Yates mentioned Depp's decent and kind demeanor on set, and noted that several of the actor's past relationships stated contradictory things regarding his allegations from nearly two years ago. All of this is up to the readers' interpretations regarding Depp's personal life, but Yates' comments can be read below.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fantastic Beasts director defends keeping Johnny Depp -- Exclusive <a href="https://t.co/mkLZnxzHhq">https://t.co/mkLZnxzHhq</a></p>&mdash; Entertainment Weekly (@EW) <a href="https://twitter.com/EW/status/935532891295178753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Depp is reportedly set to remain on as Grindelwald through the entirety of the five-film series.

Warner Bros. Pictures announces Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald as the title of the second of five all new adventures in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World™. Opening exactly one year from today, November 16, 2018, the film features an ensemble cast led by Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, with Jude Law and Johnny Depp.

At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is being directed by David Yates, from a screenplay by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, and produced by David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram.

i agree. Depp has his own demons but being a woman abuser is so not one of them.

given how certain people demonize him and being "so disappointed" with him being cast as Grindewald, i'd like to put it out there how incredibly disappointed i am with Amber Heard being cast as Mera in Aquaman. she always felt like she's some stunt casting or as payback from a favor with TPTB.

There's literally photographic and video evidence, so I'm struggling to understand how you know that this isn't one of his ... "demons". It stinks of victim blaming and denying someone's actions because he, arguably, was in a handful of good films.

Also, I don't know why Amber's casting as Mera even relates to this situation and calling it "payback from a favor with TPTB" is revolting and, frankly, insulting to her career. It's also a sign of the backlash she faced when she went public with her abuse. A backlash that has kept many, countless, victims silent, as we've learnt recently.

Anyway. Everyone related to this film continues to make my decision to distance myself from it easier and easier, so. My bank account thanks them.

one of the rare good things about being older is that you remember things with better clarity from the noise-of-the-moment and a wiser perspective of life :)

Depp had many demons-- usually involving alcohol and drugs. he also had a temper and it wasnt unusual to hear that he and his friends trashed a hotel room or got thrown out of a restaurant. its the stuff of tabloid headlines and teeny bopper magz in the days before the internet.

given what i know of his history as a celebrity and as a creative person the women in his life bears a heavy influence. i will be the first to say that he went downhill when he divorced Vanessa. he swung wildly between amazing and awful when he was with Winona. and now this thing with Amber? do you see what i'm getting at?

im not saying Amber was never hit. even a blind person knows that there are issues between them. im just saying that certain people bring out the worst in other people. this Johnny-Amber pairing is obviously one such case.

ive been a long time comicbook fan. you and your friends know this (if you didnt well i'm letting you know: Steeley=ComicbookFan circa early '80s). i've been wanting the world to know what an insanely amazing character Aquaman is and is not the stuff of stupid jokes like he gets the rap for in mainstream media (you know like how Wonder Woman was before her mega movie). suffice it to say that Amber's casting as Mera was a bit of a wtf-ery because it literally came out of nowhere. this wasnt a stroke-of-genius-why-didnt-we-think-of-that Jason Momoa casting, it was an of-all-the-talented-actresses-why-her casting. and at the time she was riding high as Depp's wife. comicbook fans knows this isnt the first stunt casting done in a highly anticipated movie-- we saw this when Katie Holme's was cast in Batman Begins opposite Christian Bale. at the time, she was married to Tom Cruise. then things happened and the role had to be recast for the second film. it was all unnecessary stress for both the creatives and the fans that could've been avoided had they not done a stunt casting in the first place.

lastly, im getting tired of the demonizing of men to justify equal footing for women. given my age and the industry i work in i know too friggin well how unequal things are being a woman in this world regardless of what country you're in. but all these frothing at the mouth, flying off the handle, SJWing on someone's mistake and throwing all their good qualities out the window like it doesnt matter is getting really irksome. theres a saying-- dont throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I bolded one phrase in your comment on purpose - because I don't think you realise what you are implying. The 'thing' you speak so lightly of is violence at a human being - purposefully hitting someone. Let's get that right. It's not just a 'thing'.

Now, I would like to talk about the main issue here and I quoted you, but it's also a general comment:

If I am getting you right, what you are saying is, "Johnny Depp was punished (he and Amber settled on an undisclosed amount of money, I believe?) and he's a great actor, so I don't see why we need to punish him more." Such punishments are never easy, because it's not a case of "Someone stole XXX amount of money, I want it back." It's not a physical crime we can directly and accurately measure the effects of. Therefore, I believe whether the punishment is enough or not depends on the people subject to such crimes and them only. And since we will never know for certain whether Mrs. Heard thinks Depp paid for what he did to her or not, and since the law does not forbid Depp to work wherever, I believe it's unnecessary to discuss that aspect.

I want to talk about something we must discuss, though. This movie primarily is directed at two groups:

1. The children and teenagers,
2. Us, die-hard fans.

I'm sure Depp is going to do a great job as an actor, so in case of children and teenagers, after the movie, they're going to look up the cast (if they don't know already), and the first thing they'll come across will be this controversy. Then they're going to read about it, and what they will think is this: Depp has lots of fans, and he's also a very successful actor, and therefore it's okay to hit his wife. He's also a drug and alcohol addict, but those are totally fine! I mean, in this industry, who isn't addicted, right? That's how I am reading your comment and I can reassure you that I am an adult, that's how they'll read most of the comments by his fans.

As a die-hard fan, what I am getting from this whole thing is this: Someone who is an addict and an abuser can star in a movie set in the world of "love and righteousness" where the good eventually prevails, and nothing will ever happen to him - he's immune to any and all criticism.

When I was a kid, I used to want to be like the characters and therefore, the actors/actresses who play them. I would look up their biography. I actually still do this, even though I no longer want to (or can) be like them. Do you see where I am going to with this? These kids will look it up, they will see this, and in their subconciousness the idea that "it's okay to be an addict and abuser if you want to be successful in this industry" will settle. Kids idolise people who they think are powerful and successful, and Depp checks both boxes. Do we really want them to idolise this man who has a... 'thing'? There are TONS of actors out there who are just as successful and can absolutely do the job. The Fantastic Beasts is already a big name movie, they absolutely don't need any more big names. Why not pick someone without any issues? I am definitely not saying Depp must be banished from public forever, no. I don't care what he does to be honest, as long as Mrs. Heard and the law says he's paid for his crimes. But I do care when you put him as the leading actor in a children's/YA movie, because this is saying that "it's okay" just like his fans are saying that it was 'just a thing'.

This isn't demonising men, please get that right. This is just saying, "The name 'Depp' doesn't need to send out hundreds of CVs to be hired as an actor and Fantastic Beasts production doesn't need him to be more popular, there are many other actors out there who can play just as brilliantly, we don't want the children and the people to think 'It's okay, it was just a thing.'."



Like Carla said, the insistence on Depp will help my bank account stay in the positives. I don't plan to watch it in the movies or on the internet, and I don't see myself buying any of the products of or related to JKR anymore. Harry Potter world is finished with the publication of Beedle the Bard for me.

Older doesn't always mean wiser. :lmao:

Right. So now we're equating trashing hotel rooms to physically abusing a human being. Deniz is right: this isn't just a thing that can (or should) be forgotten. It's a serious offense and, like she explained, it sends a message to fans. And, in my opinion, is not a message a franchise this size and aimed at an young audience should be sending. I don't care about Johnny Depp's issues. What matters here is that by choosing not to recast Depp (who had minimal screentime during the first movie but IS a central part to the plot of the second one), choosing to publicly defend him because "one person took a pop at him and claimed something" this production is sending a very dangerous message to people all over the world. They might as well come out and say it doesn't matter if you hit someone, as long as you're rich, successful, nice to other people and -- frankly, this baffles me -- only do it once. To quote Emma Thompson: “Does it only count if you have done it to loads and loads and loads of women? Or does it count if you do it to one woman once? I think the latter.” Really, I'd like to ask Yates just what about this current environment of victims finally coming forward with their abuse is "frightening" to him.

But yes, Steel. I see what you’re getting at. I just don’t like it, agree with it or, to be honest, can even understand it.

No one here is demonising men. Accountability, however, is important. Sending the right message is important. Can't wait to see JKR, the supposed feminist, hide her head in the sand about this one. Again.

"Their relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm."

And he agreed to give away 7 million dollars. It's too bad that this issue is causing arguments, though I understand both positions.

But seriously, haven't we all been cruel to loved ones sometimes? I know I've seriously insulted and screamed at people who didn't deserve it. I was so mean that I would send "Dead" by My Chemical Romance and "Platypus" by Green Day to my enemies. This was when I first joined the internet. (I wasn't always a nice Emo lol) Joining Facebook and helping bullied people on YouTube, as well as joining Snitchseeker made me into a better person. My cousin and friend once got into a serious fight where they were beating other almost bloody. They're good now. One of my best friends was a "Mean Girl" in school and she admits it. I bet everyone posting here have done things like this too, but that doesn't mean you're not good people who I'm honored to know. Let she/he who is without sin cast the first stone and all that.

What Depp did was absolutely terrible, but it's not beyond forgiveness in my opinion. Both he and Amber are doing good in their careers and it seems she's forgiven him (based on her statement) so I will also forgive him.

Not trying to offend anyone. :worried:

EdITS: Someone on this thread private messaged me to discuss this further, and she convinced me that Johnny Depp wasn't the best actor they could have picked, considering the circumstances. We agreed though that he shouldn't be kicked out of Hollywood. Personally I am still looking forward to this movie very much, but I understand those who aren't.