After losing his 2020 libel trial against The Sun, Johnny Depp faced intense public scrutiny, with a major blow being his removal from the cast of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Now, five years later, the Golden Globe winner is ready to speak out.
What's the One Thing Johnny Depp Wanted to Say After Being Dropped From Fantastic Beasts?
In Johnny's attempt to clear his name after being referred to as a 'wife-beater' by the U.K. publication, the court ruled it as "substantially true", leading him to lose everything he worked for.
Warner Bros. was quick to address the issue through their statement that said: "Johnny Depp will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date."
At the time, Johnny wrote his own Instagram post to thank his supporters, who had grown loyal to him despite the revelation.
Depp was recast with Mads Mikkelsen after only filming for one day on set. Considering the toll this took on Depp, a recent interview with The Telegraph brought him to spill the truth behind his feelings after all this time.
"It literally stopped in a millisecond, like, while I was doing the movie," Depp recalled, "They said, 'We'd like you to resign.' But what was really in my head was [that] they wanted me to retire."
When asked what he would have said at the time, his response to the decision would have been: "F*** you," before adding, "There's far too many of me to kill. If you think you can hurt me more than I've already been hurt, you're gravely mistaken."
What Happened to Johnny Depp, Post-Amber Heard Trial?
Depp's second, more publicized trial in the U.S. took place in 2022 when he sued his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for defamation; essentially for referring to herself as a "figure representing domestic abuse."
The jury ultimately ruled that Heard had defamed Depp, while also ruling that Depp had defamed Heard through the evidence they had provided in court.
In the same Telegraph interview, he admitted that he never trusted his past would "go away" and that the most he could do was "represent the truth" rather than be accused of "committing the acts I am accused of."
This also stems from his role as a father to his children, whose children might also suffer the consequences if he hadn't intervened.
Overall, he said he survived "all the hit pieces, the bullshit" during the trial, and knew it was never going to be easy, "But I didn't care. I thought, 'I'll fight until the bitter fucking end.' And if I end up pumping gas? That's all right. I've done that before."
As Depp makes his Hollywood comeback, he'll be starting with Lionsgate's action comedy Day Drinker, starring opposite his Blow co-star Penelope Cruz. No release date has been set as filming only began in April 2025.
Keep it locked on Epicstream.com, the best go-to source for film, TV, and celebrity coverage!