JK Rowling criticised for supporting Johnny Depp

Following over a year of criticism for casting Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series, JK Rowling has come out with a vague and passive statement claiming the move to be “the right thing”.

In the statement, Rowling writes that she and director David Yates “naturally considered the possibility of recasting” when news broke of his abuse against ex-wife Amber Heard.

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Depp was accused by then-wife Amber Heard of physical and verbal abuse in 2016, and Heard’s team has provided various evidence to her claims in the form of photos and text messages.

The former couple released a joint statement iterating that “neither party has made false accusations for financial gain”.

Rowling’s statement glosses over this fact.

“Based on our understanding of the circumstances,” she writes, “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.”

Her statement echoes that of David Yates, who earlier this month told Entertainment Weekly that “there was one person who took a pop at [Depp] and claimed something”.

“I can only tell you about the man I see every day: He’s full of decency and kindness, and that’s all I see.”

JK Rowling called alleged abuser Johnny Depp’s casting “the right thing” to do

The public were less than receptive of these defenses.

One Twitter user reminding Rowling of the letter she had sent her as a young teenager.

Another reminded Twitter of how Rowling liked tweets on Twitter calling Heard a liar when Depp’s casting was announced. Rowling has also blocked fans on the platform for criticising the casting.

The statement has further marred the message of her original novels — and many fans have found their love of the Harry Potter franchise waning thanks to the author’s actions.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will open in South Africa 16 November 2018.

Feature image: Daniel Ogren via Flickr (CC BY 2.0, edited); Screenshot, Notable Movie Scenes via YouTube

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