Harry Potterstar Helena Bonham Carter has recently come to the defence of Johnny Depp andHarry Potterfranchise creator J.K. Rowling.
Based on the wildly popular children’s book series of the same name by author Rowling, theHarry Potterfilm franchise is one of the fewwith no rotten scores on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the same cannot be said for the controversial Rowling and Depp. Rowling has come under fire for her anti-trans comments, while Depp’s allegedly abusive relationship with Amber Heard has mired the actor in controversy for years.
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In a recent interview withThe Times, Carter, who portrays Bellatrix Lestrange in severalHarry Potterfilms, spoke out in support of franchise author Rowling. After condemning the treatment that Rowling had received with some rather strong language, she elaborated, saying, “I think [Rowling] has been hounded. It’s been taken to the extreme, the judgmentalism of people. She’s allowed her opinion, particularly if she’s suffered abuse. Everybody carries their own history of trauma and forms their opinions from that trauma and you have to respect where people come from and their pain. You don’t all have to agree on everything – that would be insane and boring. She’s not meaning it aggressively, she’s just saying something out of her own experience.” This support for Rowling starkly contrasts with franchise starDaniel Radcliffe speaking out against theHarry Potterauthor.
Carter also commented on the situation concerning Depp, who starred in several projects alongside Carter (such as 2012’sDark Shadows) and is the godfather to her children. Depp had starred as the evil wizard Grindelwald in the first two films of theFantastic Beastsfranchise, a spinoff based onHarry Potterlore, before being recast due to a libel case involving accusations from his ex-wife Amber Heard. “Oh, I think he’s completely vindicated,” Carter said, referring to the outcome of the whole debacle. “I think he’s fine now. Totally fine. My view is that [Heard] got on that pendulum. That’s the problem with these things – that people will jump on the bandwagon because it’s the trend and to be the poster girl for it.”
As for Depp, opinion is still divided on how much vindication he elicited with the verdict, but it is clear that the sanctions placed on him by the industry are being eased in light of it. Mads Mikkelson, who replaced Depp as Grindelwald, even commented on the possibility ofDepp returning to the role in the future. Whether his possible return will be enough to revitalize the waning popularity of theHarry Potterfranchise is yet to be seen.
