It has been rumoured that Johnny Depp, of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, will be playing a character in J.K. Rowling's upcoming movie franchise Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But we had NO idea that he would be playing one of the most important wizards in Dumbledore's life.
Yes, Depp will be playing the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.
The movie's director, David Yates, confirmed the rumour to The Leaky Cauldron on November 8. He said that everyone who knew was sworn to secrecy, but as we know, Hollywood is a loose-lipped place at times.
Depp has made a career of playing outlandish characters (as in Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Scissorhands, and Alice in Wonderland, to name a few). But for him to take the reins on one of the most crucial characters (and romantic interest of the great Dumbledore) in a new series is a bit surprising given the year the actor has had. Yates sort of addressed the controversy surrounding Depp by saying that Depp is, without a doubt, the best person for the role.
Yates told Leaky Cauldron that “the whole principal of casting the movie was go with the best actor. Go for the most inspired, interesting, right fit for that character. And as we approached Grindelwald we thought, ‘Who’s going to take this in an interesting direction?’" Which, to him, was Depp.
He continued, adding, "In this business, it’s a weird old business. You’re brilliant one week, people are saying odd things the next, you go up and down. But no one takes away your pure talent. Johnny Depp is a real artist. He’s created several characters who have really resonated in our popular culture. He’s a really brilliant, brilliant actor. We were excited about seeing what he would do with this guy, the character. He’s fearless; he’s imaginative; he’s ambitious. We thought he would do something fun and special. So we went for him, purely on that selfish basis. We don’t care if he’s famous or not famous. We just know he’s interesting.”
Needless to say, Depp is indeed very famous and Yates is definitely avoiding the elephant in the room: Depp's divorce from Amber Heard and the accusations of violence surrounding it. The closest Yates got was saying that Depp is a "fine actor who makes unexpected choices."
Now that Depp is attached to Grindelwald (as icky as it feels to have him headlining a new franchise), it's still up in the air on who will play the iconic Dumbledore.
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