Fantastic Beasts 2: Johnny Deep Opens Up About His Controversial Casting

It looks like Johnny Depp's finally decided to address his controversial casting in David Yate's upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie, The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Fans questioned Depp's involvement in the Harry Potter spinoff series when Warner Brothers had announced his casting in the first Fantastic Beasts movie because around that time the actor had been mired in a legal battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard. While break-ups between Hollywood celebrities don't come as a surprise these days, the legal battle between the two was made over allegations of domestic violence, and fans did not find it right to see Depp in Fantastic Beasts after hearing how he'd mistreat his ex-wife.

Now, speaking in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Depp talks about his role in The Crimes of Grindelwald and touches on the controversy surrounding his casting.

According to the Pirates of the Caribbean star, he really "felt bad" that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was made to defend her choice to cast him in Fantastic Beasts though he still claims that he is innocent of the allegations made against him.

Revealing his decision to sue The Sun for defaming his name, Depp insists that Rowling very much knows that he is innocent, saying that's why the writer has been supporting him in the Fantastic Beasts movies.

"She would not stand up if she didn't know the truth. So that's really it," he says.

Whether or not the allegations have any truth to them, it seems like Fantastic Beasts has fully embraced the actor's role in the movie. The actor appeared separate from his co-stars during the Warner Brothers panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con and he was also prominently featured in the latest promotional image for Fantastic Beasts 2.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is set to release on November 16, 2018.

Read: New Fantastic Beasts 2 Image Hints At Famous Harry Potter Death-Eater Connection