Johnny Depp.
Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Actor Mads Mikkelsen has revealed one of the most pleasant surprises for fans of the successful ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise.
During an intervention at the Sarajevo Film Festival, the 58-year-old actor said that Johnny Depp could return to the saga to play his already famous character, Gellert Grindelwald, as he did in the first two installments of the ‘Harry Potter’ spin-off, before being replaced in the 2022 sequel ‘Dumbledore’s Secrets’ due to his publicized legal battles, most recently against his ex-wife Amber Heard .
Speaking of the decision to replace Depp for the fictional character, made famous by author JK Rowling, Mikkelsen admitted he felt “intimidated” by taking on the role after the leading man’s portrayal of ‘Charlie and the Factory’. chocolate’.
“It was very intimidating. Now the course has changed – she won the lawsuit, so let’s see if she comes back. She likely will,” she asserted.
Addressing his own portrayal of Grindelwald, the ‘Hannibal’ star explained that he had to reshape the character, as Depp had put “so much” of himself into the role.
“I am a huge fan of Johnny. I think he is an amazing actor, he did a fantastic job,” he continued. “That said, I couldn’t copy it. There was no way to copy it, because it’s a lot of him. It would be creative suicide. We had to invent something else, something that was mine and build a bridge between him and me. So yeah, he was intimidating.”
Depp was asked to leave the franchise in 2020 after he lost a High Court battle against The Sun newspaper over an article calling him a “woman beater”.
The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor denied all allegations of domestic violence, but, following a trial in the UK, Judge Nicol found that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents had occurred.
“I want to let you know that Warner Bros. has asked me to step down from my role as Grindelwald in ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ and I have honored and agreed to that request,” the actor said in a statement at the time.
“My determination remains strong and I intend to prove that the accusations against me are false. My life and my career will not be defined for this moment. Thank you for reading me”, concluded the actor.
Earlier this year, Johnny sued Heard over an op-ed he wrote for the Washington Post in 2018, discussing his experience as an alleged victim of domestic abuse.
Although his name was not mentioned in the article, the actor’s team argued that it implied that he had sexually and physically abused the ‘Aquaman’ actress throughout their relationship, claims he fiercely denied.
A jury agreed with him and awarded him $10 million of his initial $50 million request, while Heard received $2 million after winning one count of his $100 million countersuit.
Following the trial, it was confirmed that Depp would return to the big screen, first as King Louis XV in the upcoming period drama ‘Jeanne Du Barry’. He will now direct and co-produce a biographical film about the artist Modigliani, whose production will begin next year.
Keep reading: Johnny Depp to direct his first movie in 25 years with Al Pacino as co-producer
– Reveal the first image of Johnny Depp as King Louis XV
Source-eldiariony.com