‘Fantastic Beasts 2’ Director Defends Johnny Depp Casting

Whether the fans like it or not, the creative team behind Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is keeping Johnny Depp around for the long haul.

The first photo from the film debuted earlier this month, and Harry Potter fans around the world took to social media to bash the film for keeping Depp around, following accusations of domestic violence from his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The actor has a substantial role as the titular villain in the upcoming sequel, and director David Yates has finally broken his silence on the issue, defending the choice to keep Depp around.

“Honestly there’s an issue at the moment where there’s a lot of people being accused of things, they’re being accused by multiple victims, and it’s compelling and frightening,” Yates told EW. “With Johnny, it seems to me there was one person who took a pop at him 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. Whatever accusation was out there doesn’t tally with the kind of human being I’ve been working with.”

Yates went on to explain that part of the reason he stands by Depp is the fact that several of the actor’s exes have come forward to publicly defend him following Heard’s allegations two years ago.

“By testament, some of the women in [Depp’s] life have said the same thing — ‘that’s not the human being we know,’” Yates said. “It’s very different [than cases] where there are multiple accusers over many years that need to be examined and we need to reflect on our industry that allows that to roll on year in and year out. Johnny isn’t in that category in any shape or form. So to me, it doesn’t bear any more analysis. It’s a dead issue.”

With the director standing with his decision, it looks like Depp is here to stay.