Paul Bettany has spoken out about the controversy surrounding Johnny Depp’s texts about Amber Heard. The VisionQuest actor revealed that he hadn’t spoken to Depp for years before their messages became public during the actor’s legal battle.
Paul Bettany says he hadn’t spoken to Johnny Depp for years before their Amber Heard texts surfaced in court
In an interview with The Times, Bettany said that he was surprised their texts had resurfaced during a 2020 libel trial involving The Sun.
“I hadn’t spoken to Johnny in years when that happened, and I haven’t spoken to him since,” Bettany said. He added that “the most odd” part of the controversy was the fact that he and Depp were portrayed as close friends.
Bettany explained why he chose not to comment publicly at the time. “So I decided to say nothing because, I think, people know me. I’ve been married 23 years and, for what I do, I live an incredibly quiet life. Everybody kind of thought this is probably a nothing burger – and left it alone,” he told the publication.
Dating back to 2013, the text messages contained details about their relationship with Heard. The messages contained graphic remarks about Depp’s then-fiancée. Depp had suggested burning Heard, while Bettany had responded with comments about drowning her. Depp proceeded to send another disturbing message after this. The exchange became public during Depp’s lawsuit against The Sun in 2020.
Depp had sued The Sun over an article that called Depp a “wife beater.” He lost the case, with the court finding that The Sun’s claims were substantially true.
Bettany addressed the matter in a 2021 interview with The Independent. He noted that he didn’t appreciate being under scrutiny over years of private communication.
“It was very strange. It was a strange moment,” he said. He also added that it was peculiar to have his private messages examined during court proceedings.
Bettany and Depp previously worked together on several films, including “The Tourist” and “Mortdecai”.
