Paul Bettany Hasn't Spoken to Johnny Depp Since Text Exchange Revealed in Trial
Bettany calls the period surrounding the revelation of his graphic texts with Depp an "interesting time" and stated he has had no contact with Depp since.
Paul Bettany has revealed that he has not spoken to actor Johnny Depp since a series of explicit text messages between them, referencing Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard, became public during Depp's libel case against The Sun newspaper in 2020.
Bettany, who has worked with Depp on three films, described the experience as "odd" and "an interesting time." He told The Times that he and Depp had not spoken for years prior to the texts being read in court and have remained out of contact since.
"I was being painted as this close friend of a guy I hadn't spoken to in years and, honestly, amid all the shit two celebrities threw at each other, that bit was the most odd," Bettany stated. He added that he chose to remain silent on the matter, believing that the public would recognize the texts as uncharacteristic given his generally quiet personal life and long marriage.
The texts in question, sent in 2013, included graphic language. In one exchange, Depp wrote, "Let's burn Amber!!!" to which Bettany responded, "Having thought it through I don't think we should burn Amber – she's delightful company and easy on the eye, plus I'm not sure she's a witch. We could of course try the English course of action in these predicaments – we do a drowning test. Thoughts?"
Depp's reply was: "Let's drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she's dead." Bettany then replied, "My thoughts entirely. Let's be certain before we pronounce her a witch."
During the 2020 trial, Depp described his "sense of humor as slightly skewed" when the texts were presented. Another exchange revealed a discussion about "shaving Amber Heard's beaver," a reference to a pet beaver they had considered buying for Heard. Depp suggested to Bettany that he should buy the beaver and record himself shaving it, with the intention of creating an online clip titled 'Johnny Depp shaves Amber Heard's Beaver.'
Depp ultimately lost his libel lawsuit against The Sun in November 2020. The judge ruled that Depp had assaulted Heard on multiple occasions and had repeatedly put her in fear for her life, often while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, which the judge stated turned the actor into a "monster."