Paul Bettany Says He Hasn't Spoken to Johnny Depp Since Trial

Paul Bettany has stated that he has had no contact with Johnny Depp since text messages they exchanged, which referenced Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard, were made public during legal proceedings.

Their exchange was revealed in 2020 during Depp's libel case against The Sun newspaper, which had published a 2018 article labeling Depp a "wife beater." Depp ultimately lost that case.

Bettany and Depp, who have collaborated on three films, had a text exchange in 2013 that was read aloud in court. In one message, Depp wrote, "Let's burn Amber!!!" 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 responded, "My thoughts entirely. Let's be certain before we pronounce her a witch."

During a recent interview with The Times, Bettany described the period as "interesting" and confirmed his estrangement from Depp. "I hadn't spoken to Johnny in years when that happened and I haven't spoken to him since," Bettany said. "I was being painted as this close friend of a guy I hadn't spoken to in years and, honestly, amid all the s*** two celebrities threw at each other, that bit was the most odd."

Bettany explained his decision to remain silent on the matter, stating, "Everybody kind of thought this is probably a nothing burger – and left it alone."

In a 2021 interview with The Independent, Bettany commented on the court case, calling it a "very strange moment." He noted the intrusion of lawyers examining his personal communications, saying, "What was strange about it was you suddenly have one of the most scabrous newspapers in London and their lawyers pouring through your texts for the last 10 years. Can you imagine what it would be like, honestly, to have a bunch of lawyers go through every one of your emails and texts for 10 years? All I can tell you was that it was an unpleasant feeling."

Earlier communications between Bettany and Depp, which resurfaced during the trial, also included a discussion about acquiring a pet beaver for Heard and creating a video titled "Johnny Depp Shaves Amber Heard's Beaver."

During the 2020 trial, Depp testified that his "sense of humor is slightly skewed" when the texts were presented. He was asked if the exchange was a respectful way to talk about Heard, to which he replied, "It is not a respectful way to talk about Ms Heard."

In November 2020, the judge ruled that Depp had assaulted Heard on multiple occasions and put her in "fear of her life" three times, attributing these actions to his use of alcohol and drugs, which the judge stated turned the actor into a "monster."