Daniel Radcliffe Calls Out Johnny Depp's Controversial Casting

Johnny Depp has seen his most iconic roles given away to other actors in the last few years.

Depp’s acting career began in the early 1980s with roles in television series such as 21 Jump Street. However, it was his collaboration with director Tim Burton in the 1990s that truly launched him into stardom. Their first collaboration was the dark fantasy film Edward Scissorhands (1990), where Depp portrayed the vulnerable and misunderstood Edward, showcasing his ability to bring depth and complexity to his characters. This collaboration marked the beginning of a long-standing partnership between the two, leading to other successful films like Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).

While Depp may be known for his partnership with Tim Burton, the most popular franchise for the actor is Pirates of the Caribbean, where he portrayed Captain Jack Sparrow in the $4.5 billion film series. Inside the Magic recently covered Warner Bros.’ decision to replace Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Timothee Chalamet in a prequel called Wonka (2023).

Now, comments from Daniel Radcliffe have resurfaced, speaking on another iconic role that Depp was removed from.

Acclaimed actor Daniel Radcliffe, renowned for his portrayal of the iconic wizard Harry Potter, expressed his concerns about the controversial casting of Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts sequel during a previous interview with Entertainment Weekly that has since resurfaced. The decision to include Depp in the film franchise sparked significant controversy at the time due to domestic violence allegations made by Depp’s ex-wife, Amber Heard.

“This is a weird analogy to draw – (but) in the NFL (National Football League), there are lots of players arrested for smoking weed and there is other people’s behaviour that goes way beyond that and it’s tolerated because they’re very famous players,” Radcliffe said. “I suppose the thing I was struck by was, we did have a guy who was reprimanded for weed on the (original Potter) film, essentially, so obviously what Johnny has been accused of is much greater than that.”

Radcliffe also mentioned Jamie Waylett, who portrayed Vincent Crabbe, the school bully, in the early Harry Potter films. Waylett faced legal consequences, including community service, after being caught with cannabis in 2009, highlighting the disparity in treatment.

Despite Radcliffe’s criticisms, J.K. Rowling, Director David Yates, and Warner Bros. stood by their decision at the time to cast Depp and issued statements defending their choice. Rowling specifically stated that she was not only comfortable with the original casting but also genuinely pleased to have Johnny Depp playing a major character in the movies.

Of course, this didn’t change the ultimate outcome, that Radcliffe favored.

After Depp starred as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), he was replaced with Mads Mikkelsen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). This decision was made as the controversies with his ex-wife Amber Heard moved forward, including a trial in the U.K., followed by a trial in the U.S. that was live-streamed for the public to see.

In the end, Johnny Depp was named the victor of the defamation trial, and Heard eventually settled with him by paying $1 million– which the actor pledged to charity– but he still has yet to return to Hollywood. Much of this has to do with Hollywood’s reported blacklist of the actor, but it seems that there are some studios– including Disney– that might actually be open to Depp returning after all. 

Had you ever heard these comments from Daniel Radcliffe? Let Inside the Magic know below!