Paul Bettany has broken his silence on the text messages about Amber Heard that surfaced during Johnny Depp’s 2020 libel trial.
The Marvel actor, 53, said in an interview published October 15 that he had not spoken to Depp for years before the case and has not reached out since. Bettany pushed back against being cast as Depp’s confidant during the highly publicized legal battle between the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star and his ex-wife.
“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–t two celebrities threw at each other, that bit was the most odd.”
The British actor explained his decision to stay quiet while the media frenzy unfolded. “So I decided to say nothing because, I think, people know me,” he continued. “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.”
The messages in question emerged during Depp’s 2020 lawsuit against News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, over an article that called him a “wife beater.” The exchange dated back to 2013, before Depp and Heard’s marriage, and contained graphic language about the actress.
“Let’s burn Amber!!!” Depp wrote in one message.
Bettany responded with dark humor that referenced historical witch trials: “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 then escalated the imagery: “drown her before we burn her!!! I will f–k her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead.”
“My thoughts entirely,” Bettany replied. “Let’s be certain before we pronounce her a witch.”
The 2020 libel case centered on The Sun’s coverage of Heard’s allegations that Depp had physically and verbally abused her during their five-year relationship, which included a two-year marriage that ended in 2016. Depp claimed the article caused serious harm to his reputation and significant distress. The court ruled against him in November 2020.
Bettany had previously touched on the experience in a 2021 interview, describing the public reading of his private messages as deeply uncomfortable. He expressed concern at the time that commenting would only intensify the controversy.
“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?” Bettany said. “All I can tell you is that it was an unpleasant feeling.”
The two actors had co-starred in several films together, including “The Tourist,” “Transcendence,” and “Mortdecai,” but their professional collaboration had long since ended by the time the trial brought their private correspondence into the spotlight.
Bettany’s recent remarks mark his most detailed response to the controversy, clarifying the distance he maintained from Depp both before and after the trial while acknowledging the strangeness of being drawn into a celebrity legal battle he had no active part in.