Paul Bettany makes rare comment on disturbing Johnny Depp messages about 'Amber Heard's corpse'
Actor Paul Bettany has addressed his relationship with Johnny Depp and the controversial comments he made about his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The London-born actor, 55, was one of the famous faces who became embroiled in his former co-star's court cases after a disturbing text exchange they shared came to light.
He has now spoken out about the 'odd' experience, while revealing why he 'decided to say nothing' at the time.
Bettany worked alongside Depp on a series of films - including The Tourist, Transcendence and Mortdecai - but has now insisted they were not 'close friends'.
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Text messages that they shared between 2013 and 2014, which first reared their head during Depp's unsuccessful libel lawsuit against The Sun six years ago, had given a different impression.
In them, the pair discussed Aquaman actress Heard, 40, and made shocking jokes about her.
This exchange was referred to during the 2020 libel case, as well as in the explosive 2022 defamation trial between the former spouses.
Depp, 63, began by texting the actor: "Let’s burn Amber!!!"
Bettany then responded saying: "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 suggested they should 'drown her before we burn her', adding: "I will f**k her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead."
"My thoughts entirely," Bettany then said. "Let’s be certain before we pronounce her a witch."
The Marvel Cinematic Universe star previously addressed the 'unpleasant feeling' that arose when these messages were published, telling the Independent in 2021 that it was a 'a really difficult subject to talk about'.
Explaining he had concerns that addressing the scandal would 'just pour fuel on the fire', Bettany added: "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 is that it was an unpleasant feeling."
Why Bettany 'left it alone'
The father-of-three, who is married to Top Gun: Maverick star Jennifer Connelly, has now spoken out about his and Depp's relationship in more detail.
Talking to The Times, he claimed that he 'hadn't spoken to Johnny in years' when the texts became public.
"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," Bettany told the publication.
"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."
Depp lost the libel case he brought against The Sun in 2020 over an article in which he was labelled a 'wife beater'.
He then returned to court two years later with Heard, accusing her of writing a defamatory op-ed piece for The Washington Post that 'caused irreparable harm' to his reputation.
The jury ruled in favour of Depp and awarded him $15 million in damages, which was later reduced to a settlement of $1 million.
Depp and Heard began dating after meeting on the set of 2011 film The Rum Diary and got married in 2015.
Heard obtained a restraining order against Depp the following year and they finalised their divorce in 2017.
Topics: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Celebrity News
Olivia Burke