Paul Bettany has spoken about the public reaction to his private text messages with Johnny Depp, revealing that the pair had not spoken for years when their exchanges became public during Depp’s libel trial.
In a recent interview with The Times, the British actor said he was surprised by how their relationship was portrayed after the messages were read in court during Depp’s 2020 legal battle against The Sun.
“I hadn’t spoken to Johnny in years when that happened and I haven’t spoken to him 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 said.
He explained that he chose not to comment publicly, believing people understood his private nature and personal life.
“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 text exchange, originally sent in 2013, became public during a February 2020 court hearing.
The messages included disturbing remarks about Depp’s then-wife, Amber Heard, and attracted significant attention during the proceedings.
Depp sued News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, over an article describing him as a “wife beater”.
In November 2020, Judge Andrew Nicol ruled against Depp, finding the publication’s allegation substantially true.
Bettany and Depp previously worked together on several films, including The Tourist (2010), Transcendence (2014) and Mortdecai (2015).
Bettany’s latest comments offer insight into the distance between the actors when their private correspondence became a public issue.
