Paul Bettany Says He and Johnny Depp ‘Hadn’t Spoken’ in Years When Their Texts Were Read During Libel Trial: ‘I Was Being Painted As This Close Friend’

Paul Bettany opened up in a recent interview with The Times about the public’s misconception of his relationship with Johnny Depp after text messages between the two actors were used in court during Depp’s libel lawsuit 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,” Paul told the publication.

“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.”

In 2013, a controversial text exchange between Depp and Bettany became public when it was read during a Feb. 2020 trial hearing. “Let’s burn Amber!!!” wrote Depp, to which 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 responded that they should “drown her before we burn her!!! I will fuck her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead.”

The two actors worked together on multiple films, including 2010’s “The Tourist,” 2014’s “Transcendence” and 2015’s “Mortdecai.”

Depp initially sued News Group Newspapers (NGN) (which publishes The Sun) for libel after an article was published by the publication titled “Gone Potty – How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film?” Depp alleged that the article “caused serious harm to (his) personal and professional reputation” and also caused him “significant distress and embarrassment.” In 2020, Judge Andrew Nicol ruled against Depp.