Court cases across the country are being delayed due to the rapid spread of Covid-19. Delayed or not, there’s still information being acquired about Johnny Depp’s court case with Amber Heard and now information has been brought to light about Javier Bardem defending his Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales co-star.
The move is not a total surprise. A few days ago we learned Javier Bardem’s wife Penelope Cruz had made her own statement in defense of Johnny Depp, noting at the time that Depp had been nothing but supportive when Cruz was pregnant with Javier Bardem’s child on the set of a different Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
In his own statement (via The Blast), Javier Bardem had similarly fond comments about Johnny Depp, calling him “generous” and a “true gentleman” before noting:
On top of that, I’ve had the gift of working with him twice and have experienced his respectful attitude towards every single member of the crew alongside his unique and hilarious sense of humor. I stand by Johnny because I have always seen and felt a true caring and loving man in him ... an extraordinary and unique artist who has listened to anyone who needed his help.
Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp met back in 1999 when Johnny Depp flew down to Mexico to film some scenes for Before Night Falls, a movie about which Javier Bardem previously told ET Depp was super nice and “caring” on, also noting he “hasn’t changed a bit.” So, Bardem has been open more than once about how he feels about his fellow actor.
The two subsequently appeared together in Pirates and were expected to kick off Universal’s Dark Universe venture before that went south following the release of Tom Cruise’s The Mummy.
Bardem’s official statement seemingly goes a step further by referencing “toxic beings,” which could be taken as a jab at Amber Heard, who has accused the actor (and her former husband) of behaving in an abusive manner. Per Bardem:
I love Johnny because he is a good human being, trapped in the lies and manipulations of toxic beings and yet smiling and loving us all in spite of it. How? Through his music, through his acting, through his silence. This means a lot. Thank you, Johnny. Millions of others like me love you deeply.
Following the back and forth between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, the Pirates actor has alleged there has been an impact on his career, particularly within the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise at Disney, in which he appeared as Captain Jack Sparrow across the better part of two decades.
The Disney franchise has previously said it will be rebooting the franchise, presumably without the mainstay character or actor. Johnny Depp still has a role in J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts 3 and the previous movies in that franchise. In addition, J.K. Rowling has come out to defend Depp in the movies and Johnny Depp himself has said he’s sorry the prominent Harry Potter author has had to field questions about his casting.
But he’s also suing The Sun for headlines he says have affected his career. The libel case is separate from his case with Amber Heard, but it is currently on hold due to coronavirus-related issues.
Meanwhile, as part of the case with Amber Heard, evidence from phone calls and more has come to light and various people who have known Johnny Depp throughout his career have become involved, either indirectly, as happened to Paul Bettany, or through defenses such as the ones from Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
This is likely to go on for some time and we’ll be sure to keep you updated regarding any new information that may come to light.
