Johnny Depp has spent more of the last few months in court than he has on the set of films. Between a libel case against a UK paper, which was not found in his favor, and an ongoing defamation case, and more, against his ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp likely knows a lot more about the legal world than he did. And he's not the only Pirates of the Caribbean cast member to have legal dealings in recent years. Greg Ellis, who appeared as British Officer Groves in the Disney franchise, has had his own issues to deal with in family court, and it appears the two actors are supporting each other through their situations.
Greg Ellis has written a book about his own experiences dealing with family court, and Johnny Depp has provided the introduction to the book. Speaking with Express about his book, and his Pirates of the Caribbean co-star, Ellis says Depp has been "mischaracterized" and that he will continue to support Depp through his ongoing legal issues. According to Ellis...
He’s very supportive of what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. I’m mindful he’s still navigating his way through the legal system on many fronts, so the details of that I don’t talk about much. But I have been and will continue to be vocal. Many people have mischaracterized him.
The question of mischaracterization has been an important one as Johnny Depp's legal issues of late have largely focused on his reputation. His libel lawsuit in the U.K. was over the use of the term "wife-beater" being used to describe him, and his defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard also deals with public accusations of abuse the actress made in a newspaper editorial.
And of course, when we're talking about public figures, reputation means a lot. Shortly after the verdict came down in Johnny Depp's libel case, Warner Bros. announced the actor would be leaving his role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The actor's own defamation case claims that Amber Heard's comments led directly to him losing his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. For his part, Pirates co-star Greg Ellis does think Depp will eventually recover from his current situation, though he also admits he may never be quite the star the man once was. Ellis says...
Do I think he’s going to come back? Yes. To what degree, I’m not sure.
At this point it's far from clear what the long term outlook for Johnny Depp's career is. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise does seem to be moving on without him, though exactly where it is going is far from clear. His attention is almost certainly still focused on his legal cases, and those won't be resolved for some time as his defamation case against Amber Heard, and her countersuit, are not expected to go to trial until early next year.
