Paul Bettany Says He Had Not Spoken to Johnny Depp for Years When Private Texts Went Public

Paul Bettany has discussed the public reaction to his private text messages with Johnny Depp, revealing that the two actors had not spoken for years when their exchanges became public during Depp’s 2020 libel trial.

In a recent interview with The Times, Bettany said he was surprised by how the media portrayed their relationship after the messages were read in court.

“I hadn’t spoken to Johnny in years when that happened and I haven’t spoken to him since,” Bettany said.

He added that the coverage presented him as a close friend of Depp, despite their lack of contact.

“Honestly, amid all the shit two celebrities threw at each other, that bit was the most odd,” he said.

Bettany Chose Not to Comment Publicly

The actor explained that he decided against making a public statement about the controversy. He believed people understood his private nature and quiet personal life.

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“So I decided to say nothing because, I think, people know me,” Bettany said.

He also referred to his long marriage and preference for staying out of the public spotlight.

“I’ve been married 23 years and, for what I do, I live an incredibly quiet life,” he added.

Bettany said he believed people would consider the controversy insignificant and move on.

Private Messages Became Public in Court

The text exchange dated back to 2013. It became public during a February 2020 court hearing in Depp’s legal battle against News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun.

The messages included disturbing remarks about Depp’s then-wife, Amber Heard. Their publication attracted widespread attention during the proceedings.

Depp sued the publisher over an article that described him as a “wife beater.” However, in November 2020, Judge Andrew Nicol ruled against Depp. The judge found that the publication’s allegation was substantially true.

Bettany and Depp Worked Together on Several Films

Bettany and Depp previously appeared together in several films, including The Tourist (2010), Transcendence (2014) and Mortdecai (2015).

Bettany’s latest comments clarify the distance between the two actors when their private correspondence became a public issue. He said they had not spoken for years before the messages surfaced and had not spoken since.