Here's how 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore' deals with Johnny Depp's absence
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Palmer Haasch
Apr 15, 2022, 19:20 IST
Gellert Grindelwald was recast with Mads Mikkelsen following Johnny Depp's exit from the franchise.Warner Bros.; Warner Bros.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."
Mads MIkkelsen replaced Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in the "Fantastic Beasts" films.
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Prior to the release of "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," the series underwent a conspicuous recasting: Johnny Depp, who through 2018 played the role of Gellert Grindelwald, would be replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in the franchise's third film.
Depp said in a November 2020 Instagram post that he had been asked to resign from the role, and that he had "respected and agreed to" that request. His resignation came several days after he lost a libel case against British publication The Sun over an article that described him as a "wife beater." Depp repeatedly denied the allegations from his ex Amber Heard, who has accused the actor of domestic abuse.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."
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The movie doesn't acknowledge Grindelwald's appearance change whatsoever
"The Secrets of Dumbledore" deals with Depp's absence by not dealing with it whatsoever.
The film opens with an exchange between Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald, played by Jude Law and Mikkelsen, respectively. Law and Depp didn't share any scenes together in "The Crimes of Grindelwald," although Law's Dumbledore briefly saw a vision of Depp's Grindelwald in the Mirror of Erised, which is meant to show the onlooker's deepest desires, in the second movie.
In the new movie, Dumbledore and Grindelwald interact like old lovers from the get-go, and there's no remark upon the character's new appearance. Throughout the film, even in scenes with characters like Newt or Queenie who interacted with Depp's Grindelwald, there's no acknowledgment of the change. It's as if Mikkelsen has played the role the entire time.
Mikkelsen told The Hollywood Reporter that the decision to not explain Depp's absence was "deliberate."
"Everybody knows why [the actors changed]. The entire world knows why," Mikkelsen said. "It would almost be like an Easter egg to reality to point out we swapped actors. Hopefully we drag them in with the first scene and from there they accept this world."
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Mikkelsen's Grindelwald bears similarities to Depp's, but they're very distinct
Depp's Grindelwald had an extremely striking appearance, from spiky, platinum hair to two distinctly different colored eyes. In comparison, Mikkelsen's is much more muted — while there are some remnants of Depp's white hair and mismatched eyes, it's not quite as extreme.
Mikkelsen's Grindelwald is a bit more subtle than Depp's, both in his appearance and in the way that he plays the character.
"You don't want to copy anything [Depp was] doing — that would be creative suicide," Mikkelsen told The Hollywood Reporter. "Even if [a role has] been done to perfection, you want to make it your own."
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