Paul Bettany is revisiting one of Hollywood’s messiest legal dramas — and says the strangest part was being dragged into it despite barely speaking to Johnny Depp for years.
The VisionQuest star, 55, discussed the infamous text messages with Depp during an interview with The Times, published October 15.
The exchanges became public during Depp’s 2020 libel case against The Sun and resurfaced during his 2022 defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Read More: Johnny Depp reflects on Amber Heard trial
“It was a very interesting time,” Bettany told the outlet.
The actor said the public portrayal of their friendship was far removed from reality at the time.
“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 s— two celebrities threw at each other, that bit was the most odd,” he said.
Bettany added that staying quiet seemed the best option, saying he had been married to actress Jennifer Connelly for 23 years and lived a “quiet life.”
But it was the texts themselves that grabbed headlines.
In one exchange, Depp wrote, “Lets burn Amber,” before Bettany allegedly responded with a message referencing a witch and a drowning test.
Depp later testified that the messages were Monty Python references and were not meant literally.
Bettany previously called the episode “embarrassing” and argued that private messages were being judged without context.
He also questioned whether anyone would feel comfortable having lawyers comb through their phone.
Read More: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard unable to forgive each other post split
Depp won his 2022 U.S. defamation case and was awarded $15 million, while Heard won one claim in her countersuit and was awarded $2 million. The former couple settled in December 2022.
