Helena Bonham Carter defended the author of the Harry Potter books J.K. Rowling and Johnny Depp.
The actor who played Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter franchise discussed the controversy surrounding Rowling after she made comments that were criticized as transphobic.
“It’s terrible, complete nonsense,” Bonham Carter told The Times. “I think she was poisoned. It was taken to the extreme, condemning people. She admits her opinion, especially if she is being abused. Everyone has their own history of trauma and forms their own opinion based on this trauma, and you have to respect the origin of people and their pain.
“You don’t have to agree on everything — it would be crazy and boring. She doesn’t mean it aggressively, she’s just saying something from her own experience.”
Bonham Carter also addressed Depp’s recent libel trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, saying that the verdict of the court, which ruled in favor of Depp, “completely exonerated” him. Depp and Bonham Carter have collaborated on several films, and he is the godfather of her two children by former partner Tim Burton.
When asked if the libel case was a “pendulum swinging backwards” #MeToo, Bonham Carter replied: “I think [Hurd] has fallen into this pendulum. The problem with these things is that people will jump on the bandwagon because it’s a trend, and be the poster girl.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Bonham Carter criticized the idea that someone’s personal life should influence their career. “Are you forbidding a genius to have sex? There would be millions of people who, if you looked closely enough at their personal lives, would disqualify them,” she added.
“You can’t forbid people. I hate the cancellation culture. It’s become quite hysterical, and it’s kind of a witch hunt and misunderstanding.”
Depp sued Heard for defamation because of a 2018 article in The Washington Post where she wrote that she had experienced domestic violence. Although his name is not mentioned, Depp’s lawyers argued that it falsely implies that he was sexually and physically abused during their marriage.
The trial ended in June when the jury sided with Depp, who was awarded $10 million (£8 million) in damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Heard received $2 million for a counterclaim against Depp.
In July, Hurd filed a formal notice of appeal against the results of the trial. A spokesman for Hurd said: “We believe that the court made mistakes that prevented a fair and impartial verdict consistent with the First Amendment. Therefore, we are appealing the verdict.”
