Celebrity1 min(s) read
Published 12:40 28 Dec 2020 GMT
Johnny Depp has admitted that 2020 "has been hard" in a touching holiday post to his fans.
The 57-year-old Pirates Of The Caribbean star shared a behind-the-scenes photo with his nine million Instagram followers on Sunday (December 27), showing him on the set of his new film, Crock of Gold.
In the photo, he can be seen smiling alongside The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan, who is the focus of the film.
In the caption, the actor writes:
"This year has been so hard for so many. Here’s to a better time ahead. Happy Holidays, everyone! My love and respect to you all. Eternally, JD. X"
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As of this writing, the candid post has since amassed over 1.9 million likes and more than 35,000 comments from Depp's fans.
Depp's post comes after he lost his libel legal battle against UK newspaper The Sun back in November, after the publication labeled him a "wife-beater" in a 2018 article.
This was followed by Depp then being "asked to resign" from the Fantastic Beasts movie franchise by Warner Bros.
Per CNN, Depp unsuccessfully sued the publication and its executive editor Dan Wootton, over an article published bearing the headline: "GONE POTTY: How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?"
The Sun branded Depp a "wife-beater" following the actor's high-profile and contentious divorce from Aquaman actress Amber Heard.
Following the ruling, Depp then took to Instagram once again to reveal that he had been "asked to resign" from the Harry Potter spin-off franchise, in which he played the lead flashback antagonist Gellert Grindelwald.
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Writing on Instagram, the actor said:
"I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days.
"Secondly, I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected that and agreed to that request."
In the post, Depp also revealed that he plans to appeal the court's ruling against him, stating: "Finally, I wish to say this. The surreal judgment of the court in the UK will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal.
"My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time. Thank you for reading."
At the end of November, it was revealed that Depp would be replaced in the Fantastic Beasts movies by the 55-year-old Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mikkelson said the following about accepting the coveted role under the controversial circumstances:
"Job wise, it's obviously super interesting and nice. It's also a shocker that it came after what happened, which is just super sad.
"I wish both of them the best. These are sad circumstances. I hope both of them will be back in the saddle again really soon."
Take a look at the trailer for The Crimes of Grindelwald below:
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The former Bond villain then revealed how his performance will differ from Depp's, saying: "Well it's going to be me, so that's a difference."
Mikkelsen added: "No, this is the tricky part. We're still working it out. There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I'm going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own.
"But also we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn't completely detach from what he's already masterfully achieved."
