Paul Bettany has finally addressed how he felt when his private text messages to Johnny Depp were made public. Image Source: ET Canada 

Paul Bettany has finally addressed how he felt when his private text messages to Johnny Depp were made public during Johnny Depp’s legal battle against The Sun’s publication over the tabloid’s use of the term "wife-beater" to describe him, and Paul described it as an "unpleasing feeling".

The headline read, "Gone Potty – How can JK Rowling be "genuinely happy" after casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film? "

During an interview with The Independent, the actor, Paul Bettany, best known for his role as Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stated that he finds it difficult to talk about the situation and how it made him feel. Paul Bettany added that he did not address the issue back then because it would have just been pouring fuel on the fire, and he did not want that.

The actor said, "It was very strange. It was a strange moment. What was strange about it was that you suddenly had one of the most scabrous newspapers in London and their lawyers pouring through your texts for the last 10 years. Can you imagine what it would be like, honestly, to have a bunch of lawyers go through every one of your emails and texts for 10 years? All I can tell you is that it was an unpleasant feeling. "

Paul Bettany had previously tweeted that he and Johnny Depp had known each other for years through several relationships and that he was the sweetest, kindest, gentlest man he had ever known. The two actors have worked together in the 2010's The Tourist, 2014’s Transcendence, and 2015’s Mordecai.

Johnny Depp’s about 70,000 texts were made public during his lawsuit against The Sun and Sasha Wass QC, barrister for New Group Newspaper, who read the texts aloud in the courtroom. The text exchange between Paul and Johnny was among the texts that were made public, and it included a 132-page ruling on the case in 2020. The actors had talked or shared texts as a joke about Amber Heard, using words such as "burning" and "drowning." Johnny Depp was then dating Amber Heard.

The text message from Paul Bettany to Johnny Depp in June 2013 read, "I just thought of a way for us to make a lot of money! I know you already have a lot of money, but I mean a lot of money and with very little effort. First, we buy Amber a pet beaver, and then we take pictures of you shaving said the beaver. All that’s left is to do is to create a website with the domain name "Johnny Depp shaves Amber Heard’s beaver" and then sell advertising space like f***ing crazy!!! There are many spin-offs – you could poke, stroke, punch, etc.

Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany have been long time friends and their conversation was read a loud in the court. Image Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Sasha Wass asked Paul if that was a respectful way of talking about Amber Heard, to which he replied that it was not the most respectful way to talk about her, but they’ve had their differences and do not like each other very much. Later, she read out another text in which Johnny Depp wrote, "Let’s burn Amber!!!" to which Paul replied, "Having thought it through, I don’t think we should burn Amber – She is delightful company and pleasing on the eye. We could of course do the English course of action and perform a drowning test. Thoughts? You have a swimming pool.”

To this, Johnny Depp replied, "Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead. " Paul replied, "My thoughts entirely. Let’s be certain before we pronounce her a witch. "

Sasha Wass said to the court, "This reference to her being a witch was a reference, I say, to her trying to stop you taking drink and drugs, and you resented her for doing that and (she) was the moral police, that sort of thing." Johnny Depp clarified that Paul knew of the couple’s arguments and fights, and he knew the details of them.

Johnny Depp filed a lawsuit against The Sun as they described him as 'wife beater'. Image Source: ET 

Johnny Depp said, "I was resentful of the fact that Ms. Heard was very aggressive and quite insulting about my use of alcohol or, if cocaine came into the picture, she did not like Mr. Bettany, and I’m afraid she didn’t like me very much either, and she was constantly harping on things that didn’t exist." Sasha asked Johnny, "She didn’t like you when you were constantly high on drugs and alcohol, did she?" To which the actor replied, "She didn’t like me using alcohol and drugs because she had some delusional idea that they turned me into... this monster."

The lawyer asked the actor if he and Paul Bettany were "drug buddies," and he replied, "Paul Bettany is an actor that I’ve worked with several times, he is a friend, and we have... yes, we have dabbled in drugs together." The drugs that Johnny mentioned were cocaine, alcohol, Xanax, and Adderall. The couple (Johnny and Amber) got married in 2013 and decided to end their marriage in 2016. They were formally divorced in 2017, but their legal battle is still ongoing.

We are talking about Paul Bettany, who is gearing up to star opposite Claire Foy in "A Very British Scandal", which is going to air on BBC One at 9 pm on Boxing Day. The actors are going to play the Duke and Duchess (Margaret) of Argyll and the series is going to focus on their divorce, which is known as one of the most notorious, extraordinary, and brutal legal cases of the 20th century.

Paul Bettany and Claire Foy in "A Very British Scandal". Image Source:Tectwiddle

The series is written by Sarah Phelps, who explains, "Writing the story of Margaret’s life and the events leading up to and including her divorce from the Duke has been a passion project of mine since 1993, when I first heard her name and started learning about her. I felt very strongly that she’d been punished for being a woman, for being visible, for refusing to back down, be a good girl and go quietly. This drama is my tribute to her. "

The actress, Claire Foy, expressed her happiness and excitement for the show and mentioned, "I’m so excited to work with Anne, Sarah, and Paul on this extraordinary project, and to explore through this story how often shame, judgment, and controversy surround a woman's sexuality." Whereas, Paul Bettany said, "I’m delighted to be working with the remarkable Claire Foy to tell the fascinating and scandalous story of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and their very complicated lives. I’m also extremely happy to get the chance to once again work with the wonderful teams at the BBC and Amazon Studios. "