Mads Mikkelsen explains why Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore doesn't address the Johnny Depp Grindelwald recasting. The new movie from director David Yates is the third in the ongoing Fantastic Beasts franchise, itself a spinoff-prequel to the globally popular Harry Potter film series. After experiencing some pandemic-related delays to production, Fantastic Beasts 3 is finally set to hit US theaters tomorrow, April 15.
The transition from Harry Potter to Fantastic Beasts has not been a particularly smooth one, and the spinoff franchise has found itself mired in controversy. One example has been the situation surrounding Depp's casting as Gellert Grindelwald, the series' main villain, which was objectionable to many due to the domestic violence allegations made against him by his ex-wife, Amber Heard. When Depp, who disputes the accusations, lost a libel case against News Group Newspapers Ltd., the studio asked him to step down from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and replaced him with Mikkelsen.
Now, in a profile for THR, Mikkelsen explains why Fantastic Beasts 3 does nothing to address the casting change. The actor notes that this was an intentional choice on the part of the filmmakers, saying that practically everyone knows the real-world reason for Depp's ousting. Mikkelsen hopes that all it takes for viewers to adjust to the change is a single scene, after which his version of Grindelwald will just be accepted. Check out his full quote below:
That was very deliberate. Everybody knows why [the actors changed]. The entire world knows why. 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.
While Mikkelsen is right that any acknowledgement of the switch would constitute a nod to the ongoing controversy, particularly given that the Depp vs. Heard defamation trial is currently underway, the lack of explanation will strike many viewers as odd. Unlike most franchises, where it might be difficult to explain why one actor was replaced with another, Grindelwald's shifting appearance could have been easily written off as the result of magic. Indeed, since the villainous wizard spent most of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them undercover, he was essentially played by Colin Farrell, meaning that changing Grindelwald actors in each installment could have even become a kind of tradition.
On the other hand, implying that Grindelwald magically adopted Mikkelsen's likeness leaves the door open for him to change back, which is something the studio clearly didn't want to do. Their hopes to avoid controversy through Depp's resignation were for naught, though, since a large contingent of fans support Depp in his dispute and have decried his departure. The Fantastic Beasts 3 reviews have indicated an improvement on The Crimes of Grindelwald, but not by much, and this franchise could stall if the new release doesn't live up to box office expectations.
Source: THR
