Helena Bonham Carter Defends J.Okay. Rowling, Johnny Depp

Hollywood’s curse? Helena Bonham Carter defended J.Okay. Rowling and Johnny Depp amid their respective controversies — and took a powerful stance towards cancel tradition within the course of.

“Do you ban a genius for his or her sexual practices?” the actress, 56, informed U.Okay. outlet The Occasions in an interview revealed on Saturday, November 26. “There could be hundreds of thousands of people that, in case you seemed intently sufficient at their private life, you’ll disqualify them. You may’t ban individuals. I hate cancel tradition. It has change into fairly hysterical and there’s a sort of witch hunt and a lack of expertise.”

When requested whether or not there have been avenues for an A-lister to redeem themselves within the trade after a extremely publicized scandal, the Crown alum was skeptical. “I don’t assume there may be for somebody like Kevin Spacey,” she stated, referring to the Seven star’s sexual assault allegations and subsequent authorized drama. “And Johnny actually went by way of it.”

Depp, 59, was awarded $15 million earlier this yr in his defamation lawsuit towards ex-wife Amber Heard, who beforehand recognized herself as a sufferer of home violence. The jury reached its verdict in June after weeks in court docket.

“From the very starting, the purpose of bringing this case was to disclose the reality, whatever the consequence,” the Pirates of the Caribbean star claimed in a press release following his authorized victory. “Talking the reality was one thing that I owed to my kids and to all those that have remained steadfast of their help of me. I really feel at peace understanding I’ve lastly completed that. … Fact by no means perishes.”

Bonham Carter has starred alongside Depp in a number of Tim Burton initiatives together with Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, Darkish Shadows and extra. She asserted in her interview that the Kentucky native — who’s godfather to her kids with Burton — was “fully vindicated” after his trial.

“I believe he’s tremendous now. Completely tremendous,” the British actress stated. “My view is that [Amber Heard] acquired on that [#MeToo] pendulum. That’s the issue with this stuff — that individuals will leap on the bandwagon as a result of it’s the development and to be the poster lady for it.”

The King’s Speech star went on to throw her help behind Rowling, 57, who has sparked backlash a number of occasions over time for her controversial opinions concerning the transgender neighborhood. The Harry Potter writer has often been referred to as a TERF (trans exclusionary radical feminist), however Bonham Carter doesn’t assume the label is warranted.

“It’s horrendous, a load of bollocks. I believe she has been hounded,” argued the Oscar nominee, who performed Bellatrix Lestrange in 4 of the Harry Potter motion pictures. “It’s been taken to the acute, the judgmental-ism of individuals. She’s allowed her opinion, notably if she’s suffered abuse. Everyone carries their very own historical past of trauma and kinds their opinions from that trauma and you must respect the place individuals come from and their ache. You don’t all need to agree on all the pieces — that may be insane and boring. She’s not which means it aggressively, she’s simply saying one thing out of her personal expertise.”

A number of of her Harry Potter costars — together with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson — have publicly spoken out towards Rowling’s views. Nevertheless, Bonham Carter believes the author is entitled to her personal opinions.

“I believe they’re very conscious of defending their very own fan base and their era,” she stated of her castmates. “It’s laborious. One factor with the celebrity recreation is that there’s an etiquette that comes with it; I don’t agree with speaking about different well-known individuals. … If she hadn’t been probably the most phenomenal success, the response wouldn’t be so nice.”

Radcliffe, 33, not too long ago defined why he determined to take a stand towards Rowling’s controversial remarks. “I’ve met so many queer and trans children and younger individuals who had an enormous quantity of identification with Potter on that,” he informed IndieWire earlier this month, stating that he needed to reassure followers that “not everyone within the franchise” held Rowling’s beliefs. “It was actually necessary as I’ve labored with the Trevor Undertaking for greater than 10 years, and so I don’t assume I might’ve been in a position to look myself within the mirror had I not stated something. However it’s not mine to guess what’s occurring in another person’s head.”