There wasn’t much time between Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard‘s appearances at Comic-Con on Saturday.
The 55-year-old actor was a surprise guest at Warner Bros.’ Comic-Con Hall H panel, where he promoted his new movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, by dressing up as the titular villain to deliver an in-character speech.
Afterwards, the 32-year-old actress appeared at a Warner Bros. panel to support the upcoming Aquaman film, though the two were not seen crossing paths at the event.
While both of their panels occurred in the same room, there was at least an hour separating their appearances.
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Depp’s casting in the Fantastic Beasts sequel caused some controversy when it was first announced, as fans questioned why domestic violence allegations made against Depp by Heard didn’t preclude him from being involved with the project.
Heard had asked for a domestic violence restraining order against Depp just a week after she filed to end their 15-month marriage in May 2016, claiming the actor had been abusive on several occasions, including one incident that she claimed left her in fear for her life.
Through his lawyers, Depp vehemently denied the abuse allegations throughout the contentious divorce, calling the claims “salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation, and lies.” His lawyers also accused the actress of making the allegations up in an attempt to “extend her fifteen minutes of fame.”
In June, Depp filed a defamation suit against British tabloid The Sun, disputing claims that he abused Heard.
Depp and Heard settled their nasty divorce in January 2017 — with Depp paying Heard a $7 million settlement (all of which she vowed to donate to charity).
Author J.K. Rowling came out in defense of Depp’s casting last December, writing in part on her website, “Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”
Distributor Warner Bros. also stood by the decision to have Depp in the film.
“We are of course aware of reports that surfaced around the end of Johnny Depp’s marriage, and take seriously the complexity of the issues involved,” they said in a statement obtained by Entertainment Weekly. “This matter has been jointly addressed by both parties, in a statement in which they said ‘there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.’ Based on the circumstances and the information available to us, we, along with the filmmakers, continue to support the decision to proceed with Johnny Depp in the role of Grindelwald in this and future films.”
