J.K. Rowling has left some fans disappointed after several allegations have been made that the author is blocking Twitter users who are criticizing Johnny Depp's role in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Because Depp has been accused of domestic abuse, many people have taken issue with the fact that he was cast as Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beast series. The Crimes of Grindelwald director David Yates defended the casting decision in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying, "Whatever accusation was out there doesn’t tally with the kind of human being I’ve been working with." Yates also pointed to the fact that there has only been one accuser, Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard, as a reason to call it "a dead issue." Despite this statement, many devoted fans of the Harry Potter universe created by Rowling are still, understandably, outraged by Depp appearing as a star in the film. Some of those fans have taken to Twitter to express their indignation. Many have even tagged Rowling, who has, in the past, used the social media platform to address important issues, including misogyny. Unfortunately, those fans have reportedly not gotten the response they expected.
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According to TeenVogue, yesterday a Twitter user known online as @hobbitlindsey tweeted about the casting of Depp and tagged Rowling at the end. @hobbitlindsey wrote, "So if I understand correctly the actor who played Crabbe, a minor character, was fired from Harry Potter for doing drugs. Yet Johnny Depp, who abused his wife, gets a major role in your movies? Correct me if I'm wrong @jk_rowling" Then, this morning, the user tweeted again stating that the author had blocked her.
So if I understand correctly the actor who played Crabbe, a minor character, was fired from Harry Potter for doing drugs. Yet Johnny Depp, who abused his wife, gets a major role in your movies? Correct me if I'm wrong @jk_rowling
— Lindsey (@hobbitlindsey) November 28, 2017
JK ROWLING BLOCKED ME pic.twitter.com/UaTkeqAMsW
— Lindsey (@hobbitlindsey) November 29, 2017
After @hobbitlindsey shared that she had been blocked, a few other Twitter users commented to say that the same had happened to them. Although some of the users did include screenshots as proof that they were blocked by the author, we still can't be sure of the exact reason Rowling chose to block them.
I feel this pic.twitter.com/NZV0Q1A5sH
— Safna? (@aphillester) November 29, 2017
Me too pic.twitter.com/doftrttvsq
— arte das treva (@expelialbus) November 29, 2017
She blocked me too, same reason hahaha she just doesn't know how to respond to critics about Depp in Fantastic Beasts.
— Carol ‡ (@StaleysGirl) November 29, 2017
Considering Rowling's impressive track record for speaking out against injustice on Twitter, these claims are disappointing for fans. Still, there may be something else going on here that we don't know about yet. We'll be anxiously waiting to see if Rowling does eventually address the Depp casting issue head on.