Paul Bettany says having graphic texts with Johnny Depp made public was ‘unpleasant’

Charlie Herbert

Depp and Bettany joked about burning and drowning Amber Heard to see if she was a witch

Marvel star Paul Bettany has said it was “unpleasant” when a text conversation between him and Johnny Depp was read out in court as part of Depp’s libel case against The Sun.

Pirates of the Caribbean star Depp sued the paper after they described him as a “wife beater” in his relationship with Amber Heard.

As part of the trial, a 2013 exchange between Bettany and Depp was read out during the hearing, in which the pair joked about Heard being a “witch.” The two actors have worked on three films together.

The actor, best known for playing Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, described it as a “strange moment” when the texts were read out.

In an interview with the Independent he said: “I think that’s a really difficult subject to talk about. And I think that I just pour fuel on the fire.

“It was very strange. It was a strange moment. What was strange about it was you suddenly have 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 was that it was an unpleasant feeling.”

The conversation that was read out in court started with Bettany and Depp joking about burning Heard to prove she wasn’t a witch.

Bettany then texted Depp: “Having thought about it, I don’t think we should burn Amber. She’s delightful company and easy on the eye, plus I’m not sure she’s a witch.

“We could of course try the English course of action in these predicaments – we do a drowning test. Thoughts? You have a swimming pool.”

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“Let’s drown her before we burn her!!!” Depp replied. “I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead.”

When the texts were read out, 58-year-old Depp said his “sense of humour is slightly skewed.”

Depp lost the lawsuit against The Sun, with the judge ruling that he assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in “fear of her life” three times.