{
  "id": 15077219,
  "title": "Paul Bettany Says He Was Misrepresented as Johnny Depp’s ‘Close Friend’ During Amber Heard Trial: ‘Haven’t Spoken to Him Since’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/paul-bettany-says-he-was-misrepresented-as-johnny-depps-close-friend",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-17T00:27:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TheWrap",
    "slug": "thewrap",
    "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/culture-lifestyle/culture/paul-bettany-misrepresented-johnny-depp-close-friend/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent interview, actor Paul Bettany addressed a past controversy involving his interactions with actor Johnny Depp during the 2020 libel trial against The Sun. During the trial, Depp and Bettany exchanged texts, with Depp jokingly suggesting a \"drowning test\" to determine if Amber Heard was a witch. Bettany has clarified that he was not Depp's close friend during this time, and had not spoken to him in years. He stated, \"I hadn't spoken to Johnny in years when that happened, and I haven't spoken to him since. I was being painted as this close friend of a guy I hadn't spoken to in years and, honestly, amid all the s–t two celebrities threw at each other, that bit was the most odd.\" Bettany, who has maintained a relatively controversy-free career, expressed that he chose not to speak up at the time, as he believed people already knew him and left the matter alone. The incident occurred during Depp's lawsuit against The Sun for libel over a story that labeled him as a \"wife-beater,\" a case he ultimately lost.",
  "summary": "The \"VisionQuest\" star calls the period in which his text exchange surfaced a \"very interesting time\" The post Paul Bettany Says He Was Misrepresented as Johnny Depp’s ‘Close Friend’ During Amber Heard Trial: ‘Haven’t Spoken to Him Since’ appeared first on TheWrap .",
  "key_points": [
    "Paul Bettany denied being Johnny Depp's close friend during Amber Heard trial.",
    "Bettany hadn't spoken to Depp in years at the time of the controversy.",
    "Actor chose to remain silent about the incident at the time."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Bettany's clarification highlights how celebrity associations can be weaponized during high-profile legal battles to create false narratives about personal relationships that do not actually exist.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}