Paul Bettany on Johnny Depp Texts: 'Haven't Spoken Since'

Paul Bettany has recently addressed his current relationship with Johnny Depp, emphasizing a significant distance that has grown between them over the years. Bettany revealed in an interview published October 15, 2026, that he had not spoken to Depp for years prior to their controversial text exchange being made public during Depp's legal battles.

These texts, originally sent between 2013 and 2014, resurfaced during Depp's libel case against The Sun in 2020 and later during his 2022 defamation trial against Amber Heard. Bettany expressed that being portrayed as a close friend to someone he hadn't spoken to in years was particularly strange amid the highly publicized legal disputes.

Bettany explained his decision to remain silent on the matter, attributing it to his public perception and the quiet nature of his personal life. He believed that his long marriage and generally low-profile existence would lead others to view the situation as inconsequential.

Previously, Bettany had described the emergence of these texts as akin to pouring 'fuel on the fire' of Depp's legal challenges. He conveyed the unpleasantness of having lawyers scrutinize a decade's worth of private communications. During the 2022 trial, Depp had testified that the texts, which referenced burning Amber Heard, were a jest related to a Monty Python sketch.