How Johnny Depp Got Paid $16M For a Movie He Did Not Appear In Once
Now that's how you make a bank.
Summary:
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third film in the Harry Potter spin-off franchise.
- The film was released in 2022 and did not include a single scene with Johnny Depp.
- However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. was contractually obligated to pay him around $16 million for the cutout role.
We have all been guilty of wondering how much money certain celebrities make for their roles and how they negotiate those checks with the production. While the A-list stars usually take a fixed payment with an additional percentage of the film's profits, the terms for younger stars may be more flexible.
Rarely, however, is there a case where the star was paid not to appear in a movie rather than put the work into it. Situations may vary, but one of the most notable is the case of Johnny Depp, who allegedly filmed a scene for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, never appeared on screen, but still received his $16 million paycheck.
Although the details of the matter are not public, according to The Hollywood Reporter, this was the price Warner Bros. had to pay for working with the actor in the midst of domestic abuse allegations from Amber Heard.
Why Wasn’t Johnny Depp In Fantastic Beasts 3?
Back in 2016, when Amber Heard's first allegations against Johnny Depp had just surfaced and the story began to take over the media like a storm, not everyone was ready to drop the actor from their projects. In particular, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. were among the studios that continued to work together.
In 2018, Depp was brought out to promote the second film of the Harry Potter fantasy prequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. At the same time, the studio continued to work with Heard, as she was involved in the production of Aquaman. This has caused backlash from both sides of the audience, but hasn't stopped executives.
Allegedly approved by J.K. Rowling herself, Depp was brought into the third film in the franchise on a contract that did not include a morality clause. It was precisely this move that cost the studio around $16 million in payments for the actor, who barely set foot on the set and had to be erased from the film itself.
Though the cost was likely covered by the $407 million the film made at the box office, doubling its budget, it didn't save the franchise from a huge reputational hit. Not only did Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is not only the least profitable movie of the entire franchise, it's also the worst reviewed, sitting at 46% on Rotten Tomatoes.
If you still want to give the magical story a chance, you can stream all three films in the franchise on Peacock or Max.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter