Veteran British actor Helena Bonham Carter has come to the defense of her collaborators Johnny Depp and J.K. Rowling in a recent interview published in The Times. In the interview, Bonham Carter lashed out strongly against cancel culture, which has been people being accused of sexual abuse or domestic violence, or even if they have steered away from a particular narrative.
Bonham Carter has termed the latest cancel culture trend a “witch hunt” and believes it stems from a “lack of understanding.” She further said, “Do you ban a genius for their sexual practices? There would be millions of people who, if you looked closely enough at their personal life, you would disqualify them.”
The Fight Club actor believes that people like Kevin Spacey, who have been accused of sexual assault by multiple people, have no way of redemption. However, according to Bonham Carter, such is not the case with someone like Depp, who has won his libel trial against former wife Amber Heard.
“My view is that [Amber Heard] got on that pendulum,” she said regarding the #MeToo movement, and added, That’s the problem with these things — that people will jump on the bandwagon because it’s the trend and to be the poster girl for it.”
Bonham Carter and Depp are longtime collaborators, having worked together in films like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Dark Shadows.
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The 56-year-old actor also came to the defense of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, saying, I think she has been hounded”. She further added, “She’s allowed her opinion, particularly if she’s suffered abuse. Everybody carries their own history of trauma and forms their opinions from that trauma and you have to respect where people come from and their pain.”
Bonham Carter also alleged that the strong reactions against J.K. Rowling for her opinion piece where she referred to women as “people who menstruate”. Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson reacted against her remark, with the former writing, “Transgender women are women”.
Bonham, on her part, said, “I think there’s a lot of envy unfortunately and the need to tear people down that motors a lot of this cancelling.”
