Johnny Depp, a successful Hollywood actor, joined the Harry Potter franchise as Gellert Grindelwald without even reading the script. He was a huge fan of the franchise and watched the movies with his kids. Depp praised J.K. Rowling for creating a whole new universe and set of rules, and he knew some of the actors from the movie series. However, his role in the franchise was short-lived due to allegations of abuse made against him by his ex-wife, Amber Heard. After losing the UK Libel Case, Warner Bros. asked him to resign, and Mads Mikkelsen replaced him as Grindelwald.