Ian McKellen Praises Johnny Depp In Christmas Carol

by Natasha JokicBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffI'm a Senior Staff Writer at BuzzFeed covering pop culture, entertainment, and politics.

Warning: Discussion of domestic violence.

Well, Ian McKellen sure had some opinions about working with Johnny Depp in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol.

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It's Depp's first major Hollywood movie in almost eight years. In 2020, he lost his libel case against the Sun in the UK, after they called him a "wife beater." The judge found that the article was "substantially true" and that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, had occurred.

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In 2022, he went to trial against Heard in the US, where a jury found both were liable for defamation against the other — though significantly more damages were awarded to Depp, in what was largely considered a legal win. The jury was not sequestered and were allowed to keep their phones, as a bot-driven online campaign against Heard dominated the internet.

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Depp will be playing Ebenezer Scrooge in the upcoming Charles Dickens adaptation, which also stars McKellen, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, and Sam Claflin. It's not the only Christmas Carol movie in the works — in 2025, Deadline reported that Robert Eggers will be writing and directing a version.

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Speaking to Variety yesterday, McKellen said of Depp's performance, “He’s in spankingly good form. Effervescent, funny, irreverent, serious — all at the same time."

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"It was a bit of a love fest, really. I fell in love with him, really. He’s very obliging to his fellow actors. [There was] a wonderful feeling on the set," he continued.

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"So that was a treat. Only six days, but well worth it," the 86-year-old added. "I play a ghost."

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McKellen previously faced controversy in 2019, when his words on Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer were interpreted as a defense of their alleged abuse, claiming that it happened because the figures were "in the closet." He then apologized for the remarks, saying, "When it comes to abuse by people in positions of power, the correct response is clear. The accusers must be heard and the accused given the opportunity to clear their names. If the accusations prove credible, the abuser’s access to power should be removed."

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Well, I'm sure the comments are about to be very chill.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.

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