Johnny Depp has finally broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his casting in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Depp said he “felt bad” for J.K. Rowling, who had to field much of the backlash—and eventually write a statement saying she supported the actor.

“I’ll be honest with you, I felt bad for J.K. having to field all these various feelings from people out there,” Depp said. “I felt bad that she had to take that. But ultimately, there is real controversy.”

He also addressed the domestic-abuse allegations at the heart of the dispute. Back in 2016, before Depp was cast in the franchise, he was accused of domestic abuse by his then-wife Amber Heard. Photos were also leaked to the public of Heard with facial injuries that were allegedly caused by Depp. The actor, meanwhile, denied the claims of abuse, alleging that he was also a victim of abuse committed by Heard. The actress eventually dropped the allegations after their divorce was finalized, donating the money from her $7 million settlement to charity.

The scandal cast a grim shadow on Depp’s career, leaving fans outraged when he was later cast in Fantastic Beasts. In the E.W. interview, Depp once again denied Heard’s claims and said he was filing a lawsuit against British tabloid The Sun for repeating the abuse claims. In addition, he claimed Rowling has seen evidence that he was falsely accused, which is one of the reasons she released her statement in support of his casting.

“The fact remains I was falsely accused which is why I’m suing the Sun newspaper for defamation for repeating false accusations,” he said. “J.K. has seen the evidence and therefore knows I was falsely accused, and that’s why she has publicly supported me. She doesn’t take things lightly. She would not stand up if she didn’t know the truth. So that’s really it.”

Per E.W., Depp’s lawyer said that this supposed evidence will be presented in court next month in the Sun proceeding. Meanwhile, Heard’s team has fought back against Depp’s characterization of the situation. “Mr. Depp is shamefully continuing his psychological abuse of Ms. Heard, who has attempted to put a very painful part of her life firmly in her past,” her team said. “One need only look at the physical evidence to draw the proper conclusion.”