FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY
Actor says Rowling has one of ‘greatest imaginative minds of 21st century’
When Eddie Redmayne met with J.K. Rowling about portraying magizoologist Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts — a spinoff of her Harry Potter films — he knew that despite all its magic, he was entering a universe filled with plenty of darkness.
“When I first spoke to Jo, she didn’t tell me what the story was going to be over the entire narrative arc, but it became clear it was going to be about the rise of (evil wizard leader) Gellert Grindelwald (played by Johnny Depp) leading up to the duel between Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald,” he says.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second part of a five-film series that started with 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The new film, written by Rowling and directed by David Yates, sees Hogwarts professor Dumbledore linking up with his former student Scamander to halt the rise of the divisive Grindelwald. Q One of the things that caught me right off the bat is the film is a lot darker — in a good way. Were you surprised by the direction that J.K. went in for this sequel?
A I wasn’t, actually. The first film was a kind of romp in which we established the characters and the creatures. There was a joyous quality to it. Now that that groundwork has been set, this film sees those people being tested and the stakes being ratcheted up. The new picture still has the whimsy and wonder, but what’s at stake for the characters has really heightened.
Q Newt is different in this film. He’s lost some of his innocence and at one point in the film he tells his brother, “I don’t do sides.” How has he changed?
A What I think is interesting for me is how Jo has written a protagonist who is not usual. He doesn’t have machismo, he doesn’t have sensational wit, but to his core he’s a good person and a moral person. As Dumbledore says, he tends to do the right thing. The question he faces, though, is by being an outsider his whole life, he’s created this type of exoskeleton in which he can exist. But is it good enough to be morally upstanding, or does there come a point where you have to lead by example and make choices and engage? For me, that’s kind of what the stakes are for him in this film. When the world around you is deteriorating in such a way, at what point do you engage?
Q What sets Gellert Grindelwald apart from Lord Voldemort?
A I think the key to Johnny Depp’s brilliance in the film is he charms. Grindelwald is charming and he is seductive, and at moments he speaks extraordinary logic as he pits people against one another and creates this sense of the other. He’s wonderfully charismatic doing this. At the same time, you see why people are being seduced by him. Johnny played that exceptionally. Voldemort had a more overt sense of cruelty or evil to him; there’s a charm to Johnny’s Grindelwald and that makes him even more disconcerting.
Q How was it to work with Jude Law?
A Jude probably felt the weight of fans’ expectations, but he wore it very lightly on set. I just felt that the role fit him like a glove, and it was such fun to get to play with him.
Q What’s it been like for you to be part of this new magical world J.K. Rowling has created in the Fantastic Beasts films?
A I think the thing with Jo is, she has one of the greatest imaginative minds of the 21st century. What the great artists have are these antennas that are super sensitive to things that are going on in society long before we can feel them. She wrote this script three years ago, and it seems to be holding a mirror as to where we are right now in some ways. At the same time, she’s reminding us of our history and that notion of repeating history.
Q We’re in the second film of a planned five-movie story arc. Where is the series headed?
A I had a long discussion before we made the first film and another before this one, and whenever there’s something I want to know more about, Jo has a fully-realized world in her mind. So she’s absolutely thorough in explaining anything you need to know. But she surprises the cast along with everyone else with where it’s going. I love that.
Q Are you looking forward to the third instalment?
A What’s exciting is you don’t know what you’re going to have to confront until the script arrives. I was with some of the cast the other day when we heard (Rowling) had said that the next film will be set in Rio de Janeiro. We heard that when the rest of the world did.