Jude Law builds a new Dumbledore with some help from JK Rowling

When Jude Law met JK Rowling about portraying the younger version of Albus Dumbledore, the two discussed how to rebuild the character from the Harry Potter films.

Law spent an afternoon jotting down notes as Rowling talked to him about Dumbledore’s life before becoming the world’s most powerful wizard. The actor walked away with a vote of confidence from the author, alleviating some pressure on him. “When the boss says ‘I like you,’ it gives you a little bit of comfort,” Law said of Rowling, screenwriter of the Harry Potter spinoff series, based on her 2001 book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. ‘‘When the creator gives you the thumbs up, it’s a blessing.”

For research, Law read several Harry Potter books that referenced Dumbledore, rather than solely watching the previous films featuring the elder character. With the help of Rowling and director David Yates, they wanted to build from the “ground up.”

The sequel picks up after Grindelwald was captured by the Magical Congress of the United States of America with the aid of Newt at the end of the first film. Law says the film opens the door to many dramatic paths and explores a more troubled time in Dumbledore’s life along with his once-close relationship with Grindelwald.

Rowling announced in 2007 that Dumbledore is gay after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the series. Law assures the story is more focused on his character’s complicated relationship with Grindelwald from decades ago, rather than Dumbledore’s sexuality.

“His sexuality doesn’t define him, but the relationship with Grindelwald does,” Law said. “He’s now in his middle age, around my age 45, and he’s still recovering from a relationship that he’s trying to work out from when he was 20. That’s a long time. I could barely remember what life was like when I was 20.”

Actor Jude Law in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald