Transcript of interview taken on the set of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – all copyright to Warner Bros.
– On FB3’s Plot Points
“So, the wizarding world is in turmoil. Grindelwald has risen through the ranks of politics and amassed a greater following, and is therefore a greater threat. Dumbledore has had to draw on his team of faithful friends, and there are some new additions to that team, and hatch a plan that will stop Grindelwald taking full power and realising his dream of creating a world in which the pureblood wizards dominate the no-maj’s, or the muggles.”
– On Dumbledore’s Character
“It’s pretty unique playing a character who has such a rich backstory and future story already in existence that you can draw on, and it felt very much in the last film that I was able to tap into that momentarily, but this time we really get to examine and explore who Albus is, and certainly what motivates him, and key moments of his past. And it’s an interesting time in his life, you know I think I said this last time – the man that we all grew to love through the Harry Potter films is not fully formed yet, so what we’re getting to see is an Albus going through big emotional and life-changing decisions and situations.”
– On Working With Mads Mikkelsen
“When I tell you that Mads is just the nicest guy, I am not on auto-repeat. He stepped in out of a complicated scenario and was just a phenomenal team player; came on board and brings such a natural sense of intellect, sophistication, swagger, attraction, attractiveness, and a complexity.”
– On Working With David Yates
“David’s input has been pretty seismic, really, and so you’re aware that it’s connected always to the bigger picture and the tome of work, if you like. But he has a very gentle and very collaborative, inclusive approach, and always has time, I think, for the minutiae, whether it’s what you’re wearing, how you look, and then indeed from my perspective, what’s going on emotionally. We can be on huge, huge sets with a vast number of people interacting, or involved in front of or behind the camera, and he’ll give you so much time to make sure you’re clear or happy or fulfilled with just what’s going on in your head, the unseen but the felt. And he strings it all together with such a sense of clarity and ease that it’s sometimes easy to forget that he’s got a hundred different balls in the air that he’s juggling.”
– On Dumbledore’s Team
“Going back into the muggle world and encouraging Jacob Kowalski to come and join them, to have a muggle on side, and all that that brings with it – the naivety of the magic, the wizarding world, the lack of power in a way, but the size of heart. The fact that Jacob’s love for Queenie is in fact a powerful tool, almost more powerful than any of the magic that any one of us wizards or witches can wield. Newt as ever who has just a phenomenal moral compass. Theseus, who is both linked to Newt because of his loyalty as a brother, his love as a brother, but also his conflict as a brother.”
– On The Characters As Unlikely Heroes
“So all these people individually, they’re not hugely powerful, they’re not necessarily obvious in their command or status, but they all bring an individuality and a moral root that links them directly to the outcome of this mission.”
– On The Sets
“There are some extraordinary visual worlds and being here at the studios at the moment is like a kind of microcosm of the world being built – you wander over through sets of Bhutan, on to the wastes of mountains of China, on to the streets of New York, Berlin. It’s such an honour to be on a film of this scale when you have hundreds of extras in period costume, and trams and cars, and then the scale of the mountain sides that they’re building for the opening of the film, and, yeah the spectacle is extraordinary, as it is in all of their films.”
– On What Fans Will Like
“Like all the other stories, this one has more secrets, more revelations, and more opportunity for these characters to go on these personal journeys; whether it’s recognising or reiterating a friendship, or a connection with a loved one, or as I keep saying – recognising who one is ones self.”
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore will be available to buy on DVD/BluRay/4K from Monday July 25th.
