Eddie Redmayne shares details of his experience using a wand for the first time in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The film is a spin-off of the Harry Potter franchise and tells the story of Newt Scamander, a British magizoologist who must confront the dark forces haunting the wizarding community of New York City. In the film, Newt travels from London to New York with a suitcase full of magical creatures, and when they escape, he enlists the help of No-Maj Jacob to retrieve them.
The story is set in 1926, seventy years before the events of the Harry Potter books take place. Redmayne plays the eccentric protagonist Newt Scamander and is joined by a cast that includes Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller, Katherine Waterston and Dan Fogler. The Fantastic animals franchise has expanded and now includes two other films: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s Secrets.
In a recent conversation with Variety, Redmayne spoke about his career so far and shared interesting anecdotes about filming the Fantastic animals movies. According to the actor, he absolutely loved Newt from the moment he first read the script because he was such a passionate, eccentric and unique character. Redmayne also shared that he had a lot of freedom when it came to providing his input and working with director David Yates during filming. However, the British actor said there were challenges playing a wizard:
When we started the first Fantastic animals, there were things that were very stressful. Like, having a wand is like your childhood dream, but suddenly you get to see this thing and you get complete stage fright. I have no idea what to do with it. So the wand school was created, and the apparition school. Like this feeling when you have to disappear into the fog. But then you got really blasé about that stuff and the kind of mundaneness of having a wand. But then the joy of those movies was to see new actors come in and get their wands and see the inner child reveal itself to everyone and everyone, no matter how extraordinary the actor was.
What’s next for Eddie Redmayne
Redmayne said it was incredible to work with such an international cast, and he has fond memories of working with Waterston, Fogler and Alison Sudol. However, after Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore underperformed at the box office, a fourth film in the franchise seems unlikely at this point. But that doesn’t mean Redmayne hasn’t kept herself busy.
The Oscar winner stars in the recently released Netflix movie The good nurse. Based on a true story, Redmayne plays serial killer Charlie Cullen, a registered nurse who worked at nine hospitals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and became one of the most prolific serial killers in America. The actor received critical acclaim for his stellar performance along with his co-star Jessica Chastain. The status of the Fantastic animals franchise is currently up in the air, though, and while Redmayne will certainly continue to deliver impressive performances, it’s unclear if he’ll be donning Newt Scamander’s wand again.
Source: Variety
