It all started with a slightly clandestine meeting with David Yates about an unknown project. This was around Christmas time in the basement of a hidden little club in Soho, London, and there was a roaring fire. I knew that David had made the Harry Potter films, and during our meeting he began to reveal things about a screenplay that J.K. Rowling was writing. Sitting by the fire as he was telling the story, I was completely hypnotised.
Over the next year we would meet and he would gently tease me with more and more of J.K. Rowling’s ideas. I became so invested in the story, hearing all these updates of what was going on in Newt’s world, that when I was then cast I was elated. I finally got to read the script and I was astounded. J.K. Rowling had managed to encompass elements of a thriller, comedy, romance: different genres almost, and yet it was all woven together with such delicacy and was powerful emotionally. It actually had me sobbing.
What is wonderful for me in what J.K. Rowling has written, and what director David Yates has done when adapting her words, is their absolute conviction to the realness of the wizarding world.
One of my clearest memories was the day that David said, ‘Eddie, pick a wand.’ It was this extraordinarily magical moment. It sounds absurd but I felt like being a nine-year-old at Christmas. It was funny because, there I was, holding this thing – this was the moment my inner nine-year-old had been waiting for my whole life, and I had absolutely no idea what to do! Not a clue. I felt ridiculously self-conscious and got complete stage fright.
In the end I went back and watched many of Daniel, Emma and Rupert’s moments in the Potter films and looked at what their ‘wand-work’ was like. They were pretty inspiring, I must say. I may have thieved a few ideas.
After years of secretly thinking I might be able to blag a part in the Weasley clan – being borderline ginger – it was wonderful to be able to jump into this world. But what was particularly great was to fall in love with my character specifically. Newt isn’t easy. He doesn’t ask for people’s approval; he can be a bit hard and he marches to the beat of his own drum, but there is also a childlike quality to him, and you can hopefully sense from his relationship with the beasts that he has a great heart.
The whole experience of getting to play Newt was a complete riot. I’ll never forget one scene on top of the department store with this gigantic winged creature called an Occamy. Basically, the Occamy goes a wee bit crazy and lifts Newt up onto its back. When we shot it I was suspended in the air riding some kind of massive green bucking bronco (because the creature will be added later, digitally) shouting about insects and teapots, with cameras soaring around me left, right and everywhere. It felt totally, totally surreal. But, touch wood, it will end up looking pretty thrilling.
Entering the wizarding world, the world of J.K.’s imagination, has superseded all the fantastical expectations that I had already had. I truly count myself a lucky, lucky man.
Eddie Redmayne
In the summer of 2011, with the release of the eighth and final Harry Potter film, I closed the book on one of the most fulfilling chapters of my career, having spent more than a decade immersed in the wizarding world, created by the brilliant Jo Rowling. Little could I have imagined then that, just a few years later, I would be returning to that world for a new adventure, called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
I will admit to feeling mildly apprehensive when Jo first announced that she was writing the screenplay for the film. Her genius as a novelist is without question; nevertheless, being an inspired author and an accomplished screenwriter don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand. As soon as I began reading her script, however, my concerns evaporated. Her gift for creating vivid, enchanting characters, and for drawing the reader into engaging stories with true thematic depth, resonated on every page.
With this original screenplay, Jo has brought to Fantastic Beasts a number of the elements that have made Harry Potter so beloved. Her script is filled with the endless wonder and magic of the wizarding world; it delivers the same fun and thrilling adventure; and it weaves in rich, timeless themes that are both touching and thought-provoking—the fear of others that comes with a divided world; the feeling of being an outsider in search of a family; the need to be true to oneself. And yet this film is utterly fresh and distinct; offering untold surprises to the most dedicated of Harry Potter fans. It takes us far away from the insular world of Hogwarts into new and unexplored corners of this magical world: to the vibrant streets of 1926 New York, where wizards and witches exist in secret; and to the depths of Newt’s magical case, filled with the weird and wonderful creatures he has gathered from around the globe – each with their own distinct personality. Our main characters are not teenagers: they are adults. And yet they are still innocents struggling with the challenges of finding their place in the world.
In bringing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to the screen, I was delighted to reunite with many of my Harry Potter colleagues, including my fellow producers Steve Kloves, Lionel Wigram and, of course, Jo Rowling. And the only director we wanted at the helm was the extraordinary David Yates. Amidst the magic, he brings truth to every moment and finds the humanity in every character. His ambition to push the envelope drives us all to be our best.
In the pages that follow, you will meet all the artists and artisans that worked tirelessly on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It is an all-access look behind the scenes at the making of the film, showcasing the talent and dedication of everyone involved.
We invite you to come along on the journey; to begin this new adventure …
David Heyman