Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Interviews – Ezra MillerPosted by Wilson Morales
November 9, 2016
Hitting theaters in 3D and IMAX on November 18, 2016 from Warner Bros. is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, an all-new adventure returning us to the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling.
Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) stars in the central role of wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates, who helmed the last four “Harry Potter” blockbusters.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” also stars Katherine Waterston as Tina; Tony Award winner Dan Fogler as Jacob; Alison Sudol as Tina’s sister, Queenie; Ezra Miller as Credence; two-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton as Mary Lou; Oscar winner Jon Voight as Henry Shaw, Sr.; Ron Perlman as Gnarlak; Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina; Jenn Murray as Chastity; young newcomer Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty; and Colin Farrell as Percival Graves.
The film marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose beloved Harry Potter books were adapted into the top-grossing film franchise of all time. Her script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by her character Newt Scamander.
While doing interviews for the films, Ezra Miller talked about his experience on the film and meeting J.K. Rowling.
What did you pilfer from the shoot?
Ezra Miller: I took a hat. I took one of Queenie’s (Alison Sudol) jackets because that jacket is just slaying. It is a good color on me. I got a Niffler toy. Anything I could get Niffler related, I wanted. That’s what I told them from the start. I want all your nifore merchandise. I also got a very soft blanket but I didn’t take a wand. My wand, I like them made out of some real wood; works better.
Was this a physically demanding role?
EM: It crept up on me. I thought I had it under control and then we took a little break around Christmas time and I couldn’t let parts go. There were certain physical cues when I think about someone who carries trauma in their body. I talked to some people who work as professionals responding to cases of domestic abuse and child abuse. They say there is a common physicality so I think instinctively his shoulders were collapsed on his chest. My shoulder was stuck and I couldn’t get my chest to open back up. I noticed when my mind went adrift I would suddenly start feeling very sad. The choreography was codified by Wayne McGregor who choreographs a lot of ballet and opera for the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera in London. He’s also done Radiohead videos and he’s this amazing guy.
He’s worked with some of the various (Harry Potter) actors. I think he worked with Ralph Fiennes on developing Voldemoort’s wand language. By the end especially some of the more demanding stuff which we did, there are these moments where the entity is billowing forth and maybe making his last attempts to contain it, and in the film that goes on with visual effects. But on the day I would just play those moments out and would embody that even just for the benefit of the other actors or the background workers who had to run away from something scary there’s a lot of times I would just stand on the street and take on this weird choreography and yell. By the end it took it’s toll. My voice was going hoarse where I would do this gutteral screaming. There were some physical pains but well worth it. I’d do it again in a second!
What was your experience working with the other actors?
EM: Working with Colin (Farrell) was an amazing experience. When we first started the scene work it was so powerful and creepy that we would walk out of the room and try to shake off the creepiness.
I could not have anticipated how sexy the dynamic is between Dan (Fogler) and Alison (Sudol). That was like, ‘oh my gosh!’ I felt a little uncomfortable in the seat. I just thought that dynamic stole the show in such spectacular ways. The idiosyncracies of the four performances, the leading quartet (Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Katherine Waterston as Porpentina Goldstein, Fogler as Jacob Kowalski and Sudol as Queenie Goldstein) was beyond anything I could’ve anticipated even knowing these people and knowing how devoted to their work they are. I think the way that it came together is very unique and very successful. I was very pleasantly surprised by how amazingly dynamic that quartet plays in the film. I think people will fall very deeply in love with those four people and want to stay with them.
Who do you still keep in touch with?
EM: I developed a really good relationship with Samantha Morton. Her and her partner did produce some live acoustic videos that my band did and Colleen Atwood actually did our costumes with backlot 1920s wizarding clothes.
Did you get to pick J.K. Rowling’s brain?
EM: Being in her presence was just sufficent for me. I tried to stop it but you can’t stop all of it! The filter can only be so full proof and then things start to bubble up. She sees it all, she’s omnipotent. She’s the God of this universe. It’s incredible the awareness of detail and side stories that we as an audience will never know about. There’s too much for her to possibly tell us. Just to sit next to her and absorb all of this information that she has reaching out in every direction regarding every character she’s ever incorporated into this world. She can tell you about Olive Hornby’s year at Hogwarts. It’s so impressive. She gave me some secrets.
Final Trailer
Ezra Miller Explains the ‘Harry Potter’ Connection in ‘Fantastic Beasts’
Clip – Welcome To New York
Clip – Setting Dangerous Creatures Loose
Clip – Newt vs the Niffler
Clip – Giggle
Clip – Bowtruckle
Clip – Case Full Of Monsters
Clip – Just A Smidge
Clip – Strudel
Featurette
