Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald director David Yates was widely criticized when he said Albus Dumbledore’s sexuality would not be “explicitly” explored in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who revealed in 2007 that “Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald,” later responded to the uproar, tweeting, “Being sent abuse about an interview that didn’t involve me, about a screenplay I wrote but which none of the angry people have read, which is part of a five-movie series that’s only one installment in, is obviously tons of fun, but you know what’s even *more* fun.” (Mute.) But until an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on Tuesday, we hadn’t heard from the Young Dumbledore himself, Jude Law.
When asked about the “uproar,” Law replied, “Jo Rowling revealed some years back that Dumbledore was gay. That was a question I actually asked Jo and she said, yes, he’s gay. But as with humans, your sexuality doesn’t necessarily define you; he’s multifaceted. I suppose the question is: How is Dumbledore’s sexuality depicted in this film?” The Captain Marvel star continued, “What you got to remember this is only the second Fantastic Beasts film in a series and what’s brilliant about Jo’s writing is how she reveals her characters, peels them to the heart over time. You’re just getting to know Albus in this film, and there’s obviously a lot more to come. We learn a little about his past in the beginning of this film, and characters and their relationships will unfold naturally which I’m excited to reveal. But we’re not going to reveal everything all at once.”
The most striking thing about Law’s interview isn’t his non-committal answer to whether Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s relationship will be explored or his later disclosure that he hasn’t met co-star Johnny Depp yet — it’s the reminder that there are going to be five Fantastic Beasts movies. Maybe Law, Yates, and Rowling are onto something when they say they’ll get to Dumbledore’s sexually eventually… maybe. Gotta fill time between Niffler scenes somehow.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
