Jude Law Captured Everything Eddie Redmayne Loves About Dumbledore With Just One Look

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is among the most iconic and beloved characters, not only in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” book series, but in all of fantasy literature. And that some big robes to fill for Jude Law.

“It was a huge amount of responsibility,” Law said during a Q&A following an early fan screening of the new film “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” at Universal Studios Hollywood on Saturday. “He’s a beloved Potter character. But I thought I was given a little bit of freedom to interpret him myself and I hope I stepped up.”

Law’s fellow cast mate Eddie Redmayne, who plays the film’s lead, Newt Scamander, said during the Q&A that experiencing Law’s turn as Dumbledore for the first time was next to magical.

Also Read: 'Fantastic Beasts 2' on Pace to Match Original's Opening Weekend

“There was — the moment [Newt] sees Dumbledore and — it’s in the trailers — he’s on the ledge of St. Paul’s Cathedral and it starts with just Dumbledore’s back and when he turned and looked at me he somehow managed to encapsulate in one look everything that I’d always — it was that kind of gravitas, a little twinkle in the eye. It was Dumbledore right there in one look,” Redmayne said.

“That was all CGI,” Law joked. “I had a word with the guys in post production, I said up the twinkle and a little bit of gravitas.”

Law is the third actor to portray the Hogwarts Headmaster, following the likes of Richard Harris, who died after “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” was released, and Michael Gambon.

In Warner Bros.’ upcoming “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” Law plays a much younger version of Dumbledore, revealing secrets about one of the wizarding world’s most powerful characters — that fans of the books and movies have poured over for years.

Also Read: Jude Law Didn't Go to Wand School Before 'Fantastic Beasts 2,' So He Practiced With a Twig

Audiences meet Law’s Dumbledore in 1927, some 64 years prior to the events of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” He is Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, but still already at odds with the Ministry of Magic.

Fans of the books and films know Dumbledore to be a mysterious and secretive figure in the story, always keeping his past and how much he knows close to the the vest. “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” launches the long-awaited journey of exploring the events in Dumbledore’s past that made him the wizard audiences fell in love with in initial “Harry Potter” franchise.

Specifically, the film pulls the curtain back a little on the relationship between Dumbledore and the dark wizard Grindelwald, leading up to his famed defeat with alchemist Nicolas Flamel.

Also Read: Who the Hell Is Nagini, the Snake Woman in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'?

“It’s a defining part of his past,” Law said of Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s relationship. “Those who’ve seen the film know there’s a lot more to be revealed. But clearly this relationship was intense and intimate. It’s some 20 odd years in the past, even from this story and yet the two of them are still, well, traveling in the opposite direction, but carrying certain wounds.”

To be sure he had all the information necessary to properly fill Dumbledore’s robes, Law met with “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling, who also wrote the “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” screenplay.

The cast members who were in attendance after the screening seemed to agree Rowling even imbued Law with Dumbledore’s omniscient quality.

Also Read: No, Jude Law's Dumbledore Still Isn't 'Explicitly' Gay in 'Fantastic Beasts' Sequel

“Before I started it seemed the obvious thing to do and she was very generous with her time and gave me a kind of recap of, I think, everything we know from the books but with a little more detail and a little sense of where the character was going,” Law said, before Ezra Miller, who plays Credence Barebone in the film, interrupted, saying that Rowling told Law way more than she told the rest of them.

Redmayne chimed in that the rest of the cast was “spuriously jealous.”

“You’re Dumbledore, so you get to be weirdly omnipotent while we all struggle in the dark,” Miller said before Law admitted that Dumbledore is three beats ahead of everyone. “No, he’s three films ahead,” Miller joked.

All 9 JK Rowling Movie Adaptations Ranked From Worst to Best (Photos)

With the new Harry Potter prequel "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" set to expand the wizarding world's mythos, take a moment to gaze into the Pensieve and remind yourself of the series so far.
9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

The franchise didn't put its best foot forward, but Chris Columbus' "Sorcerer's Stone" -- which both detractors and admirers point to as being more faithful to its source material than any other Harry Potter movie, hence the protracted running time -- was only a momentary stumble. In hindsight, it's also something of a relief: The series gets so dark that starting off on a syrupy-sweet note feels like a small gift.
Warner Bros.
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 (2010)

Almost every Harry Potter film works better as part of a series than it does on its own, "Deathly Hallows — Part 1" especially. The first half of the finale has some of the franchise's most moving moments -- Hedwig, he hardly knew ye; you were a good elf, Dobby — but it simply doesn't function as a standalone film. It's also responsible for the unfortunate trend of splitting books into two or more movies, which has since been mimicked by "Twilight," "The Hunger Games" and "The Hobbit."
Warner Bros.
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

In some senses, "Order of the Phoenix" is a victim of its own success: Much of it revolves around Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), who's far and away the most hateable character in the franchise. David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies, occasionally lags on his way to the third act of his first outing. But that finale gives perhaps the most moving, complete sense of the life-and-death stakes of Harry and Voldemort's conflict.
Warner Bros.
6. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

The spinoff remains true to the spirit of its source material while also differentiating itself. Though we still don't know much about either our new hero, Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander, the film itself marks a welcome return to an immersive fictional world. Set in a time (the 1920s) and place (America) that Harry Potter never explored, "Fantastic Beasts" is worth seeking out.
Warner Bros.
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

What's sometimes forgotten about the sentimental first two films is that, unlike later entries, they feel like complete stories. "Chamber of Secrets" suffers from some of the same problems as its predecessor, but it also has the advantage of a more compelling, puzzle-like story. Voldemort takes on many forms throughout the series, and here, as a 16-year-old preserved in memory, he shows his most human face.
Warner Bros.
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

The true turning point in the series, "Goblet of Fire" makes good on the promise of "Sorcerer's Stone" that the innocent are the first victims. There were always signs that this is a darker world than it initially appears to be, but until the fourth book (and Mike Newell's film) the forces of evil are held at bay. Once loosed, things change forever.
Warner Bros.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 (2011)

That coda (which, to be fair, is lifted directly from the book) needs to go, and it makes little sense that a two-part film based on one book can't find the time to give three significant characters onscreen deaths. Even so, the final film expands the series' narrative frame and ties its threads together with true elegance — especially regarding Alan Rickman's Snape, who emerges here as Rowling's best, most tragic character.
Warner Bros.
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

The dynamic between Harry and Dumbledore finally moves to the fore in "Half-Blood Prince," a movie that enriches its own present-tense narrative by looking into the past and showing how it came to be. Tonally similar to the other late entries but narratively superior, it manages to come across as a self-contained work.
Warner Bros.
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Positioned between the sentimental entries directed by Chris Columbus and the bleaker chapters that followed, "Prisoner of Azkaban" achieves a near-perfect balance between light and dark, good and evil. It helps that the source material is so strong -- the arrival of Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and the Patronus charm are all highlights -- as does the fact that Alfonso Cuarón graced the series with his singular vision before directing "Children of Men" and "Gravity." It's the entire Harry Potter phenomenon in microcosm: coming of age but not yet fully grown, dark but not despairing, and a needed reminder that, even in trying times, a sense of wonderment is as powerful as any spell.
Warner Bros.

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How does ”Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them“ stack up to the rest of the Harry Potter onscreen saga?

With the new Harry Potter prequel "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" set to expand the wizarding world's mythos, take a moment to gaze into the Pensieve and remind yourself of the series so far.

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All 9 JK Rowling Movie Adaptations Ranked From Worst to Best (Photos)

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