The Pottermore Correspondent Talks “Fantastic Beasts” Stunts

Adding to her exclusive glimpses into the world of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Pottermore Correspondent met with stunt coordinator Eunice Huthart to discuss some of the stunts that she has had to choreograph for the upcoming film, one of which involves suspending actor Eddie Redmayne into the air.

Aside from being described by the Pottermore Correspondent as having “one of the coolest jobs in the world,” Eunice Huthart is a respected stunt coordinator in the film industry and has worked on blockbuster films for years. Her team of 12 stunt professionals accompanies her on every job, and Huthart herself did Angelina Jolie’s stunts for 12 years straight. (Jolie’s father, actor Jon Voight, will be appearing in Fantastic Beasts.)

Judging by their conversation, it sounds like Eddie Redmayne is just as fearless with his stunts as Newt Scamander is with his beasts. Huthart says,

Eddie’s great. We just tell Eddie what to do, and he does it.

She adds,

I have never had to talk him into doing anything. Eddie’s just like, ‘Come on, guys, what are we doing now? Bigger, faster, harder!’ It’s more a case of me telling him, ‘Eddie, we can’t do that!’ We need to make sure he can work tomorrow, you know.

Huthart says that Jolie is the same way and voices,

It’s so much fun working with people like [Angelina] and Eddie.

In the middle of her interview with the Pottermore Correspondent, Huthart was interrupted by the presence of director David Yates. Apologizing to the PMC, she explains,

My whole job is delivering what David thinks up, so I have to pick my moments and just bombard him with 200 questions whenever I can. It helps me set the action for this film especially, because it’s so character-based.

She continues, explaining how the action in Fantastic Beasts differs from the action seen in some other films:

We’re not just doing action for action’s sake here; we are doing it in character. Some of the stunts on this film are great. I’m just here the whole time thinking, ‘I get to work with David Yates, how lucky am I?’ It’s mental.

The Pottermore Correspondent also teased that Huthart divulged some of the “daring, spectacular, funny, impressive, dangerous stunts” that viewers can expect to see in Fantastic Beasts, although the stunts in question were not revealed.

Are you looking forward to seeing the stunts in Fantastic Beasts? What are you hoping to see? Would you be as daring as Eddie Redmayne? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!