Zoë Kravitz: Leta Lestrange Is “Not Who You Think She Is”
More news about Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald means more tantalizing questions for fans. Leta Lestrange’s engagement to Newt Scamander’s older brother, Theseus Scamander, makes one question Leta’s family ties and the type of man Theseus must be. We know he is a war hero and has a wicked wand stint in the trailer, but what does the engagement reveal? Does this mean Theseus is the type of man who would run with the Lestrange crowd, or does it bode well for Leta to affiliate with the Scamanders? We can safely assume that the Lestrange family has a dark reputation from the information gleaned from the Harry Potter books and Queenie Goldstein’s off-hand comment about the family in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. After seeing Bellatrix Lestrange in action, how can your stomach not squirm a little when the foreboding surname is mentioned? Therefore, Leta’s presence in Crimes of Grindelwald begs the following question: Who is Leta Lestrange? What sort of Lestrange is she? We know she didn’t fit in at school and befriended a kindred spirit who was a Hufflepuff. We know that Newt was besotted with her. If we trust Newt’s judgment, she can’t be that bad. Can she?
Zoë Kravitz was interviewed at San Diego Comic-Con 2018 and asked the question “What is something about Leta that you want the world to know?” Kravitz replied, “The thing about Leta that I want the world to know is that she isn’t what you think she is.” Watch the video below!
With the information accumulated about Leta, I would currently assume that she’s a bit of a reckless troublemaker who broke the heart of a good man – and is being inconsiderate by being engaged to his brother. Perhaps she “isn’t what you think she is” by combating her family’s negative reputation. There’s a possibility that she’s secretly in love with Newt. Is she desperately trying to cling to anything close to her old Hogwarts friend? Does she have good intentions but fails when acting on them? Is she a tragic figure like Draco Malfoy, uncertain when confronted with choosing between family and morals?
Maybe her engagement to Theseus isn’t what it seems. Or on the flip side, maybe her motivations for the engagement aren’t born out of love. Could she be an agent for Grindelwald, spying on his adversaries? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure – she will most likely be a complex character who will be interesting to watch – even if I want to curse her name for hurting a beloved character like Newt.
What do you think Kravitz could mean? Are you looking forward to Leta’s character arc? Let us know in the comments!