Jude Law Is Excited to Delve into Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s Past

Jude Law may love to talk about Nifflers, but he is also very excited to explore the complicated relationship between Albus Dumbledore and the Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the future installments of Fantastic Beasts. This week during the cast’s press events at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, Law discussed his outlook on Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s past and how it still affects these characters during the events of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Law began by addressing a line spoken by his character in a brief, recently released clip the film – a line he found “incredibly important” to Dumbledore’s development. The two were “closer than brothers.”

I read a couple drafts where it was in, it was out, and I really thought that it should be in. His sexuality doesn’t define him, his relationship with Grindelwald does, and it’s a complicated but really interesting element of the character. I think it’s handled really well in this one, and obviously, there’s a lot more to come; there’s a lot more to be revealed as to what exactly it was about their relationship and how it ended that scarred them both or projected them both in such opposite directions.

Law praises J.K. Rowling’s intricate storytelling and adds that his detailed discussions with her were beneficial in giving him the best idea of the beloved character he was portraying. He insinuates that Dumbledore is deeply damaged by some element of his and Grindelwald’s relationship, and he knew the underlying hints of his youth were a key to the man Dumbledore is.

I mean, here’s the interesting thing: he’s a middle-aged man, my age, and he’s still affected by a relationship he had 25 years ago, so clearly he had some kind of a scar because it meant so much. So all of those little layers are in there. They have to be, because I think if you’re putting together a character, then you have to look at the moments in their lives, the pivotal moments in their lives, the pivotal people in their lives, whether it’s parents, lack of parents, whether it’s friends or lack of friends, or relationships. All of those things are under the surface.

Law is “obviously, so excited” to collaborate with costar Johnny Depp in bringing the complex history of Dumbledore and Grindelwald to the silver screen. Although he has an idea as to where their story will be heading in the future, he believes “we’re all still slightly on tenterhooks just to see where [J.K. Rowling] takes us.”

Ah, to be young and to feel love’s keen sting.