“SpeakBeasty” Episode 145: “Newt’s Got the Moves”
On this episode of SpeakBeasty, join hosts Geoff and Marjolaine for an exclusive interview with Joshua Shea, the actor who portrayed a young Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
During our interview, Josh tells Geoff and Marjolaine all about his audition process. He says he had a suspicion that he was auditioning for a young Newt but didn’t have confirmation of that fact until quite a ways into the process. Josh was as starstruck as any one of us would be when he met Eddie Redmayne for the first time, but he says the Oscar winner was gracious and had lengthy conversations with him about Newt’s character.
Josh also dropped a big piece of insider information. Apparently, in an early version of the script for the second film, young Newt and Leta were supposed to kiss! Josh says that detail was cut prior to filming because he and Eddie decided it was out of character for Newt to be very intimate in a school-aged relationship. Josh says he believes Newt and Leta had a loving connection but not a very physically intimate one. Ultimately, it was decided to have them brush hands instead.
When it came to filming scenes with creatures and other magical elements, Josh says he was astonished by the expertise on set in the form of movement experts, puppeteers, and contortionists. He explains how he was coached through hand movements when holding a Bowtruckle.
While Josh doesn’t know what the future might hold for Newt, he can confirm we won’t be seeing flashbacks of his past in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Josh says he does not appear in the next film, but he does not rule out any future appearances.
This week’s podcast question is “What part of Newt’s past would you like to see more of?” Send us your thoughts and theories at SpeakBeasty@gmail.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
You can find our show on Patreon, where supporters enjoy access to exclusive content, early episode releases, and other perks. The full video recording of our interview with Joshua Shea will be available exclusively to our Patreon supporters.
