Dumbledore’s sexuality is ‘clear’ in Fantastic Beasts 2, director confirms
Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore
The sexuality of Harry Potter character Albus Dumbledore will be “clear” in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel, the film’s director has said.
JK Rowling made headlines in 2007 when she revealed that Harry Potter’s beloved Hogwarts headmaster is gay.
A young version of the character is set to make a return in upcoming prequel film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, but in January director David Yates said the character would not be portrayed as “explicitly gay” in the film despite Dumbledore’s rumoured relationship with its antagonist, the dark wizard Grindelwald.
Subsequently released trailers did include shots appearing to confirm a romance between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, leaving fans baffled by Yates’ initial remarks.
Jude Law as Dumbledore (Warner Bros)
In an interview with Empire magazine released this week, Yates attempted to clarify his previous words and stated that the character’s sexuality will be “clear” in the film.
He said: “In that earlier interview, I didn’t say Dumbledore’s not gay. He is.
“This part of this huge narrative that Jo is creating doesn’t focus on his sexuality, but we’re not airbrushing or hiding it… the story [of the romantic relationship] isn’t there in this particular movie but it’s clear in what you see… that he is gay.
“A couple of scenes we shot are very sensual moments of him and the young Grindelwald.”
Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) looks into the Mirror of Erised and sees himself with Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp)
Yates also directly confirmed that the relationship between the two characters will be central to later instalments of the planned five-film franchise.
He said: “The story [of this film] is about other things, fundamentally, but the story of Grindelwald and Dumbledore, going forward, that is the story.
“I think people just have to wait and see and appreciate that in movies to come that relationship will be explored much more fully.”
Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore
The Empire interviewer notes that Fantastic Beasts 2 is set in the 1920s, when homosexuality was criminalised in the real-life muggle world.
While Yates says he isn’t sure on whether the in-universe wizarding community at the time would hold the same views about LGBT+ people, he adds that “Dumbledore is not out [to the other characters] as a gay man in this film.”
Whether he’s ‘out’ or not though, trailers for the film are pretty clear on the matter, showing Dumbledore gazing into the Mirror of Erised—an object that shows a person their heart’s truest desire—and seeing Grindelwald gazing back.
The final trailer, released September 25, included a further shot of an even younger version of Dumbledore (Toby Regbo) and Grindelwald (Jamie Campbell Bower) with their hands pressed together.
Young Grindelwald (Jamie Campbell Bower) and Dumbledore (Toby Regbo)
Jude Law, who is set to play the young Dumbledore, also confirmed to Empire that the relationship would be given its time in the spotlight in future films.
He said: “People are very passionate about these stories and that particular topic doesn’t just deal with the characters in the book but people in real life dealing with their sexual orientation… so I can understand why it was emotionally charged.
“I know the full story. This is part two. There’s more to come.”
The full interview is available in November’s issue of Empire.
