October 19, 2018
'Fantastic Beasts' Star Ezra Miller Talks About Dumbledore's Homosexuality in New Movie
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
After much back-and-forth, actor Ezra Miller is commenting on the sexuality of the Harry Potter Dumbledore in the upcoming "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" film.
The wizard, played by Jude Law in the upcoming Harry Potter spinoff film – a sequel to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," was confirmed by author J.K. Rowling to be a gay man several years ago. But director David Yates said earlier this year that his homosexuality wouldn't be highlighted in the film. That sparked a backlash among fans and earlier this month, Yates walked back his initial remarks, now saying he and his team are "not airbrushing or hiding" Dumbledore's sexuality.
"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," he told Empire magazine at the time. "A couple of scenes we shot are very sensual moments of him and the young Grindelwald."
Now Miller, who also stars in the new movie, is also confirming that Dumbledore will indeed be explicitly gay.
"It's a funny idea to me that every form of representation has to look the same," Miller told Total Film (via IndieWire). "For me, personally, I find Dumbledore's queerness extremely explicit in this film. I mean, all around. He sees Grindelwald, his young lover who's the love of his life; he sees him in the Mirror of Erised.
"What does the Mirror of Erised show you? Nothing more than the most desperate desire of your heart. If that's not explicitly gay, I don't know what is," he added.
Miller, who identifies as queer, went on to praise Rowling for revealing Dumbledore's sexuality.
"People have to also take a moment and acknowledge the gift that Jo Rowling gave us," he said. "[She wrote] one of the greatest characters in literary history, one of the most beloved characters across the whole spectrum of civil society...and then, at the end of writing that series, was like, 'Oh, yeah, and he's gay. What? Step to me.' She is forever a god for that."
