Professor Albus Dumbledore is something of an outlier in the Harry Potter universe because, as of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, he’s been played by three actors so far. Richard Harris portrayed the part in the first two HP movies before he passed away, whereupon he was replaced by Michael Gambon for the remainder of the franchise.
Now, in Fantastic Beasts 2, the iconic role will be taken over by Jude Law. As the series is set decades before Harry Potter’s around, it’ll introduce a much younger take on the Hogwarts legend. So how did Law seek to make his Dumbledore stand out from what’d come before? Well, among other things, the British star told EW that his version of the character has more of “a sense of humor and mischief.”
“As I mentioned before, there’s a sense of humor and mischief, a dash of anarchy, a sense of what’s right and what he believes in, and a sense of mystery. There’s also how he comes around to get people onto his way of thinking — which is rather indirectly. He also has a certain heaviness about him that I don’t want to reveal too much about — and that’s something he has to overcome, or hopes to overcome. He’s also got a great passion for sharing his knowledge, he’s a powerful and inclusive teacher.”
Law’s comments here match up with what we’ve heard about his performance as Dumbledore already. Producer David Heyman likewise said that this younger Albus had a sense of “mischief” about him as well as that Law brought a “youthful energy” to the part alongside the “authority” and “power” that a great wizard like Dumbledore needs to have. Eddie Redmayne is also a fan of Law’s casting, as he said he’s “perfect” in the role.
Unfortunately, one aspect of Dumbledore’s personality that won’t be addressed in the sequel is his sexuality. When it was revealed that Albus’ past feelings for Grindelwald wouldn’t be explored in the movie, fans were in uproar. However, Law’s teased that J.K. Rowling has a larger plan at work and this could be touched on in future installments of the franchise.
As for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Jude Law makes his debut as Dumbledore when the film apparates into theaters on November 16th.
