Did You Catch Dumbledore’s Gay Moment in the New ‘Fantastic Beasts 2’ Trailer?
The final trailer for Fantastic Beasts 2 is out, and there’s just a hint of queerness in the storyline of Albus Dumbledore, played by Jude Law.
The new clip, which premiered on the Today show, reveals what Dumbledore and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) are facing in the form of Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) and his threat to the peace established between the Muggle and Wizard worlds.
“My brothers, my sisters, the clock is ticking faster,” nasty mage Grindelwald warns. “The moment has come to take our rightful place in the world where we wizards are free. Join me — or die.”
Presuming Dumbledore wants him to kill Grindelwald, Scamander asks why he doesn’t just do it himself.
Dumbledore admits, “I cannot move against Grindelwald. It has to be you,” and we see Law using the Mirror of Erised, which reveals a user’s true heart’s desire. In this case it shows a soulful even-younger Dumbledore (played by Toby Regbo) joining hands with young Grindelwald (Jamie Campbell Bower), an allusion to Dumbledore longing for his former friend.
It’s not much, but it’s as much as we’ll get in this installment, it appears. In January, director David Yates told Entertainment Weekly that Dumbledore would not be “explicitly” gay in Fantastic Beasts 2 (whatever that means). Law himself defended that decision, saying the future headmaster’s sexuality “doesn’t necessarily define [him] — he’s multifaceted.”
“I suppose the question is: How is Dumbledore’s sexuality depicted in this film?” Law added. “What you’ve got to remember is this is only the second Fantastic Beasts film in a series, and what’s brilliant about [J.K.’s] writing is how she reveals her characters, peels them to the heart over time. You’re just getting to know Albus in this film, and there’s obviously a lot more to come.”
Law promises more facets of Dumbledore and other characters “will unfold naturally, which I’m excited to reveal. But we’re not going to reveal everything all at once.”
