Page 34 - Headingtonian Magazine 2017

THE HEADINGTONIAN 2017
Stephanie and friends at the London premier of David Yates’ film Tarzan.
ready for the next day. That was at the same time as she was helping on the production
of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London, and working on a new book! Whenever David discussed aspects of the film with her, her answers were immediate. She has the logic and interplay of her magical world absolutely clear in her head.
What’s it like rubbing shoulders with the stars?
I have to admit, meeting Eddie Redmayne for the first time, I was totally star-struck! He’s
very sweet indeed and he doesn’t play the big celebrity at all. Acting is his job and he’s very professional. You have the impression that fame is something that comes with his job and he just has to deal with it. I was on set every day with him and before long, he was just a member of the team and I was calling him Eddie!
Someone I was really impressed with, and
is definitely a rising star, is Alison Sudol.
David had lots of actresses in to audition for Queenie Goldstein, one of the four leading roles. Queenie is the mind-reading witch who helps Newt Scamander collect the magical creatures he’s accidentally let loose in New York City. Months went by, David kept saying ‘No. No. No’ and people were getting a bit anxious. Finally, along came Alison. She had never been in a major movie before. She brought a very different approach to Queenie - and blew David away. ‘That’s her!’ he said. Job done! It’s inspiring to see an unknown stealing the show, especially someone in their early 30s whose background was indie-music rather than acting.
What has been your most memorable moment working on Fantastic Beasts?
Once the movie was finished, it was very special going to the New York premier with JK Rowling and Eddie Redmayne. I won’t forget the amazing sense of achievement presenting what we’d created!
Believe it or not, I’m actually in the Fantastic Beasts film! About three-quarters of the way
Fantastic Beasts, Eddie was flying all over the place doing media interviews for The Danish Girl. Having rehearsal time scheduled gave him the chance to create the character for Newt Scamander: his voice, gestures, how he walks – all the things we take for granted when we watch a movie.
Tell us about making Fantastic Beasts.
My job started when production was about two months in. It was my first experience of a blockbuster film set. It was beyond huge. In the back lot at the Warner Bros Leavesden Studios they were building 1920’s magical New York. Stuart Craig, the Production Designer – one
of the geniuses of British film – had made a model of the set and it was being built full size
complete with shops, streets, buildings – the lot. Seeing it all for the first time, walking the streets and going into the shops was incredible. Once filming started, the set was filled with 400 extras, cars, snow – all for real. The extraordinary creativity that makes it happen is something I’ll never forget.
At the same time, we were also working on
the script with JK Rowling. In interviews,
she comes across as very self-effacing, very down-to-earth. Working with her, she’s absolutely the same but you also see someone who is incredibly committed and dedicated. Fantastic Beasts was her first screenplay and it’s a different discipline. We’d go through notes for script developments together and she’d
go away, work all night and have the revisions
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