A New Chapter in Wizardry

N8 N9 Movies A NEW By Tom Russo [we know]. We were talking GLOBE CORRESPONDENT about the second film, and we f ªHarry Potterº fans left it with her to write an out- have been hungering line, maybe 12 pages. Within CHAPTER IN for Friday's opening of two days, she had delivered a the new big-screen 102-page treatment. She can't spinoff ªFantastic help herself. She has ideas just IBeasts and Where to Find flowing out of her. Them,º British producer David WIZARDRY Heyman has been feeling pretty Q. What figured into choosing darned peckish for the movie 1920s New York as the movie's himself. The franchise vet has setting? J.K. Rowling collaborator been teaming with J.K. Rowl- A. I think America in 1926 had ing to bring her books to the a lot of parallels to our world to- offers a look into the birth screen since ªHarry Potter and day. It was a time of incredible the Sorcerer's Stoneº in 2001, decadence and disparity be- of `Fantastic Beasts' and and admits that it was tough tween the haves and have-nots. letting go after the series-cap- It was just before the crash of where it fits in the world ping ªDeathly Hallows.º 1929. It was post-World War I, of Harry Potter Even after moving on to oth- pre-World War II, and extreme er projects Ð most notably movements were on the rise. Hogwarts alum Alfonso Cua- We're not making a political ron's ªGravityº Ð Heyman still film with a capital P here, we're found Rowling's work occupy- making an entertainment, but ing his thoughts. So, naturally, as with the ªHarry Potterº films, he was part of the brainstorm- there are themes that are very KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES ing process that ultimately ex- rich and resonant lying near the ªNocturnal Animalsº director Tom Ford (left) in LA last month with costars Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal. panded ªFantastic Beastsº from surface. And New York is a a slim ªHarry Potterº tie-in place where you can feel such published for charity into an ef- possibility and imagination and fects-filled feature casting Ed- creativity. The city that New die Redmayne as adventure- York is today was being built at They only come out at night some ªmagizoologistº Newt the time of this story. That's re- Scamander. Heyman discussed ally exciting. It was a great place the movie by phone during a for an Englishman abroad who promotional stop in New York. was out of step. Tom Ford talks about directing `Nocturnal Animals' Q. How did you, Jo Rowling, Q. What made Eddie Redmayne By Ed Symkus ner], `Every day, from 8 o'clock until 1 o'clock, I'm going to be and the other filmmakers de- the right choice to play Newt? GLOBE CORRESPONDENT writing this screenplay. Do not bother me. Do not call me. No cide on this particular idea for A. Eddie is quintessentially Brit- TORONTO Ð Tom Ford remains a new player in the Hol- one can disturb me.º revisiting the wizarding world? ish, and he's great at playing lywood movie game. While still creating and presenting in- Ford finished in five weeks, showed it to friends, sent it to A. The Potterverse meant so outsiders, slightly naughty char- ternational fashion shows, the Texas-born, Manhattan-based Adams and Gyllenhaal Ð his first choices Ð and got a yes much to my life personally and acters, and people who are a lit- clothing designer has directed two films: ªA Single Manº from both within 48 hours. professionally, I did sit around tle bit awkward. Yet he makes (2009) and ªNocturnal Animalsº (opening Friday). There was Of Adams, Ford said, ªI didn't want people to hate her with [fellow producer] Lionel these characters sympathetic, a time, though, when he had designs on being in the movies, character. Susan is rich, glamorous, has everything, is unhap- Wigram after it ended trying to and you enjoy spending time not making them. py, does this terrible thing. We could easily hate her. I wanted think of what else we could do with them. [His look] fits very Lounging on a couch at the Toronto International Film us to look at her as a victim. I wanted us to empathize and in this world. Lionel had the well into 1926. And he's also Festival, having just returned from Italy where ªAnimalsº sympathize with her. Amy has a quality in her eyes that for idea of doing a faux documen- just a fine actor and a hard won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, Ford, me is sad and soulful. tary about Newt Scamander, worker. He spent six months 55, wore a black Tom Ford suit and a mostly unbuttoned, ªJake has lately been taking some very dramatic risks with where we follow him on this ex- prepping for this part, working glistening white shirt. Talking at a rapid clip, he recalled his acting,º he added. ªHis character Tony goes from somebody pedition. We pitched that to Jo, with animal coaches and study- days at New York University. who is sensitive, good, honest, charming, seductive, to some- and she said, `Gosh, that's so ing. And he mastered the script ªI was studying art history,º Ford said, ªbut I was also tak- one who has had everything taken away from him, and has funny, I was going to come to wonderfully Ð a bit like Dan ing an acting class. My teacher sent me to an agent who got suffered great pain. His character arc is huge.º you with an idea about Newt Radcliffe, actually. He's at the me some television commercials, and I had enough work so Then there was Michael Shannon (ªBoardwalk Empireº), Scamander.' She told us what center of the film, but he knows that I was able to quit school and just do that. But I hated it. I who plays Bobby, a smalltown police officer who gets hers was, and it was immeasur- how all the other people fit in was too shy and nervous to be in front of the camera. So I wrapped up trying to solve the film's horrific central crime. ably better than what we had. around that. quit acting, went back to school, at Parsons [School of De- ªAh, Michael,º said Ford. ªEveryone in the film is an arche- sign], and studied interior architecture.º type. In his opening shotº Ð Shannon is alone on the Western Q. How would you most hope Q. Samantha Morton's character That career path eventually led Ford to the world of fash- plains, cigarette in one hand, gun in the other Ð ªI wanted the movie sets itself apart from leads an anti-magic fundamen- ion design, where he made a name for himself, but he never him to be the aging Marlboro Man or I wanted him to be ªHarry Potterº? talist group called the New Sale- abandoned his show business dreams; he just rerouted them. Gary Cooper in `High Noon.' Michael got so into character, ev- A. Well, I think that one of the mers Army ± which of course ªIt wasn't till around the mid-'90s that I realized I was go- eryone on set was afraid of him. Even I was afraid of him. In pleasures of this is that it triggers our radar for sequel ing to be a director,º he said. ªBy that time I had become a between takes he would sit by himself and smoke more, stands on its own. You get to prospects, since Salem is right successful fashion designer, and I love fashion, but it doesn't smoke more, smoke more. Whenever I would give him a see connective tissue, and some in our backyard. Any chance last. You can look at a beautiful dress, and say, `Wow!' But the comment about a scene, he would argue with me because he of the echoes resonate, but I Newt could head this way? power that dress had, the very first time you saw it, and it had it so worked out in his head. So he would go back and do think you can enjoy it every bit A. The next place we're going is was on a beautiful woman, and it walked into the room and it the same way again, but then on the next take, he would do as much if you haven't seen the Europe, and beyond that I don't everyone in the room gasped, is gone. Whereas film is so per- whatever I suggested.º ªHarry Potterº films. really know. We're on the eve of manent. You can watch an old movie, and you're immediately The laid-back Shannon, also at Toronto, recalled the back- World War II, so the specter of sent back in. You're crying with the actors, you're living with and-forth with Ford a little differently. Q. This was Jo's first time writ- that looms large. What I think is them. But they're all dead. The director is dead, the actors are ªI met Tom a few months before we shot the film,º Shan- ing the script for one of her interesting about Salem [as it's all dead. But it's alive! It is sealed forever.º non said. ªWe had a delightful talk, and I could tell right movies. What was that process referenced here] is that it keys Ford maintains that though acting classes and acting away that he was really smart about cinema and that he like? so closely to themes running coaches didn't make him a great actor, it helped him under- knew what he was talking about.

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