'Fantastic Beasts': Johnny Depp on creating Grindelwald

It started with a Skype chat for Johnny Depp, before he was cast as Grindelwald in the “Fantastic Beasts” movies. In a recent interview, the actor talked about being a fan of the “Harry Potter” books and movies, and he also shared some insights about his character.

In an interview with EntertainmentWeekly, Depp said that his first conversation with JK Rowling before being cast was over Skype, and it was apparently a long conversation. The actor eventually met the author and now the writer of the scripts, and he described the meetings as “the most positive and fun experience.”

The fans got to see Grindelwald very briefly in the first “Fantastic Beasts” movie. The role was mostly played by Colin Farrell, but his portrayal was the villain pretending to be the wizard Percival Graves. The true nature of the villain will only be revealed in the sequel.

Depp said that the fans will get a better insight into the character in the sequel thanks to Rowling’s approach to the character. As far as Depp is concerned, he was given the freedom to explore the character, and not be limited by the script and the dialogues. He said that for him it was important to pay attention to certain key moments while playing the character, when he would get an instinct about Grindelwald. It was important for him to follow through on that instinct.

One menacing aspect of Grindelwald is his eyes. Depp said that there is no particular backstory to this look, but explained that he felt the villain was actually two people, and each eye represents one side of his nature.

Grindelwald is “childlike,” according to Depp. He also said that the villain is a dreamer with a very specific and powerful vision, which is very dangerous because he can actually make his vision a reality.