Exclusive: Ezra Miller says his ‘Fantastic Beasts’ storyline is a ‘vital’ metaphor for the LGBT community
"It’s the story for me and a thousand lost friends."
By Will Stroude
Words: Will Stroude
Fantastic Beasts star Ezra Miller says his character in the hit Harry Potter spin-off serves as a “vital” metaphor for the LGBT experience
The 26-year-old actor, who identifies as queer, reprises his role as Credence Barebone from 2016’s Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them in sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gindelwald, which hits UK cimemas this Friday (November 16).
The original film established Credence as an a Obscurial – a wizard or witch who develops a dark and violent supernatural force after being made to suppress their magical identity as a child.
Speaking to Attitude ahead of The Crimes of Grindelwald’s eagerly-anticipated release, Ezra says that he immediately recognised the storyline’s LGBT subtext and importance for the community when he first took on the role.
“I remember writing a letter to [director] David Yates and [producer] David Hayman after I’d first been given the opportunity and the process to know a little about Credence Barebone, and I remember the thing that I wrote, which was ‘it’s the story for me and a thousand lost friends’,” he says.
“And that’s not just things that are reflected metaphors in real, vital and – seemingly at least – a little intentional ways for the LGBTIA community, but also for communities who are not neurotypical, or people who are creative, people who are sensitive, people who are anything.
“People who are nerds, people who are punks and bicycle addicts and, and, contemporary pirates and people who live on the fringes, who are marginalised.
“Really a lot of these are metaphors that can be reflected.”
Miller, whose androgynous, gender non-confirming red carpet looks have generated plenty of headlines during the lead-up to The Crimes of Grindelwald’s release, adds that Credence’s plot arc serves as warning about the consequences of suppressing your identity “to make it nicer for everyone else.”
“Ultimately, what’s it about? It’s about factors in your environment are going to tell you you’re wrong for being who you are, and that you should suppress your power to make it nicer for everyone else – and for yourself, ultimately, because if it’s not nicer for everyone else we’re going to make it not nice for you, buddy.” he explains.
“And then comes the process where if you make the decision – even though you can’t really be blamed for making this decision – but if you make the responsive decision to that environment to repress the power that is your birth-right? Phew. The medicine comes calling. You put the magic in the darkness, and the dark magic will come to call.
“Your expression is unique, it wants to be seen, it wants to be heard.”
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits cinemas on Friday (November 16). Check out the trailer below: