“I’d been playing a part like a gay man”: Harry Potter Star Was Convinced His Character Was Gay After Oscar-Winning Director Didn’t Consult With J.K. Rowling in $797M Movie

"I'd been playing a part like a gay man": Harry Potter Star Was Convinced His Character Was Gay After Oscar-Winning Director Didn't Consult With J.K. Rowling in $797M Movie
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Starting from an amazing fantastical world to some of the most notable characters, there are many reasons why Harry Potter has been a pop-culture phenomenon. While the novels have their charm, the franchise based on them also has a much-celebrated fanbase. Even though J.K. Rowling’s involvement pushed the franchise to be a subject of some controversies, the fans still love the movies and the iconic characters that are etched in our minds.

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Harry Potter
A still from Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

One of the most memorable characters from both the novels and the movies was Remus Lupin. The character is introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. David Thewlis delivered an iconic performance. However, an interesting story was revealed by Thewlis from his role when he stated that he thought his character was gay in the movie.

Also Read: “I felt that it was life or death-I don’t want to act again”: Emma Watson Had Concerning News For Harry Potter Fans After Playing Hermione in $9.5B Franchise

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Everybody misinterpreted Remus Lupin’s character in the third Harry Potter movie

David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
David Thewlis as Remus Lupin

David Thewlis revealed an interesting detail from the 2004 movie when he broke that director Alfonso Cuarón thought Lupin was gay. According to the Black Beauty actor, the Academy Award-winning director didn’t consult J.K. Rowling and had a notion that the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was gay.

However, it was totally contrary to the character’s story as later he was also revealed to be married to Nymphadora Tonks. The Wonder Woman actor added that after knowing about everything, he had to change his whole style of performance.

“Alfonso Cuarón, in the rehearsals, without J.K. Rowling’s knowledge, told me that [my character] was, in fact, gay. So I’d been playing a part like a gay man for quite a long time. Until it turned out that I indeed got married to Tonks. I changed my whole performance after that. Just saw it as a phase he went through.”

David Thewlis has narrated this story in many interviews he has been a part of. He described the whole incident as a “funny thing” when he raised it once more after being asked his views on Rowling’s revelation of Dumbledore’s sexuality.

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After being subjected to wide discussions among Harry Potter fans, the Wizarding World creator officially confirmed Albus Dumbledore’s character to be gay. However, that was not confirmed in any project until the third Fantastic Beasts movie.

Also Read: Avada Kedavra: Renowned Harry Potter Stars Who Couldn’t Cheat Death With the Cloak of Invisibility

Fantastic Beasts 3 confirmed Albus Dumbledore’s sexuality

English actor, Jude Law to star in Star Wars show.
Jude Law as young Albus Dumbledore

Until the 2022 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore dropped, Dumbledore’s secret was only limited to the statements of J.K. Rowling. The movie officially addressed the sexuality of the character when it was unveiled that he was in love with Grindelwald in the past.

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The movie had a young Dumbledore played by Jude Law who states “I went along because I was in love with you.” The fans were quite excited as the fact that was running around from the Harry Potter era was finally made canon in the prequel franchise.

Also Read: Hogwarts Legacy Defies All Odds, Generates More Than $850M in Revenue – More Than the First $811M Fantastic Beasts Movie

Although it was announced that Fantastic Beasts would be a five-movie franchise, the critical and commercial performance of the threequel movie was quite concerning. The mixed response led to reports that WBD isn’t concerned about the future of the Wizarding World presently. However, a Max series is reportedly in the works which promises to be a more faithful adaptation of the novels.

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All the Wizarding World content can be streamed on Max.

Source: Entertainment Weekly 

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Written by Subham Mandal

Articles Published: 1088

Subham Mandal is currently working as a content writer for FandomWire with an ardent interest in the world of pop culture. He has written more than 1000 articles on different spheres of modern pop culture and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He’s also an experienced student journalist having demonstrated work experience with the Times of India. He aspires to be a column writer in the future.