“Their relationship was incredibly intense.”
JK Rowling has admitted that Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald had a sexual, intense relationship.
In a featurette for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the Harry Potter author revealed: “Their relationship was incredibly intense. It was passionate, and it was a love relationship.
“But as happens in any relationship, gay or straight or whatever label we want to put on it, one never knows really what the other person is feeling. You can’t know, you can believe you know.”
She continued: “So I’m less interested in the sexual side — though I believe there is a sexual dimension to this relationship — than I am in the sense of the emotions they felt for each other, which ultimately is the most fascinating thing about all human relationships.”
JK Rowling famously revealed that Dumbledore identifies as gay after she published the seventh and final Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows.
When the series of five new Fantastic Beasts films were announced – and set 70 years prior to the events of Harry Potter – fans of the franchise were hopeful we’d see this side of the famous wizard explored more.
However, fans were left disappointed last year year when The Crimes of Grindelwald’s director, David Yates, suggested that the Hogwarts teacher’s homosexuality wouldn’t be “explicit” in the Harry Potter prequel.
Although his sexuality wasn’t touched upon in the blockbuster, star Ezra Miller said his identity was clearly defined in the film.
“It’s a funny idea to me that every form of representation has to look the same,” Ezra told Total Film. “For me, personally, I find Dumbledore’s queerness extremely explicit in this film. I mean, all around.
“He sees Grindelwald, his young lover who’s the love of his life; he sees him in the Mirror of Erised. What does the Mirror of Erised show you?”
He added: “Nothing more than the most desperate desire of your heart. If that’s not explicitly gay, I don’t know what is.
“I think it’s also really powerful to have characters who are fascinating, dynamic people, doing magical works in the world, and that the story does not only pertain to their sexuality.
“People have to also take a moment and acknowledge the gift that Jo Rowling gave us by writing one of the greatest characters in literary history.
“One of the most beloved characters across the whole spectrum of civil society, and the beliefs and ideologies there; one of the most beloved characters; and then, at the end of writing that series, was like, ‘Oh, yeah, and he’s gay. What? Step to me.’ She is forever a god for that.”
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald also stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Johnny Depp, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Carmen Ejogo, and Poppy Corby-Tuech.
Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics and (only) grossed $653 million worldwide, meaning it’s the least successful film in the whole Wizarding World franchise.
Watch the trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald below.
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