Q:Everything about Queenie has changed from when we met her in the first film. Can you share a little bit about her present circumstance?
ALISON SUDOL:
Queenie made a choice to take marrying Jacob into her own hands in the second film, which set off a chain reaction of unfortunate events that ultimately left her vulnerable and alone. Ultimately, she made a choice to cross over to Grindelwald’s side. It was shocking for a lot of people, but she was wounded and reckless. There was a lot of chaos around that decision, and it happened in a split second. Now in this new film, things have calmed down and the sobering reality of the world that she now lives in has descended. It’s not a world that she fits into, but she’s had to assimilate. Grindelwald sees her as a valuable asset for her power to read minds, which puts her in an important position among Grindelwald’s minions. That doesn’t mean she’s safe. She’s navigating this as best as she can, and it’s intense!
Q:Queenie is a witch who clearly doesn’t agree with Grindelwald’s views on Muggles, given the man she fell in love with. Can you offer some insight about why she chose to follow Grindelwald?
ALISON SUDOL:
Well, Grindelwald told her what she wanted to hear, didn’t he? I mean, anyone with a little power of observation could see that she was desperate to be with Jacob legitimately, which was a much bigger deal at that time than it is today. She would do anything to be able to be with him. And because of the restrictions by the wizarding world, the narrow mindedness, the prejudice towards non-magical people, she was vulnerable to anyone who would say it could be different. Grindelwald pretended to be sympathetic to non-magical people to get her on his side. If the wizarding world had been more open-minded, she never would’ve been in this situation.
Q:So now that some time has passed, can you talk about her feelings for Jacob? Is she still in love with Jacob, and does she still hope for a life with him, or is that hope lost?
ALISON SUDOL:
I think that there are certain things that you’ll have to watch the movie so I don’t spoil. I don’t know that a love like theirs can ever just go away, but there’s a chasm between them at the moment. On both sides, choices have been made that have pulled them apart. Not at their foundation, not because they don’t love each other, but because of the restrictions and the different ways they reacted to them, and fear, which drove them both but in opposite directions. So it doesn’t necessarily matter how they feel, because that’s not what it comes down to really. She’s made her choice, so making a different choice isn’t really an option…or is it?
Q:Queenie does find a kind of kindred spirit in Credence. Can you talk about their relationship and also working with Ezra Miller?
ALISON SUDOL:
They both are newcomers in this world and they both have come in with broken hearts so there is a kinship. But with Credence, he’s in so much pain that he is like a wild animal. And as in pain as Queenie is, there is still a part of her that knew who she was—although whether she knows who she is anymore is to be discovered. But she hasn’t been searching for an identity like Credence. She has been loved, has loved in return… There is a stability in her from that that Credence sadly doesn’t have. Working with Ezra is wonderful. Ezra and I are friends. We didn’t really have much crossover in the past movies, so it was really nice to have scenes together and to have time to discuss the real-life versions of these quandaries that these characters are going through and how it relates to our lives. That was great. I really enjoyed it.
Q:Can you also share a little bit about working with Mads Mikkelsen and what he brings to the role of Grindelwald?
ALISON SUDOL:
Mads is one of the truly greatest actors out there. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. When I found out that he was coming into the role, I was super intimidated because he is a serious, serious actor and most of the time I am just winging it. But he is very disarming and normal. Just being able to be in a scene with him is like an acting masterclass. He brought a wonderful energy to Grindelwald. Wonderful maybe is not the right word, because it’s terrifying, but wonderful to watch as an actor. He brought a kind of menace to Grindelwald which is subtle, but scary, and he imbued the scenes with a powerful sense of authority and danger—you really don’t want to cross him. And he was also really great to work with personally. I was pregnant during this film and he knew before I told anybody—I guess I was rubbing my belly without realizing it—but he noticed because he’s got children, and he was looking out for me on set in an incredibly thoughtful way. I really appreciated it.
Q:From the trailer. We know that Queenie and Jacob do see each other at some point in the film or at least he sees her, what is she thinking in that moment? And can she hear his thoughts?
ALISON SUDOL:
Well, what he’s thinking is no mystery because she’s always going to be able to hear him and read him. They’re so connected. But what she’s thinking is the mystery. It is a very key moment in the film, a turning point. Which direction things turn from that moment is something that I can’t say, but it’s a big moment.
Q:What do you hope audiences take away from Queenie’s journey?
ALISON SUDOL:
Well, most people—I mean, maybe not everybody, some people might have made only good choices, lucky jerks—but yeah, the majority of people have made choices they regret. In my life certainly, I’ve made decisions that were really hard to reconcile with who I think I am. And I’ve dealt with shame and the inability to forgive myself for years over certain things that I’ve done. It’s interesting and painful to watch somebody in that state. I guess what I would hope is that people can reflect upon their own lives and their own past and see if they can shine some empathy on their own lives through watching Queenie’s journey. Like, can you find forgiveness for yourself for things that you’ve done that were out of character? What do you do in the aftermath of a mistake, how do you respond? Can you grow? Can you learn? Can you evolve, or does the past define you? Is there any possibility of reconnecting with yourself going forward? These are all questions I think that are good to ask ourselves, because I think we all need to evolve and grow in order to cope with the future. And that requires a tremendous amount of empathy. It’s an opportunity to dig into that with Queenie’s journey. Or it was for me, at least.
Q:The change in Queenie is also visually apparent. Can you talk about collaborating with costume designer Colleen Atwood, as well as the hair and makeup people, on her very different appearance?
ALISON SUDOL:
In the last film, the hair and makeup team and I discussed what would’ve happened to her visually when she went through the fire. And there was this sense when she went through it, that something of her had been burned out of her, that it was painful crossing through. So visually we explored sort of the loss of pigmentation in her hair that she used to have this very warm, rosy, curl mop. And when she came through the fire, it became much more sleek, much more contained and colorless. And as far as costumes, Colleen broadened her into a much more sophisticated, more sort of contained look to the dresses as well. It is dark obviously, but there’s mystery in it. And we wanted to reflect that in everything that she wore.
Q:This is your third film directed by David Yates, beginning with the first Fantastic Beasts movie. Can you talk about working with him and how your collaboration has evolved since your debut film?
ALISON SUDOL:
We’ve known each other a long time now and David is wonderful and continues to be very kind and gentle. He held space for me as I asked a lot of questions. I was pretty fiery this time around—I had a lot of questions—but he held space for me to do that and listened. Even though I was an adult when I started making these film, to a degree I’ve grown more in the past six years than I could possibly say, and I’ve grown with this family. It’s a cool and unique thing to do that alongside other creative professionals. And I feel those years in our relationship and the journey we’ve been on together is unlike anything else I’ll ever experience. It’s very, very special.
Q:That kind of leads onto the next question. What was it like to be reunited with the rest of the ensemble cast after such a long break?
ALISON SUDOL:
That is the best part of these movies, being around people that we’ve been on this journey with for a long time. Victoria Yeates was also pregnant during the film. And because we were in a pandemic, there was just so much that we couldn’t do, couldn’t share our journey with very many other women in our everyday lives. So it was a real gift to be able to come to set and discuss things that were happening to our bodies and spirits and bond. I really treasured that.
Q:Lastly, can you talk about the sets and what it was like to step into the different worlds at Leavesden?
ALISON SUDOL:
The sets continue to be one of the most astounding things to witness as a creative person. They are so detailed, so considered. I mean, there’s this ballroom scene and the paintings are just so big you can’t even get your head around them. The scale is really extraordinary. They did such a beautiful job; they always do.
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