In the past, Colin Farrell has often presented himself as a pretty up front kind of person, so it was no surprise that he gave a very blunt and honest answer, when asked what drew his interest to the Harry Potter spinoff film Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. He also managed to drop a pretty great use of an F-Bomb when talking about one particularly appealing aspect of this role.
Colin Farrell was kind enough to speak with the press about Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them when we visited the set back in December. When asked about his interest in taking on the role of Graves in Fantastic Beasts, here's his honest answer...
Work. And the world that it exists within. I mean its enormous amounts of fun. I have a fuckin' wand. I mean seriously, seriously, I'm not even joking, you know, and I've done plenty of things that have been you know, more that have had a strain of despondency or pain or loss or violence and all that. So, this feels very different from anything I've done.
But it's not just work, role diversity and a 'fuckin wand' that drew the True Detective star to this movie. Farrell noted that this is actually a chance for him to do a movie his kids can see.
And it's kind of nice that I've done something that my boys could actually see. I mean they may not want to right now or like it. And that's fine also, but J.K. [Rowling]'s imagination is obviously just an extraordinary, extraordinary thing. You know, the energy that that one woman has put out into the world. The moods she has affected, the parents that she's created moments for-for fathers and mothers reading books to their children or children recounting to their parents. I mean it's amazing what she's put out into the world. So, on reading the script I got caught up in that energy.
Let's be real here, those are awesome answers. Farrell has a career of gritty, often serious characters under his belt, and looking at his role as Percival Graves, maybe it's not so much of a stretch, when we take into account that Graves is a high-ranking Auror at the U.S. magical government, MACUSA. From what we've seen of him in the trailers, it looks like he's all business. And while he might be opposition for Newt Scamander, who's spending the length of this movie trying to track down his escaped beasts, it sounds like Graves is not he right side of the law, which hopefully makes him something of a good guy.
As for Farrell, taking his talent into account, he's one of numerous reasons to be very optimistic about Fantastic Beasts. It's always a win when he joins a cast. And speaking as a Harry Potter fan, I couldn't help but appreciate the look of genuine enthusiasm on Colin Farrell's face when he mentioned getting to use a wand as being part of the appeal to this role. Not to mention his appreciation of J.K. Rowling, and his excitement to be a part of the author's incredible world.
Welcome to the Harry Potter universe, Colin Farrell! We can't wait to see what Graves brings to the table.
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them arrives in theaters November 18, 2016.
