When it comes to the Harry Potter films, we Brits love to moan about the lack of Scottish actors in the main cast. Now that the franchise is being revived with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, we’re going to get our wish. One of the great characters from the books, Moaning Myrtle, has been transformed into a fully-fledged member of the cast, with actress Emelia Christie in the role.
Myrtle is an old git who lives down in the basement of Godric’s Hollow, the Scottish village where Harry, Ron, and Hermione go on an educational journey in an attempt to lift the Curse of the Goblet of Fire. And now Emelia Christie has signed on to play the part. (That’s not a typo.) What’s more, the franchise is returning to its roots with the main character being a wizard rather than a witch. (Which is great because, you know, some of us actually like witches, but not enough to make us go see a Harry Potter movie.)
Myrtle: A Veteran Character
The role of Myrtle is relatively small compared to the rest of the cast, but she’s been around long enough to know her way around a set and work with the best of ‘em. She’s played by actress Valerie Grosjean in the first two Harry Potter films and Joan Hickson in the Chamber of Secrets. Most recently, she was seen in television series The Handmaid’s Tale playing the formidable ‘Dame Gothel.’ She has also voiced characters in multiple video games, including the Elder Scrolls series and the Animal Crossing series.
With just a few lines of dialogue in the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Emelia Christie brings her talents to fore as Myrtle, the old biddy with a foul mouth. She’s always complaining about something (usually other characters’ accents), and this trait makes her a likeable character who you will want to hear more from. Her ‘goblet of foiled’ line, delivered with all the venom of a seventy-something biddy, will no doubt go down as one of cinema’s great one-liners:
“Not so fast witcher!”
If you’ve never read the books and are unfamiliar with Myrtle, then what are you waiting for? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in New York on December 8, so you’ll definitely have a chance to see her in action before you know it.
Robert Pattinson
We Brits are very fortunate that one of the most talented and handsome actors of our time decided to take on the role of Robert the Bruce in the first installment of the Harry Potter franchise. He went on to play the part for four films, the first of which was critically-acclaimed and went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time in the UK and Ireland. (It also made Harry Potter the highest-grossing fantasy franchise of all time.) Not content with having played one of the most iconic and well-known characters of all time, Pattinson returned for a fifth and final movie to close the series. It was a great pity that the opportunity to work with such a talented actor was cut short due to his untimely death in 2014.
Since then, various attempts to continue the Harry Potter franchise have fallen short of expectations. The first film to be released posthumously was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and though the character of Robert the Bruce was briefly alluded to in the finale, it wasn’t the same. (I suppose it could’ve been done in a darker fashion, but still, it wasn’t the same.)
The Making Of
The film is set for a 15-day shoot this month in Scotland, and we’ve got the absolute pleasure of bringing you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of Harry Potter’s new film.
The shoot will focus on exterior shots of Dunedin, the City of Eternal Spring in the Scottish islands, with some fantastic location work taking place at the Eilean Donan Castle, Torry Hotdog Factory, and the Scottish Opera House. Production designer Guy Morgan has come up with an inspired design for each of the locations, and with the fantastic sets and costumes, it’s sure to look the part. (You can see more set photos over on the movie’s official website here.)
Expectations vs. Reality
The hype surrounding the film does not do justice to its actual quality. The trailers for the movie have been out for a while now, and though a couple of them are very interesting, they don’t do the film justice at all. It’s a complete reboot of the franchise, with the main character being a wizard rather than a witch, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen anything like it. So, if you’re a true Harry Potter fan, then it might be worth seeing it with an open mind.