Weekly Round-Up: Wizarding World Actors Take to Social Media During Quarantine, A New Daniel Radcliffe Interview & More!

Mar 29, 2020

Posted by: Kim McChesney

Charity, Coulson, Fantastic Beasts Round-Up, Felton, Films, Gleeson, Harry Potter Round-Up, HP Cast, Isaacs, Melling, Movies, News, Radcliffe, Radcliffe Interviews, Round-Up, Shaw, Sudol, Television Programmes, Watson

Though the fandom may currently be in mid corona quarantine, the Wizarding World is still casting its magical spells. Wizarding World Digital shared how to draw one of its most Fantastic Beasts, the Niffler, MinaLima revealed an inside look at their upcoming illustrated edition of Sorcerer’s Stone, the Harry Potter Alliance announced their online Small Things Con, Mischief Management continued their  Mischief from Home series and unveiled a new line of Mischief at Home merch and Dan Fogler talked Fantastic Beasts 3 in a new interview!

This week in our Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts actors round-up, Jason Isaacs and Tom Felton reconnect online to benefit the British Red Cross, Jamie Campbell Bower performs a live concert and chat on Instagram, J.K. Rowling returns to Twitter, Daniel Radcliffe confesses a Potter set grab in a new Escape from Pretoria interview, Emma Watson shares some practical suggestions during the corona crisis, season 3 of Killing Eve starring Fiona Shaw gets an early premiere and more!

Wizarding World Actors Entertain Fans During Covid-19 Lockdown

Several actors have hosted live chats and conversations during this lockdown, keeping people entertained and helping take our minds off the difficult time the world is going through.

Mischief Management have also been hosting Mischief From Home Twitch streams at twitch.tv/mischief_management — be sure to watch MinaLima’s chat at 12pm EST / 5pm BST on Monday 30th!

Take a look at the following streams to lift your spirits:

A  Malfoy Remote Reunion to Support the British Red Cross

Jason Isaacs and Tom Felton were inspired by British Red Cross to reach out and have another Malfoy reunion. Jason shared that members of his family have been affected by the virus, and we’re sending him and his loved ones all our love and support in this difficult time. It was heartwarming to see Tom calling Jason “dad” after all these years, and spread a little light in these trying times – watch the full stream below:

Emma Watson Gives Pandemic Advice

Watson shared a post on Instagram this week urging people to stay home to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and shared six slides with some practical tips on how to support your community, originally shared by Michelle Obama:

  1. ‘Call the parents you know who are figuring out this new normal – offer to give their kids a lesson or read a story’
  2. ‘If you’re able, buy gift certificates from your favourite local businesses and save them for later, or give them as gifts right now to your grocery store cashier, mail carrier, or anyone else providing vital services in your community’
  3. ‘If you can, go online and make a donation to your local food bank’
  4. ‘If you’re able, send payments to your hairstylist, barber, and nail technician as if you were keeping your appointments’

The last slide reminds everybody to “be gentle with yourself”:

‘It’s normal to feel overwhelmed and afraid. It’s okay to log off and take a break. It’s okay to say “I need help.” We can all take turns lifting each other up.’

 

Jamie Campbell Bower Performs Live on Instagram

Jamie Campbell Bower hosted a live chat and performance on Counterfeit’s Instagram this week, and be sure to follow them for updates on future livestreams – he’s been pretty active in their Instagram stories!

 

 

 

 

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Come hang out, we’ll make some tea and talk about your day x

 

A post shared by COUNTERFEIT. (@counterfeitrock) on

Evanna Lynch Shares Tips For Vegans In Lockdown

Evanna Lynch’s vegan podcast, The Chickpeeps, have been hosting livestreams of their own on Instagram this week, and Evanna posted a series of books for vegans looking to educate themselves on animal rights, ethics and veganism during quarantine. Take a look at her suggestions below, and be sure to follow The Chickpeeps for updates on future livestreams!

 

 

 

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Hello peeps, Evy here! Hope you’re having a nice weekend indoors, perhaps exploring the world of books and imagination!! ?????? ? Thank you for tuning into our live chats this week, including my vegan books chat. Here are most of the titles I showed you, in case you forgot their names! ? ? Many of them are by guests we’ve had/are planning to have on the show ? I picked a combination of books that have helped educate and inform my veganism and the way I do activism, and new, exciting titles that inspired me to get more creative with my daily vegan habits and practices. I’m so grateful for the wealth of inspiring vegan books there are out there and how they keep me plugged into my core vegan values. ? ? So if you are bored and want to learn more about a certain facet of veganism, or if you’re flexitarian and not sure why one might be fully vegan, maybe one of these books will speak to you and answer those questions. ? ? Sorry the titles aren’t very clear in this pic – if you have any questions about any listed here, ask in the comments and I will answer! ? #veganbooks #veganlibrary #ChickPeepsPod #vegan #veganism #vegansofig #animalrights #selfisolation #quarantined #fortheanimals #plantbased #reading #bookclub

 

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J.K. Rowling Returns to Twitter During Quarantine

Wizarding World actors aren’t the only ones who have taken to social during quarantine:

J.K. Rowling herself has returned to Twitter to share her support of the NHS, and to send messages of hope to fans:

Rowling had taken a break from Twitter since December’s tweet, which caused hurt amongst many LGBTQ+ folk and allies in the fan community.

We hope this can be a period of healing and a chance to spread positivity and support each other and communities in need. Now more than ever our community needs to come together to support one another. We will continue to welcome all Potter fans, strive to share diverse fan art, profiles and projects, and – as always – continue to be a reliable, trusted source of Wizarding World news. 

On this note, we’re glad Rowling returned to spread love, light and humor to fans, and share a few words of wisdom that could’ve come from Dumbledore himself (well… technically they did, we suppose?!):

If you see any other livestream announcements from the Wizarding World community, be sure to share them with us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, or via [email protected] so we can share them!

What Did Daniel Radcliffe Take from the Potter Set?

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Daniel Radcliffe’s most recent movie, Escape From Pretoria, released recently, and after our conversation with director and writer, Francis Annan, Radcliffe spoke to Men’s Journal about the movie, working with Ian Hart, and the ONE thing he took from the Potter set:

On reconnecting with Ian Hart (who played Quirrell in Philosopher’s Stone) he said:

“I’m starting to have these experiences more and more, which is both exciting and terrifying because it means it’s a yardstick meaning I’m getting older. But it’s also lovely because I’ve worked with people now that I’ve worked with 20 years ago on Harry Potter, like Ian who was in the first one with me, and it’s exciting to connect again. In the play that I was most recently doing, I worked with an actor Carl Johnson, who I was on set with maybe my first or second day ever on an acting set back when I did David Copperfield on the BBC before Potter. I was maybe nine or 10, and now I’m 30 and it’s 21 years later and I’m working with him again. It’s a really nice thing.”

He also shared that he kept his glasses, but he apparently doesn’t get to see them much: 

“I actually have got two sets of the glasses, those iconic Harry Potter specs. I’ve got a set from the first film and a set from the last film, because they are sort of a visual of how much I grew [laughs]. I’ve got them, but they are not in my house, they are in a locked box somewhere.”

A locked box! We wonder what he has planned for those!

Read the full interview here.

Fiona Shaw’s Killing Eve Gets an Early Premiere

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It appears there’s some silver screen lining to this global chaos.

Fans of the hit BBC spy drama Killing Eve starring Fiona Shaw, Harry Potter’s Aunt Petunia Dursley, had been counting the days until April 26. The series announced this week they would be satisfying the worldwide craving for new screen content and premiering season three two weeks early Sunday April 12. 

We can’t wait to see Shaw step back into the role of MI6 Russia Desk Head Carolyn Martens in two weeks on BBC America. U.K. fans will unfortunately have to wait until later this year.

 

 

 

 

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  We did promise you gifts. #KillingEve returns two weeks early on Sunday, April 12 at 9pm on @BBCAmerica and @AMC_TV. Kisses.   A post shared by Killing Eve (@killingeve) on

A Virtual Screening for Bite Me Starring Christian Coulson

Christian Coulson who fans know as the first incarnation of Tom Riddle from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets starred in last year’s romantic comedy Bite Me where he played expat IRS Agent, James, assigned to audit a vampire church. The film’s cast and creative went on a 40-city tour to get the word out and Leaky had the chance to interview the Harry Potter alum and Bite Me’s writer and co-star Naomi McDougall Jones.

Amid all the coronavirus cancellations, the film’s Instagram account shared the news that Bite Me would be screened this weekend for an online Film Festival in Wichita, Kansas.

If you haven’t checked Coulson out in Bite Me yet, add it to your quarantine movie list!

 

 

 

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Hi friends. We hope that you are all doing okay out there (by which we mean, *in* wherever you are). We’ve had a bright spot emerge in our week, which we hope might also hold the potential for a bright spot in yours! The amazing @yayfest is soldiering on with her incredible @mamafilm1 micro-cinema in Wichita, which is such a needed venue in that city and now, like all indie theaters, is being flattened by the covid quarantine. But! Ever-enterprising Lela has begun a weekly series of virtual screening experiences and THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 29 she’s doing @bitemethefilm We recommend that you watch the film starting at 2pmCST wherever you are by renting it on iTunes, Amazon, or GooglePlay (or if you watch it some other night between now and then or if you’ve already seen it…any version of that is fine), and then you can join us on Zoom for a Q&A with the film’s director @meredithcedwards , writer/Sarah @naomimj , her dreamy and talented co-star @ceeofcee (James), the outrageous and wonderful @naomiwgrossman (Chrissy), the endlessly delightful @mahirakakkar (Lily), and the fierce @sarahamory (our producer). True to our Joyful Vampire Tour roots, we’re even inviting you (if you so choose) to come to the virtual Q&A dressed however makes you feel most joyful – because couldn’t we all use some joy right now?? Heck! You can even throw your own quarantine-style joyful vampire ball, cocktails and all! Links to join below! If you could use a sweet, silly, earnest, unique film and conversation that is about how we could all be a little bit kinder to and less judgmental of each other, we hope you’ll give the film a watch and join us for a magical, joyful afternoon this coming Sunday! A post shared by Bite Me | The Film (@bitemethefilm) on

More Production and Performance Postponements

Scoob Release Put on Hold jasonisaacsscoob The first newly announced film delay of the week is the upcoming big screen reboot from Warner Bros and Harry Potter director Chris Columbus Scoob. The upcoming animated Scooby Doo movie features Isaacs voicing one of the iconic antagonists from the original Hanna Barbera cartoons, Dick Dastardly.

Scoob was scheduled to premiere on May 15. A new release date has yet to be announced according to THR but we’re definitely looking forward to Isaacs’s next baddie!

An Update on Alison Sudol’s Music Tour and her Health

Fans aren’t sure exactly where Legilimens Queenie Goldstein will be found in the next installment of Fantastic Beasts, but the actress that plays her was heading back to the stage to open for British electronic music duo GoldFrapp prior to the spread of Covid-19.

According to Sudol’s Instagram the group’s UK tour has been pushed back to 2021. Along with the news of her concert schedule, Sudol gave an update on her health via social media. We appreciate that she shared her story of a coronavirus symptom not widely reported yet and hope she’s on the mend.

 

 

 

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  hi again friends. So I wanted to share an update as I know I’ve been super quiet. Am coming out of a bit of a haze. I haven’t been tested for Coronavirus, tests are hard to come by, and I haven’t wanted to a) take tests away from people who need it more b) risk going into a hospital and potentially catching it if I have not indeed had it. I am in the slightly higher risk category, have to be quite careful. Anyways, whether I’ve had it for certain or not, I just wanted to share my experience with you, as this virus is a bugger & it seems like it may present in different ways than just the awful cough and fever that we have all been on alert to look out for. And if we don’t know we have it, we can spread it, which is the bigger problem. Who knows where I might have caught it from- I had been out and about, taking the overground, went to a play, this was before I knew how contagious it was, before it ripped through London like wildfire. I used hand sanitizer what I thought was religiously, washed my hands till they cracked, but still… We touch our faces without realizing it all the time. At first I came down with what I thought was a cold, then I lost my sense of taste and smell. Absolutely gone. Couldn’t smell garlic, smoke, super strong eucalyptus, absolutely nothing. No taste. It was like my head was in a fish tank. And I was exhausted. Went into isolation out of the city at my wonderful friends farm, which has been the greatest gift.A few days ago, a friend sent me an article, similar to the one I posted from The NY Times, saying the virus could preset as lack of taste/smell and nothing else ? OH! So maybe that was it? I have no idea why it didn’t hit harder but I am counting my lucky stars it wasn’t worse + that I isolated when I did. It’s hit some loved ones much harder, so scary. Going to continue in isolation, am lucky enough to be able to stay where I am, and am feeling much better thankfully, but I’m worried about everyone else.If you have lost your sense of smell or taste & not isolating, please go home & isolate- even if you feel fine! Let’s look out for each other. Sending big love and hope you’re keeping safe out there x   A post shared by alison sudol (@alisonsudol) on


Brendan Gleeson and Harry Melling in Macbeth

gleeson melling macbeth

Production on the latest on screen revival of Shakespeare’s Macbeth starring Brendan Gleeson, Mad-Eye Moody, and Harry Melling, Dudley Dursley has now gone on a hiatus according to Deadline. Gleeson, who celebrates his 65th birthday today, has been cast a King Duncan, and Melling is set to play Malcom.

That’s all the actors news for this week. Though theaters are dark and productions have gotten the old full body bind curse, we have no doubt there will be more news to bring you from the Wizarding World! Take care and stay safe.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.