Fantastic Beasts star Alison Sudol has defended the controversial twist for her character Queenie at the end of last outing The Crimes of Grindelwald.
The actress returns to the role in new sequel The Secrets of Dumbledore, which comes after Queenie's divisive decision to join forces with evil wizard Grindelwald at the end of the 2018 movie.
However, speaking to press ahead of the new film's release, Sudol suggested that the decision by her seemingly good character wasn't as surprising as some may think, even if "no one really expected" it.
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"If you follow through the film, and you really think about it, she was in one unfortunate circumstance after another because of the way that the Wizarding World operates and the prejudice," she noted.
"Really, all she wants to do is just be with the person she loves, and the narrowmindedness of the world she lives in puts her into a really vulnerable position where somebody that's really manipulative can tell her what she wants to hear. That's going to have an impact."
The star went on to reveal that at the start of The Secrets of Dumbledore, "we find her in a world that is very different than any world she's ever been in before".
Sudol continued: "She's also being utilised for this tremendous power that she has that she's either had to hide in the past, or she's been made to feel guilty about.
"There is something interesting about that, about a person who hasn't actually been able to live fully as who they are. I think a lot of young women can relate to that as well of what happens when somebody sees that thing in you, that burning part of you that nobody else sees.
"She's in a tricky, interesting position. We don't really know where she's going to go and who she is and how she's going to move forward.
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"She's at a point in her life where she has two ways to go, but she's made a decision that you can't really just say to Grindelwald, 'I'm sorry, this is actually pretty creepy'. Maybe she won't be able to get away… or maybe she will."
Ahead of the film's release next week, the first reactions have come in for The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is released in UK cinemas on April 8 and in US cinemas on April 15.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
