Sir Michael Gambon, who played Albus Dumbledore in the final six
Harry Potter films, opened up rather bluntly recently about his thoughts on the casting of Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger in the
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child plays, now open in London in previews.
Quote:
Michael Gambon: "It doesn't matter what colour you are, does it? It doesn't make a difference if you're a black actress or a white actress.
"You'd forget it in five minutes, wouldn't you? When the tabs go up on a play, and the person who's in it starts talking, you soon forget about it. It doesn't matter what colour they are, for God's sake."
"It's nonsense isn't it? It's so annoying. It's a load of bo---cks."
Gambon admitted that author J.K. Rowling told in in advance of the big revelation in 2007 that Dumbledore was gay:
Quote:
"I think they made it up as they went along," he chuckled. "She [J.K. Rowling] told me one day that Dumbledore was gay. She'd just decided that day. We'd been on for about three years!
"I started doing this on the set," he grinned, playing with his hair and fluttering his eyelashes. "The director came running over to me and asked me what I was doing.
"I said that the women who wrote this play told me I was gay. He didn't believe me, but she was there, and he went and asked her about it.
"I didn't play 'gay', I just played who I am."
For those who won't or can't make any midnight parties, simply pre-order the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script book hardcover on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and WBShop now.