Empire Film: Leta dies in that scene. Is she really dead? Is she gone for good?
David Heyman: What I do think is that when you die, you die. I think death is real. I think it’s important in the books and in the films that though Harry can have a vision of Dumbledore and there may be a Nearly Headless Nick in Hogwarts that, ultimately, dead is dead. I think it makes death more painful. That’s not to say that a spirit form has happened in the process where people can’t return with a message, but I completely agree. To keep the emotional stakes of the world present, if someone gets killed, they have to stay dead.

Empire Film: When she turns to Newt and Theseus and says, “I love you,” who do you think she’s speaking to? Which one of them?
David Yates: I love the fact that you don’t really know, and I love the fact that you see Newt suddenly feel that she’s saying it to him. I like the ambiguity of that moment. I don’t think you always have to be so definite in these moments.

David Heyman: My interpretation is that she loves Theseus. Theseus is her man for today. If she were not dying, she would marry Theseus and be very happy with him. However, Newt she loves as a first love. Newt will always be a part of her.

Empire Film: One of the things that we’re left with that’s a driver throughout the film and also a tantalizing note at the end, is the blood pact between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. What does that mean? How is that different to an unbreakable vow? And what does it mean now that Dumbledore has that blood pact?
David Yates: Fundamentally it means that they can’t fight each other, and if they do fight each other, Dumbledore has to pay a terrible price. Fundamentally, he’s breaking the pact and he is then committed to doing something, which we will discover in the next story. So I don’t really want to go into that in too much detail. It’s the thing that stops them attacking each other at this initial part of the story. We developed that little scene where they make the blood pact to convey the sensuality of their relationship. It’s very difficult in these movies to … Initially, the arc of their relationship is the spine of things going forward, in many ways. That’s where we’re going. But to convey how deep their relationship was, we created that wonderful little scene in the mirror when they bring their hands together.

David Heyman: The Dumbledore/Grindelwald relationship is obviously a hugely significant one, and has shaped Dumbledore and who he is today. The scars of that, all the power that that relationship brought. I can’t stop looking at all these little films that were just made. Hearing Jo talk about that relationship - that it was clearly a sexual relationship, it was an emotional relationship – what she’s interested in exploring is the emotional connection that the two of them had. And I think one of the things you did so beautifully, with such limited time with them together, is the power and the intimacy and the emotional connection that these two people had. It was really powerful in shaping them both, but in particular, in shaping Dumbledore.

Empire Film: Grindelwald’s device that he has – the skull with the pipe – is there a name for that? What’s he doing in that moment where he conjures an image of World War II?
David Yates: Basically, Grindelwald is a seer. He has this ability to foresee the future, and that skull device is an opportunity for him – it’s just a means which allows him to present his visions to the people who follow him. So it’s fundamentally a part of that magic. But he has the gift of forward sight, basically, which is an extra threat to our key protagonists.

David Heyman: Does it have a name?

David Yates: I don’t know we ever gave it a name actually.

David Heyman: We probably gave it a name while filming, but I’m not sure we should repeat it.