Addicted to Eddie: NYTimes Beasts guide and set visit reports from Mugglenet, Leaky Cauldron etc.

Eddie Redmayne with Katherine Waterston and Colin Farrell

(photo: Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros)

NYTimes: Eddie Redmayne’s Guide to ‘Fantastic Beasts’
...While the beasts are at the heart of the film’s title, humans are at the heart of its story, said David Heyman, a producer on the “Harry Potter” movies: “The ‘Potter’ films and this film all emanate from a place of character. Newt is an outsider, a bit like all of J. K.’s characters.” That’s why he feels best able to connect with the beasts, though eventually he connects with people as well.
But about those beasts. To learn how to work with them, Mr. Redmayne spent time at wildlife parks observing animal handlers. He incorporated his research into his character, and into the movie. Here, Mr. Redmayne explains how a baby anteater proved inspiring, why he needed an animator on set with him and which beast is his favorite (though he loves them all, really).

You can read here about

what beast swing along in Newt's top pocket,
what beast suck out brains,
what beast's pelts can be used to make invisibility cloaks,
how Newt is trying to get his niffler to release his jewels...

Each of the beasts is a computer-generated creation designed and brought to life by a specific artist. For his scenes with the Niffler, Mr. Redmayne asked the animator Pablo Grillo to act out the creature’s mannerisms on the set so that the person most aware of its nuances could help give depth to his performance. “My fear was doing a lot of green screen, because I have quite a dodgy imagination,” Mr. Redmayne said.

MuggleNet Visits the Set of “Fantastic Beasts”!

Last December, along with several other online news outlets, MuggleNet visited the set of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at Leavesden Studios in London. They share here what they saw. Open the links below

to read more. GENERAL SPOILER WARNING: the following posts and interviews contain spoilers! Please DO NOT read them if you want to remain entirely spoiler-free!

Over the coming days, they’ll be posting even more coverage of the visit, including theories and reactions from Staff

Leaky's 'Fantastic Beasts' set report:Talking to Eddie Redmayne

No one minds waiting on Eddie Redmayne—he’s an Oscar award winning actor (The Theory of Everything), and a genuinely nice guy. Like Rupert Grint, when Eddie walks into the room he wants to make sure you’re comfortable and happy. He is the best kind of people pleaser—humble, kind and shy. It’s easy to blur the line between the character of Newt Scamander and Eddie Redmayne—both would make great Hufflepuffs!...Read more

snitchseeker.com: MACUSA, Zoos & NYC: we tour the 'Fantastic Beasts' film during our set visit (Part 1)
The intersection of Rivington Street and Baruch Place on New York City's Lower East Side during Christmastime 1926 created the setting of one of the key locations for the first installment of J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The movie itself takes place over the span of two days, Eddie Redmayne confessed, in December 1926 (as noted by all the Christmas decorations around New York City)....Read more