The goblins who run the underground Gringotts Bank are a continuation of centuries-long antisemitic tropes. That’s the word from comedian Jon Stewart, who discussed the depiction on his Apple TV+ show, “The Problem with Jon Stewart” in December.
“It was one of those things where I saw it on the screen and I was expecting the crowd to be like ‘Holy (crap), she did not in a wizarding world just throw Jews in there to run the … underground bank.’ And everyone was like, ‘wizards,’ ” Stewart said.
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The goblin bankers in the movies have long noses and ears, sharp teeth and they love gold. Stewart said that’s in line with the anti-Semitic portrayal of Jewish people in “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”
“(People say) ‘Oh that’s a character from ‘Harry Potter,’ (and) you’re like, ‘No that’s a caricature of a Jew from an antisemitic piece of literature.’ J.K. Rowling was like, ‘Can we get these guys to run our bank?’ ” Stewart said. “It’s a wizarding world. We can ride dragons. You can have a pet owl. But who should run the bank? Jews. But what if the teeth were sharper?”
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“No I didn’t,” Stewart said in a tweet that linked to a Newsweek headline stating that he did.
“I do not think J.K. Rowling is antisemitic,” said Stewart in a video posted Wednesday on Twitter. “I did not accuse her of being antisemitic, I do not think the ‘Harry Potter’ movies are antisemitic. I really love the ‘Harry Potter’ movies, probably a little too much for a gentleman of my considerable age.
“Not a reasonable person would not have looked at that conversation (from ‘The Problem with Jon Stewart’) and not found it light-hearted.”
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“Those who continue to use such representations are often not thinking of Jews at all, but simply of how readers or viewers will imagine goblins to look, which is a testament more to centuries of Christendom’s antisemitism than it is to malice by contemporary artists. So it is with J.K. Rowling, who has proven herself over recent years to be a tireless defender of the Jewish community in its fight against antisemitism, for which we are immensely grateful.”
Rowling’s previous comments on transgender issues have drawn heat, which included condemnation by Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe in 2020.
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You’ll soon get more than just a cursory look at Hogwarts Legacy. Sony and WB Games Avalanche have announced a State of Play stream on March 17th devoted solely to the open-world Harry Potter RPG. The 20-minute presentation will finally share more details for the title, including 14 minutes of PlayStation 5 gameplay. The stream starts at 5PM Eastern on PlayStation’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
Hogwarts Legacy was originally slated to arrive in 2021 before the developers pushed the release to sometime this year. The game has you create a wizard who perfects spells, tames beasts (of the fantastic variety, of course) and otherwise explores Hogwarts in the 1800s, long before Harry and many other well-known characters rose to prominence. The game will also be available for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC.
The single-game focus isn’t a shock. Avalanche is keen to note people have viewed the Hogwarts Legacy debut trailer over 28 million times — there’s clearly a lot of demand between Harry Potter fans and the gaming community at large. The State of Play could help Sony tap into that demand and spur more PlayStation sales.
The Wizarding World continues to thrive with Fantastic Beasts and the hotly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy. For those who didn’t receive a Hogwarts acceptance letter, however, all we can do is watch Harry Potter cast a plethora of spells. Unless you have an iPhone, that is.
iPhone users looking to perform an incantation or two can ask Siri to cast a series of spells, effectively turning their smartphone into a wand — no trip to Ollivanders wand shop needed. Apple includes three built-in spells, but more enchantments can be added thanks to the Shortcuts app. Find out how to turn your iPhone into a wand and cast spells from Harry Potter.
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As detailed by Gadget Hacks (via BGR), all you have to do is make sure the Hey Siri function is active on your iPhone, and then say “Hey Siri” followed by the name of the spell. From there, the iPhone will work its magic.
To enable the Hey Siri feature:
Head into your iPhone’s Settings app
Navigate to “Siri Search”
Switch on “Listen for ‘Hey Siri'” along with “Allow Siri When Locked.”
(Image credit: Future)
Apple has included three spells as voice commands that you can try out. Here’s how to activate them:
Say “Hey Siri, Lumos (loo-mos)” to turn on your iPhone’s rear flashlight. It’s a wand-lighting charm that illuminates the tip of the caster’s wand, making it a fitting spell to turn on your iPhone’s flashlight.
Say “Hey Siri, Nox (nokss)” to turn off your iPhone’s rear flashlight. It’s the counter-charm to Lumos spell.
Say “Hey Siri, Accio (ah-kee-oh)” followed by the name of an app to open it. This is a summoning charm to bring an object towards the caster, but this version simply opens apps. For example, “Hey Siri, Accio WhatsApp.”
The Accio spell can be a tad tricky, as your iPhone may search for “Axel” or “Accio” within the app instead of opening it. Plus, you can also just say “Hey Siri, [App Name]” to open an app.
As pointed out by Gadget Hacks, you can also create your own spells to activate features on your iPhone by heading to the Shortcuts app. To do this, head over to the Shortcuts app, and in the “My Shortcuts” tab, tap the plus icon at the top right to craft a new shortcut. Name the shortcut and select “Add action.”
You can include a number of different spells that can act as a handy shortcut, including the silencing charm Silencio (si-len-see-oh) to put your phone on silent mode, amplifying charm Sonorus (soh-nohr-us) to boost the volume to max, and more.
I first heard of Harry Potterabout the time the first movie came out in 2001, because my cousin was obsessed with the series. They still are, to this day. My parents, conservative Christians, who twitched at any sign of witchcraft around their children, forbid the books and movies expressly in their home. And despite my pleas, every time we went to the library, which was at least weekly, to check the books out, they stood stalwart. I watched from afar. I knew most of the spoilers by the time I finally read them in 2011, just before going to college. I figured my parents couldn’t stop me; I was almost an adult, almost out of the house, and I was right. I devoured those increasingly massive tomes in about two weeks. I loved them.
I went to the midnight premiere — remember those — of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, with an audience full of fellow Potterheads, and we cheered together and cried together. It was a truly magical night. I dressed up as a Ravenclaw, which I thought was my house at the time due to the influence from the cousin, but I since discovered I’m a hatstall between all the houses but Hufflepuff. Can you tell I’m not generous enough to be one of them? However, I now take about as much stock in Hogwarts houses as I do astrology, which is to say, I think Hogwarts houses are nonsense.
At my first Wizards’ Ball, an annual nerdy dance thrown by my college’s RPG Club, I dressed up as a Ravenclaw again and even had my own hand-crafted wand, which was created by the Wiccan club on campus. Yes, we had one of those. My college was an entirely different world from the sheltered one I grew up in, and I appreciate it for that. I also remember eagerly trying to get into Pottermore in 2012.
Now, years down the line, I don’t really care about Harry Potteranymore. I haven’t seen any of the Fantastic Beasts movies. Despite having the opportunity to see the Cursed Child play when I lived in New York, I never did. I entered the lottery a couple of times, but that wasn’t a really sincere effort, and I mostly just wanted to see the disastrous-sounding writing for myself. Truth be told, the start of Rowling’s expansion of the Potter-verse soured me on the whole thing. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child sounded idiotic, the Fantastic Beasts series sounded boring, the allure of Hogwarts was passing quickly…but when she basically “came out” as a transphobe, I at first tried to think of Harry Potteras entirely separate from her, but you can’t really do that. Rowling is Harry Potter; Harry Potteris Rowling.
As someone who has struggled with my sexuality and gender identity ever since my teens, I find Rowling’s words abhorrent, her subsequent writing even more so. She has a powerful gift for convincing language, even if her prose wasn’t always the greatest. But something drew so many people to Harry Potter, and I’d argue it was just how persuasive she was in the writing of the books that this was a good universe, a good fight, with good characters, even when they weren’t all that good.
Return to Hogwarts is probably something I’ll never watch. It’s in part that I just don’t care anymore, and in part that I cannot in good conscience support her. I love the actors who, for me, held the film series together, but they’re all doing perfectly fine, from the sounds of it. We didn’t need Return to Hogwarts. We didn’t need everything that came after the final book and movie. And we certainly didn’t need Rowling’s spewing of bile and hatred. But as much as I sound like I’m completely dismissive of my whole experience with the series, I’m actually not. I grieve it, actually. I don’t think anyone in the fandom wanted it to be this way, and while some can live in a world where Rowling doesn’t exist, and Harry Potterdoesn’t have an author, as a writer myself, I can’t.
I leave you with a piece from the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone soundtrack which always makes me cry, because there was something heartbreaking about it then, and something even more heartbreaking now: “Leaving Hogwarts”.
This concert features the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in high-definition, on a giant screen, while the Eugene Symphony performs John Williams’ unforgettable
Wolfstar is the fans’ name for a ‘fictional’ love affair between Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. But the casting notes have revealed Harry’s godfather will look very different from how he has appeared so far.
Played in the main film franchise by Gary Oldman, the new casting requirements stipulate Sirius Black must be played by a non-white actor. They go even further with Pettigrew who must be played by “a gender non-conforming, non-binary, trans male.”
James Potter must be played by anyone who is: “Asian, black, African descent, ethnically ambiguous, multiracial, Indigenous peoples, Latino, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, South Asian, Indian, Southeast Asian or Pacific Islander.”
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A new look at Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has just been conjured up, and this fairly lengthy trailer appears to hit all the right notes for loyal Harry Potter fans. But arguably what is most exciting about this three-minute long preview is what’s not included, namely the distinctive lack of fantastic beasts.
The trailer features plenty of call backs to the original Harry Potter series (even opening with archive footage of Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore) not to mention plenty of impressive looking spell-casting, but unlike the film’s first trailer there is a very noticeable lack of magical creatures in this one.
There is still footage showcasing Pickett the Bowtruckle and a very cute niffler, plus a majestic looking phoenix (presumably Dumbledore’s pet Fawkes) closes out the trailer, but otherwise the focus is placed squarely on the human characters. This is no bad thing, as the split focus between fantastic beasts and the larger wizarding war was a common criticism of this film’s predecessor Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
This trailer could indicate that the balance in this threequel will be tipped in favor of the humans of the wizarding world, rather than its animal inhabitants. Of course, as noted, the first trailer did more heavily feature fantastic beasts, so there is a possibility that this trailer is just smartly edited to highlight Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and pals in an effort to appease skeptical audience members.
The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third film in the Fantastic Beasts film series will see magizoologist Newt Scamander team up with a younger Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) in order to stand against the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) and his army of loyal followers. As this trailer, and just about every piece of marketing material has suggested, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will feature prominently.
The film will see Mikkelsen replace Johnny Depp, who played Grindelwald in the franchise’s previous two installments. This isn’t the only notable change in this third outing. Original Harry Potter author and highly controversial public figure, J.K. Rowling, has been taken off sole screenwriting duties, and has instead co-written The Secrets of Dumbledore alongside Steve Kloves who adapted all but one of the original Harry Potter books into movies.
Otherwise the film will see plenty of returning faces with Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, and Katherine Waterston all reprising their roles, not to mention David Yates is once again behind the camera— this will be his seventh directional effort in the Harry Potter franchise.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is scheduled to hit theaters on April 8, 2022, but in the meantime you can watch the HBO MaxHarry Potter reunion special now or why not revisit the original Harry Potter movies?
One of the most highly-anticipated games this year, Hogwarts Legacy is currently in development and is now in the testing phase. Warner Bros.-owned game developers, Avalanche Software made a post on Instagram searching for game testers to try out the Harry Potter game. The studio is located in Salt Lake City, meaning Utah fans have the opportunity to play Hogwarts Legacy before the general public.
Avalanche Studios said in the job posting, “WE’RE HIRING!! Want to join our team? This is a TEMP position. The Quality Assurance (QA) Functionality Tester will be responsible for testing products published by Avalanche Software and executing test cases. The QA Tester will also be required to effectively communicate defects to the rest of the production team, enter bugs into the bug database and follow-up on those bugs on the test suite.” Although temporary, it certainly sounds like this would be a dream position for any fan of Harry Potteror gamers in general.
The AAA Hogwarts game has looked great from trailers so far, with players able to live out their Harry Potter dreams and able to attend the magical school while brewing potions, flying on broomsticks, learning various spells, and more. The qualifications for the game tester position are as follows, “The successful candidate for this role will be a passionate Gamer and detailed oriented. Understanding of with bug databases such as Jira. Understanding of test suites and test cases. Good verbal and English written communication skills. Strong analytical skills, good communication skills. Ability to work in a team. Experience with consoles and/or PC testing.”
Unfortunately, Hogwarts Legacy still does not have a firm launch date. Developers have simply stated that it will arrive at some point in Q4 2022 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. See the source below if you’re interested in the position!
2022 kicks off with a bang, thanks to a slew of new shows and movies coming to streaming for theatre lovers to enjoy. From the Harry Potter film franchise reunion to The Tragedy of Macbeth and The Gilded Age, there’s plenty of stars to see on screen.
Check out what’s playing below.
Amazon Prime
Cruel Intentions Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe, and Reese Witherspoon star in this ‘90s take on Choderlos de Laclos’ 1792 French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, transporting it to the world of 1990s Manhattan prep schools on the Upper East Side. The film was so popular—thanks in part to its soundtrack—that a musical was created and premiered in 2015. A recent concert staging is streaming on Stellar through January 4.
Once Before the stage adaptation won the Tony for Best Musical in 2012, this musical stole the hearts of moviegoers around the world. Musician-actors Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (who won the Academy Award in 2008 for Best Original Song for the film’s signature number “Falling Slowly”), follows an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant as they find themselves drawn together by their shared love of music.
The Preacher’s Wife This ‘90s hit movie-with-music and Whitney Houston vehicle has inspired an in-development stage musical. The film follows one woman as she struggles to find her voice and strengthen her preacher husband, played by Tony winner Denzel Washington, during a moment of financial and emotional turmoil for the church community at-large. The supporting cast features a slew of theatre favorites including Tony winners Courtney B. Vance and Gregory Hines, along with Loretta Devine and Jenifer Lewis.
Waitress Before Sara Bareilles created music for a Blockbuster stage adaptation, this film starring Keri Russell was an indie favorite around the States. Written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly (HBO Max recently aired a documentary on the artist), Waitress follows Jenna, a small-town Southern gal with an uncanny knack for making pies as she seeks to flee her unhappy marriage and her disappointing life.
Apple TV+
Corey Hawkins in The Tragedy of Macbeth Alison Cohen Rosa
The Tragedy of Macbeth (January 14) Joel Coen’s film adaptation of the Shakespearean classic stars Tony and Oscar winners Denzel Washington as Macbeth and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth alongside Tony winner Bertie Carvel as Banquo, Brendan Gleeson as King Duncan, Tony nominee Corey Hawkins as Macduff, Harry Melling as Malcolm, and Alex Hassell as Ross. Kathryn Hunter plays all three witches. It tells the story of one man’s murderous plot to assume the throne and his ensuing decent into madness.
The Bodyguard When a superstar (Whitney Houston) discovers she is being stalked, she hires a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) to protect her. While not a musical per se—although there are plenty of musical performances—the film inspired a stage adaptation that opened in the West End, starring Tony winner Heather Headley (Aida). Despite having not yet made it to Broadway, The Bodyguard remains a popular choice for regional, touring, and international venues.
Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye Searchlight Pictures
The Eyes of Tammy Faye Jessica Chastain (in a stunning make-up transformation) stars as Tammy Faye Bakker, along with Tony winners Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker and Cherry Jones as Tammy’s mom, Rachel. Exploring the Bakkers’ life as they built an evangelical TV empire, the film also digs deeper into Tammy Faye’s own beliefs and her refusal to bend to the patriarchal whims of the network bigwigs.
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts All aboard the Hogwarts Express for a journey back to the Wizarding World. As previously announced, the special will feature the original trio—Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson—all participating along with a slew of supporting players, many of whom are theatre faves. It’s unclear what Return to Hogwarts will look like, but if HBO’s previous reunion special for Friends is any harbinger, Harry Potter fans can expect set visits, scene reenactments, and plenty of reminiscing in the Gryffindor common room.
The Philadelphia Story Based on the 1939 play by Philip Barry, written specifically for Katharine Hepburn, the movie tells the story of a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her ex-husband and an attractive journalist. The popular movie adaptation starred Hepburn and Cary Grant, and a musical film remake titled High Society, starring Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby, premiered in 1956.
A Streetcar Named Desire Marlon Brando reprises his role as Stanley in this film adaptation of Tennesse Williams’ Pulitzer Prize–winning drama, expanding beyond the singular setting of an apartment. Vivian Leigh stars as Blanche opposite Kim Hunter as Stella, both of whom won Oscars for their performances.
The Time Traveler’s Wife Based on Audrey Niffenegger’s book, Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana star as married couple, Clare and Henry, as they deal with the latter’s genetic disorder that sends him hurtling through time and space. A stage adaptation is in the works with a score by Grammy winners Joss Stone and Dave Stewart.
Somebody Somewhere (January 16) This series follows Sam, played by downtown favorite Bridget Everett, a true Kansan on the surface but struggling to fit the hometown mold. Her one saving grace is singing, which leads her on a journey to self-discovery and a community of outsiders who also don’t fit. Co-starring are Jeff Hiller, Mary Catherine Garrison, Danny McCarthy, and Mike Hagerty.
Carrie Coon and Morgan Spencer
Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO
The Gilded Age (January 24) The nine-part limited series, featuring a theatre-stacked cast, explores the power struggles of New York City high society. Carrie Coon and Morgan Spencer are Bertha and George Russell, new to NYC and ready to take their place in society as power players—as they contend with longstanding residents like Agnes van Rhijn, played by Christine Baranski. The show also features theatre alums like Cynthia Nixon (as Agnes’ less affluent sister, Ada Brook), Audra McDonald, Denée Benton, Katie Finneran, Kristine Nielsen, Claybourne Elder, Bill Irwin, Michael Cerveris, and Simon Jones.
Hulu
Falling for Figaro Joanna Lumley, Danielle Macdonald, and Hugh Skinner lead this new rom-com set in the world of competitive opera singing. The story centers on young fund manager Millie (Macdonald), who leaves her career and long-term boyfriend to follow her opera dreams. As expected, the film showcases Lumley’s famous deadpan comedy chops as the fictional former opera diva turned vocal coach with some unusual training methods.
Women of the Movement (January 6 on ABC, January 7 on Hulu) This six-part limited series is based on the story of Mamie Till-Mobley, played by recent Tony winner Adrienne Warren. The series follows Mamie on her pursuit of justice for her son Emmett Till, the 14-year-old African-American boy who was brutally lynched in 1955 Jim Crow Mississippi. Tony winner Tonya Pinkins plays Mamie’s mother, with a cast also including Ray Fisher, Glynn Turman, Chris Coy, Carter Jenkins, and Julia McDermott.
Ailey (January 10) Director Jamila Wignot’s documentary, which premiered at Sundance last year, follows the late visionary who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, from his early days in Texas to his untimely death in 1989. For decades, he led the premiere company, choreographing pieces that became classics, including Blues Suite, Cry, and Revelations. The film uses archival footage and audio recordings of Ailey alongside interviews with company dancers and choreographers, who give insight into Ailey’s process and legacy.
Annie This 1982 film adaptation of the Broadway musical brings everyone’s favorite “Tomorrow”-singing orphan to the big screen with a supporting cast full of theatre stars, including Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan, Bernadette Peters as Lily, Tim Curry as Rooster, Ann Reinking as Grace, Albert Finney as Daddy Warbucks, and Geoffrey Holder as Punjab (a character from the musical’s source material added for the film).
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Gene Wilder stars as the title candy-maker who opens the gates to his marvelous—and mysterious—factory to a lucky few. That includes young Charlie Bucket, whose life definitely needs sweetening. Featuring music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, the Oscar-nominated score features favorites like “The Candy Man” and “Pure Imagination.” The film is based on the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, which was turned into a film in 2005 (also now available on Netflix) and then a Broadway musical in 2017.
The Harry Potter franchise contains a rich and in-depth world that was 10 years in the making.
It’s no secret that J.K Rowling’s magical series has created somewhat of a large following – with around 500 million copies of the books sold worldwide.
But how much do you really know about the Harry Potter universe?
From little tidbits to facts about much-beloved characters, we’ve compiled a quiz that will put all your wizarding world knowledge to the test.
You can gather all your friends together as part of Harry Potter movie marathon night and use these questions to see who is the most die-hard fan.
