Almost a year to the day ago, I walked in these woods. I remember it well because I was screen testing to play Queenie and needed some serious grounding to keep my nerves from flinging me into space… and there the woods were, steady as ever, full of birdsong and green, shady fragrances that reminded me to breathe in, and then out again… be present, let go, and trust the universe… I can’t even begin to explain the kind of year I’ve had. Maybe I’ll tell you about it some day… Some of it is in the record that I promise is actually coming. I know it’s taken forever. The rest of it is too big to fit anywhere but in these woods.
Let’s just say it’s been life-changing. In all the ways, all the colors. Intense, but beautiful. I barely recognize the person that walked here before. Some years feel like decades.
Playing Queenie has been a complete and utter dream. I can’t wait for you to see the film and meet her. She beckoned me to find joy and adventure in places I least expected to, and allowing her enormous heart to live within mine was a gift which at times I needed more than I can say. And the entire Fantastic Beasts family have been so beautiful, so kind, so gentle, and as magic as the world(s) JK Rowling has created. Today I am filled with gratitude for this film, and for the country that I came to feel truly at home in. England, I know things are hard right now, painful and confusing, but I love you regardless and hope that you can use these tough times as a way to learn and grow, and find your way to a deeper, healthier and more unified future. We all need each other, and we’re all in the same boat, even if that’s hard to see sometimes. Regardless, in times of trouble and in times of peace, the woods tend to have the answer. Even if it’s just what they gave me before when I needed them, breathe in, breathe out, be here… and trust the universe. With love.
x a #nature #humannature #fantasticbeasts #queenie