Over the course of eight feature-films, we've experienced quite a lot of magic in the HARRY POTTER franchise, but J.K. Rowling still has a few tricks up her sleeve which will be seen in FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. The upcoming film will obviously introduce us to new characters, but we'll also be in store for a few new magical abilities.
Alison Sudol plays Queenie Goldstein, a free-spirited witch who works a menial desk job at the Magical Congress of the United States of America, the same department as her sister, Tina (Katherine Waterston). Sudol's character also has a unique skill, she's a Legilmens, which means that she can read minds. We've seen this ability in spell form, used by Professor Snape on Harry Potter, but Queenie's ability is "more like an antenna, always turned on, picking up the thoughts and feelings of everybody around her." Sudol spoke with Entertainment Weekly to give a few more details on her character's interesting talent.
She’s basically a complete and utter magical empath. She’s able to read people — so it’s not just reading somebody’s thoughts. She’s can read into someone’s story, she can see people’s goals. And so even though she’s able to do magic with her wand, a lot of her magic is actually internal, which makes her a different type of wizard or witch. And she’s incredibly fun, playful, joyful, and free-spirited, kind and wise, and also has a sort of stillness about her because she’s always tuning into people, so she’s quite an interesting character to play — very vivacious and lively, yet very centered and aware.
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM is set for a November 18, 2016 release.