JOE spoke to Fiennes this week on the red carpet, where we also asked him about the rumours of Murphy playing a zombie in 28 Years Later.
As those reading probably are aware, a new Harry Potter series is in the works at HBO, and there have been rumours that Irish Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy is being considered to play the main villain, Lord Voldemort.
Ralph Fiennes famously inhabited the role in several of the Harry Potter films and has previously given his blessing to Murphy taking over the part, stating: “Cillian is a fantastic actor. That’s a wonderful suggestion.”
As such, when Fiennes was on the red carpet on Thursday evening (20 February) for a Dublin International Film Festival screening of his new movie The Return, JOE had to ask him what it is about Murphy that would make him a fantastic Voldemort.
“He’s a great actor. He has a sort of power and a mystery about him,” he responded.
“I think he will inhabit that mysterious, malign spirit very well – not that he’s like that. But I think he has that ability to go to a dark place, with an unknowable quality.”
One of Fiennes’ upcoming roles is the zombie horror 28 Years Later, a sequel to 28 Days Later which Murphy is producing.
Part of the trailer for 28 Years Later went viral because fans thought they had spotted Murphy as a zombie – something which proved to be untrue.
JOE asked Fiennes about these rumours of Murphy’s appearance, to which he smirked and replied: “Well, Cillian’s not in the recent movie. He may be in the later one. We don’t know.
“The producers have a strong grip on what I’m allowed to say and what I can’t say.
“I love 28 Days Later, the movie that Cillian did. That’s fantastic. I think [28 Years Later] promises to be really great.”
Fiennes also told press at the event that to prepare for 28 Years Later, he learned skills to fight off the apocalypse. That said, he stayed tight-lipped about specifics for fear of spoilers.
“I did, but I can’t reveal what they are,” he said, smiling.
The Dublin International Film Festival is running until 2 March.
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