When it comes to mental health and the media, it can be difficult to find a show or movie that includes mental health, let alone talks about it. The majority of the content may contain a scene or two where people react to their mental health issue such as dying by suicide or experiencing a panic or anxiety attack, but it is unlikely that the characters will elaborate on that scene or provide any kind of information as to why the characters reacted as they did; or in some cases, they will elaborate in a way that provides viewers with the wrong impression of that mental health issue. Fortunately, it is becoming more common to see positive examples of mental health throughout television and movies, and the audience may not even realize it. In J.K Rowling’s newest installment to her world of Hogwarts, witchcraft, and wizardry, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has a main character that has the same qualities as a person who is on the autistic spectrum.
It was about halfway through Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald before I leaned into my sister and said, “It is just me or does Newt remind you of someone with aspergers?” I had just witnessed the main character, Newt Scamander, attempt to explain his infatuation with another character by comparing her eyes to a salamander and not understanding why that may be a bit strange. As the movie progressed, I became convinced that Newt- the main character, protagonist, and hero- was someone who may not be autistic, but definitely exhibited qualities that made him “different.” According to the Mayo Clinic, people with aspergers may be socially awkward and have an all absorbing interest in a specific topic. Newt rarely makes direct eye contact with other characters and it is clear that little things such as eye contact and hugs make him uncomfortable. As a result, Newt is socially awkward and has a hard time picking up on social cues, this led to a lot of comic relief throughout the movie. Also, Newt’s life is dedicated to the research, preservation, and care of all fantastical beasts that are included throughout the world that J.K Rowling has created.
It is clear that Newt finds immense comfort in taking care of his creatures, and it is clear that Newt prefers the company of animals opposed to people due to his inability to understand them, “There are no strange creatures, only blinkered people.” Although the theory of Newt being autistic cannot be confirmed or denied, the actor that plays Newt also believes that Newt may be autistic; Eddie Redmayne said, “… the way he (Newt) walked, the way he looked, and his eye contact… I think he is on the Asperger’s spectrum.” The movie is also taken place in the 1920s, so autism was not diagnosed or recognized yet; regardless of the time period, it is important that Newt’s character is not an obvious outsider. Newt is smart, likeable, a little weird, but above all he is caring. J.K Rowling may have not even realized she created a character that could be classified as autistic, but it is so important that she did.
The Harry Potter series is arguably one of the most famous series of fiction and movie series in the world; although there is no a direct correlation with Harry Potter himself and the Fantastic Beasts series, the Fantastic Beasts movies are so renowned because they act as a sort of prequel to the Harry Potter series. The bottom line is that Harry Potter is popular and Newt’s character is reaching the movie screens of hundreds of thousands of theatres across the world. Through this platform, J.K Rowling is resonating with people of all ages and telling them that it is okay to be weird, it is okay to be an outsider, and it is okay to challenge the idea of normalcy because everyone is different. I wish that there was more people like Newt portrayed throughout television and movies because he is the best example of a character whose “differences” are what makes him genuine, strong, and capable of overcoming obstacles such as defeating the evil wizard, Grindelwald, and saving the city of Paris from absolute annihilation.
Sources
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=symptoms+of+aspergers&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Woodrick Writes 
Beautifully written Maddie. Mental illnesses of every kind must be understood so that something can be done to help! Continue to empower as many people as you can with your words! Very good job.
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So well-written, keep writing! These are the topics we need to discuss, for all ages of people!
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