Harry Potter’s Jason Isaacs On Narrating ‘The Tales Of Beedle The Bard’ Audiobook

The Tales of Beedle The Bard, an audiobook collection of short stories featured in the Harry Potter series and written by J.K. Rowling, released today (March 31) via Audible and Pottermore Publishing.

In an exclusive interview, Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, discusses returning to J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World to read ‘The Warlock’s Hairy Heart’. The dark tale is one of five short stories, known as children’s fairytales in the wizarding world of the Harry Potter series. The collection was originally written by J.K. Rowling and released to the general public in 2008, in support of Rowling’s children’s charity, Lumos.

Notes on the tales (inscribed throughout the text by J.K. Rowling) from Hogwarts’ Professor Albus Dumbledore are narrated by Fantastic Beasts film series star, Jude Law, whilst the book’s introduction is read by Harry Potter actress, Sally Mortemore, who played Hogwarts librarian Madam Pince in the films.

Noma Dumezweni (who played the original Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), and Warwick Davis (Flitwick / Griphook), join Isaacs in narrating each of the five stories of The Tales of Beedle The Bard, all in support of Lumos.

Hear an exclusive clip from the audiobook below: 

On returning to J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, Isaacs says Rowling’s writing made the process of recording a smooth one:

“Stories are stories. There are good ones, there are bad ones, and then there’s Jo [Rowling], who’s in a category all by herself. Whether you get to be an actor in a set of films or narrate a fifteen minute story, when you’re in the hands of a master writer like her, you just relax. You go with the flow and try and stay out of the way of her genius!”

The Harry Potter audiobooks were originally read by Stephen Fry (U.K.) and Jim Dale (U.S.). This is the latest addition to the Hogwarts Library audiobook collection (precluded by Eddie Redmayne reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Andrew Lincoln reading Quidditch Through the Ages). Isaacs – who reads ‘The Warlock’s Hairy Heart’ in The Tales of Beedle the Bard – says the process required a “certain type of acting”:

“Sometimes narrating is incredibly easy, and sometimes it’s incredibly hard. It almost always correlates with how good the writing is. I read this story, and as long as I didn’t trip over my tongue, it was job done! We recorded it a few more times after that, just for fun because it was nice to hear it out loud.

“The trick with audio narration, I think, is to get out of the way. You’re not performing. It’s not a play, you’re not doing characters. You’re trying to help the listener’s imagination fly, and provide or enhance the experience they would have had were they reading it themselves. There’s no point trying to create the world for them with your voice, because their brain can create something a billion times bigger.” 

Isaacs has worked with J.K. Rowling’s children’s charity, Lumos, on a number of occasions, and spoke about the work the charity does to deinstitutionalize children and reunite children with their families:

“Typically for Jo, she chose to shine a light on young people in the world that needed help and attention: children who are trapped in institutions.

“Most of the world doesn’t do this anymore, but parts of the world do still have orphanages and this is a huge welfare problem. 80% of children in orphanages have a parent or family member who they could be reunited with and wants to look after them. Orphanages are self-perpetuating mechanisms that rob children of opportunity – they don’t want to go out of business.

“I’ve been lucky enough to see firsthand what they do, and it is bringing light and life to some of the kids most in need.”

Finally, Isaacs stressed the importance of storytelling in times like the present moment, in which many feel isolated during lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Isaacs says this audiobook is an opportunity to experience:

“Relief, escape, some cathartic thrills, and a big experience readers won’t get to live through themselves, as well as the joy and imaginative flight that stories can give you. Particularly in times where we are feeling lonely and thinking too much about our own realities, it’s important to share moments like this.”

The Tales of Beedle The Bard audiobook is now available via Audible.com and Audible.co.uk