10 Things Most Fans Don’t Know About Queenie Goldstein

Of all the characters in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Queenie Goldstein is the one who underwent the most dramatic transformation (and that’s including women turning into snakes!). First introduced in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Queenie always came across as a sweet, loving, adorable kind of witch. Unlike her sister Tina, Queenie isn’t ambitious and loves to cook and care for people. A powerful Legilimens, she is able to understand the thoughts of others, but rather than using this power to control, she uses it kindly, with great compassion.

Related: Fantastic Beasts 2 Star Explains Queenie’s Shocking Decision

Sweet, cute, and pink-clad, this little blonde ray of sunshine shocked fans when she sided with Grindelwald at the end of Fantastic Beasts 2 – even if she was tempted over to the Dark Side of wizardry because of her love for a Muggle man. Her decision to join Gellert isn’t the only thing that may surprise you about this witch, though…

10. She’s A Capricorn

Although we’ve yet to see Queenie celebrate a birthday on screen, we’re sure she’d make a pretty phenomenal cake for herself… and it might be decorated with a wintery theme, because Queenie was born on Jan 6^th, 1903. This birthdate is revealed in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them when we see her MACUSA ID card, which also includes her job, photo, and fingerprints. This birthdate also means that she is two years younger than her sister Tina – and they definitely have the relationship dynamic to fit that age gap, with the more serious Tina taking care of Queenie.

9. She’s An Orphan

Harry Potter isn’t the only major character in J K Rowling’s wizarding world who has lost their parents. Tina and Queenie lost both their mother and father to Dragon Pox when they were relatively young. The exact age that this happened hasn’t been revealed, but as they were described as having been left to ‘raise each other’, presumably they were either not adopted by a particular family, or were old enough that they were left to their own devices. What this means now is that Tina and Queenie only have each other – and an incredibly close bond.

8. She Was Sorted Into Pukwudgie

Like Hogwarts, the American school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Ilvermorny, has a house system. Students are sorted into four houses according to their talents and dispositions, and Queenie’s house was Pukwudgie. Fans might not know the traits of these houses as well as they do those of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin – but Pukwidgie students are known for being kind healers… but can also be independent, just like the magical creature this house is named for. That sounds like Queenie – especially now that she’s shown that independence in leaving her loved ones to follow Grindelwald.

7. She Is (Probably) Jewish

This one might seem obvious, given the surname ‘Goldstein’, which is a very common Jewish name – but Queenie and Tina aren’t 100% confirmed to be Jewish themselves. However, J K Rowling has taken to Twitter to confirm two other pieces of information that connect to the sisters’ heritage; first, that they are distantly related to Anthony Goldstein, and second, that Anthony Goldstein was a Jewish student at Hogwarts (and a Ravenclaw). This makes it highly likely that they themselves are also Jewish, especially as Jewish descent passes through the maternal line, and Goldstein would be a descendant of theirs (or of a distant cousin, perhaps).

6. She’s A Half-Blood

Another little tidbit that we can glean from the MACUSA ID card that was revealed in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is that she and her sister are Half-Blood, not Pure-Blood, witches. This is only mentioned on Tina’s ID card, but as they are full sisters, they have the same blood status. Interestingly, though, both the Goldstien parents were confirmed to be magical, which means that it’s one of their grandparents who was a Muggle. (Half-blood can refer to parents or grandparents being muggles.)

5. She Works With Wands

Wands are one of the most vital tools in the wizarding world – and only a handful of extremely powerful witches and wizards can work magic without using one. Queenie works in the Wand Permit Office of MACUSA – a far from glamorous job, keeping track of the wand permits that every witch and wizard in New York City was required to carry at the time. Of course, she probably won’t be working there anymore, now that she’s decided to join Grindelwald’s forces! He’s definitely not the kind of wizard who would approve of this legislation…

4. She Joined Grindelwald Because Of ‘Rappaport’s Law’…

Any fan of the films knows that Queenie was seduced by Grindelwald’s words because she wanted to marry her boyfriend, Jacob Kowalski, who is a muggle (or, for those who prefer the American term, a no-maj). The film makes it clear that this isn’t a marriage that most wizards would approve of, but did you know that at the time it was actually against wizarding law? This law is called ‘Rappaport’s Law’, and was enacted in 1790. It is designed to separate muggle (or no-maj) and wizarding communities and protect the International Statute Of Secrecy.

3. … But Grindelwald Won’t Repeal It

Although Queenie is hopeful that Grindelwald will be the one to repeal Rappaport’s Law so that she and Jacob can legally marry (and not just in the UK), he won’t be the one to make that happen. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald takes place in 1927, but according to Pottermore, Rappaport’s Law was not repealed until 1965, and Dumbledore defeats Grindelwald in 1945. Which means that Queenie’s defection is all the more tragic, as she never gets what she is hoping for; the right to openly be with the person she loves.

2. Her Wand Includes Mother Of Pearl

Most wizards and witches have wands made simply with wood and some kind of magical core, but Queenie’s is something special. Although the core material hasn’t yet been revealed, the wand is made out of dark rosewood, and includes a mother-of-pearl shell at the base. The mother-of-pearl addition suggests that this could be a Jonkers wand, and because this wandmaker used Wampus Cat hair almost exclusively, it’s likely that this is what’s at the core of Queenie’s. It’s inspired by Art Deco style, and suits Queenie down to the ground.

1. She Might Do Some Singing In A Future Movie

Fantastic Beasts isn’t a musical franchise, although we have heard Queenie do a little singing in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, when she and Tina sang the Ilvermorny school song. However, the actress who plays Queenie, Alison Sudol, is primarily a musician and the majority of her IMDB credits are in soundtrack work rather than acting. This is one of the first times that she is in front of the camera, and bringing in a lesser-known actress for such a huge franchise makes us think that there may be some intention to use her vocal talents in the future.

Next: 20 Things That Make No Sense About Fantastic Beasts 2

About The Author

Rose Graceling-Moore
(1516 Articles Published)

Rose Graceling-Moore has been writing about film, TV and comics since 2013, when she began writing for a local print magazine in Vancouver, BC. Since then, Rose has written for Horror Honeys, Moviepilot and Quirkbooks as well as Screenrant, increasingly focusing on comic books and live-action comic adaptations, as well as diversity and representation on screen. Rose also co-hosted the DC Movies Podcast, and has guested on other nerd and entertainment podcasts over the past five years.

Rose’s love of comics began all the way back in the early ‘90s, when she discovered the X-Men while living in Africa (where there wasn’t a whole lot to do but read!), and since then has had an on-again, off-again love affair with not just Marvel, but DC and indie comics as well. You can follow her on Twitter: RoseMooreWrites for tweets about comics, movies, and more.

More From Rose Graceling-Moore