Jamie Waylett—the 22-year-old British actor best known for playing the corpulent, Death-and-lots-of-puddings-probably-Eater scion Vincent Crabbe in the Harry Potter movies—has been arrested for looting and packing a homemade bomb during the London riots in August. Police picked up Waylett after security camera footage caught him stealing from a drugstore while carrying a Molotov cocktail, which they say he intended to detonate (but apparently never got the chance to). Waylett is charged with violent disorder, possessing explosives, intent to destroy or damage property, and receiving stolen goods—and as if all that weren’t enough, in the investigation that followed, police also discovered the crop of 15 marijuana plants Waylett was cultivating back home. For Waylett, it’s his second weed-related run-in, after authorities arrested him for growing 10 pot plants in 2009, then sentenced him to community service. He’s currently out on bail and due to appear in court next month, where he could face up to 14 years for the marijuana charges alone.
Anyway, naturally Waylett’s real-life dabbling in darkness has spurred some news outlets to joke that he’s a “method actor,” which anyone who hasn’t read a Harry Potter book or seen a Harry Potter movie may not get. Unfortunately, that includes me, so I was forced to consult with our resident Harry Potter expert, Genevieve Koski, in a conversation that went like this, basically:
Me: So who is this “Crabbe” guy? He’s like a bully? So he’s like a bully wizard?
Genevieve (without hesitation): He's a Slytherin—the evil house. One of Malfoy's friends/toadies/bodyguards. There's two of them, Crabbe and Goyle.
Me: Um, okay. Well, he tried to bomb London.
Genevieve: I heard! So method.
Me: Yeah, what does that mean? Is it really "method"? Does he bomb somebody in the movie?Genevieve: Hmm… I think he might be the one who set off the Fiendfyre, which is, like, unquenchable fire that killed someone. Lemme check.
Me: Okay… I appreciate this info and everything, but I’m also kind of laughing right now.
Genevieve (without so much as a SPOILER ALERT): Yes, he conjured Fiendfyre trying to kill Harry in the Battle Of Hogwarts, but ended up killing himself. And I don’t care. Laugh away. We both know you're going to make a Fiendfyre joke in that Newswire, and you have me to thank for it.
Me: Actually, I’ll probably just do this meta thing where I spell out this whole conversation, since I’m not really keen on making a joke about something called ‘Fiendfyre.’
Genevieve: Good, cite your sources.
Aaaand scene.