A Jersey-born actor who played the first Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter play in London is set to star in a psychological drama premiering in Guernsey next month.
James Howard will play The Rector in short firm Albert, which is set in Guernsey in 1690 and explores the island’s folklore and witchcraft.
In the film, Mr Howard’s character tries to help a Guernseyman – played by Guernsey-born actor Cameron Ashplant – rid himself of an indestructible, enchanted book called Le Petit Albert.
Mr Howard has previous experience with supernatural projects, having spent seven years starring in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on the West End.
But he told Express the film was “definitely a big step away from my wizarding days” as the film’s director was “keen to keep the story grounded in an earthy realism”.
“In fact, playing a rector trying to make someone renounce their ownership of a dangerous book is totally opposite to the spells I was used to casting as Draco,” said Mr Howard. “But there is definitely a darkness to both characters.”
Mr Howard approached the film’s writer and director Joshua Fletcher about the part as “the local folk tale behind the project sounded intriguing and his vision was incredibly clear”.
He praised the “fantastic crew from Guernsey and the UK” and said Mr Fletcher’s direction was “incredibly generous”.
Guernsey-born filmmaker Mr Fletcher told Express the idea for the film started during lockdown, when he and his wife bonded over their shared fascination with the folklore of Guernsey.
One “rabbit hole” they went down was researching the real ‘Petit Albert’, an 18th Century book of folk magic known as a ‘grimoire’.
Guernsey Museum still keeps a copy of the book, Mr Fletcher explained, which contained everything from soap recipes to spells to improve the owner’s sex life.
He said: “I was immediately drawn to it because the story surrounding it is kind of so evocative and cinematic, so the potential was huge.”
Mr Fletcher said he loved “this idea that a book was a secret, so not many islanders had one”.
“If people knew you had a copy, you’d kind of be slightly feared,” he added.
The writer and director said he hoped his film found “the truth in that myth”.
Mr Fletcher explained that the film aimed to help shine a light on people’s relationship with the truth in a modern world where “trusting information is really difficult”, because of the rise of disinformation and AI deep fakes.
“Back then, books were the only way to share stories and knowledge, so they then became like truth to people,” the director added.
After shooting in 2024, the filmmakers released a trailer for Albert this week and the firm will get a Guernsey premiere next month.
As well as a screening of the 17-minute film, there will be a Q&A, behind-the-scenes photos, and a short ‘making of’ documentary.
Albert has already been accepted into a number of UK film festivals.