#I'm rewatching all seasons and I'll die at 2x15 all over again

[hikaru9]

About Harry Shum Jr.'s Magnus Bane

There are a lot of things I love about Harry Shum Jr., but whenever I see him in anything else beside “Shadowhunters”, it always strikes me how his Magnus is absolutely specific and very peculiar (and perfectly Magnus-like).

If you watch, even for some minutes, other shows or movies he starred in, like, for example, the first episode of “Single by 30” (available for free on youtube), or the shorter “Caper” (again, free on youtube), and if you know “Glee”, you will immediately understand what I mean.

As I said, there are a lot of things I love about his acting in general. Here are some aspects about the way he plays Magnus that I just LOVE:

Body language

Everyone already noticed this: it’s always a pleasure to watch him move. He’s basically dancing through the scenes without even specifically doing so, nor forcing it. Harry makes it so natural, it’s impressive. When Magnus moves it’s never sudden nor harsh; there’s always a softness in his walking or turning. When he just stands, his posture is very specific: his back is straight, almost arched but not too much; it’s a typical position in dancing, if you think about it (at least, I was taught so). He’s never hunched, his shoulders never drop, his head is always high.

All the details listed above make Magnus a graceful character. His movements are elegant, almost delicate. His clothes automatically need to mirror this aspect of him; hence his wardrobe is full of beautiful jackets, elegant shirts and fascinating accessories. It’s very interesting how, being immortal, he has to adapt his style through the centuries and how he probably never had any difficulties in doing so, thanks to his natural movements and posture.

Magic

The way Harry decides to perform Magnus’s magic is absolutely linked to the way the character moves. Thus, when there’s magic involved, Magnus is almost dancing. You can notice that in the way his legs and muscles balance him; how his torso shifts to follow the movements; how is arms are free to move, going wherever he wants to. I just love seeing hints of Harry dancing in there: it’s hidden but still visible and it’s amazing how he manages to find the correct balance between simply moving and breaking into dance. It’s never awkward, nor forced (no matter what Clary tried to show to AU!Magnus in episode 1x10); it’s still elegant and very Magnus-like.

Voice

His voice is one of the things that changes the most between his acting roles. Harry voices Magnus in a specific and completely different way from how he speaks normally or how he performs in other roles. Magnus’s voice is always soft. He never truly shouts, not even when he’s angry. He can be harsh if he’s upset but you can’t hear it in his voice per se: it’s more in the words he chooses and how he wants to deliver what he wants to say. He’s well-spoken as well; he’s usually direct but he can be evasive as well. Nonetheless, and no matter the situation, his voice is always soothing and warm and I just love that about Magnus.

Expressions in emotional scenes

I remember the fandom praising him during 2x15 and I couldn’t be prouder. Harry is always amazing as Magnus, but his emotional scenes are just incredible to watch. From the way he manages to make us understand that Magnus is closing off (1x12 or 2x12 until 2x15, for example), to the way his anger and upset show (2x03 or 2x17). Most of all, I adore how Harry manages to show Magnus’s surprise or disbelief when Alec does something unexpected (2x07, 2x10 and 2x20, all Malec scenes). It’s not a visible surprise, it’s not exaggerated nor forced. It’s the surprise of a person who got through so much and that at first doesn’t believe what he sees or hears. Magnus clearly needs time to process the fact that there’s someone loving him as much as he loves and that demonstrates how Harry understands the character perfectly. His surprise is a breach through Magnus’s walls, not a crumbling of those defenses. Alec is destroying them little by little, so Magnus is going through a new and unexpected experience, and I always find Harry’s expressions and behaviours on point.

Details

In the end, as I said once, it’s all about the details. This is probably the aspect I love most about Harry: nothing is done by chance, nothing is random; there’s always a purpose and a meaning behind every movement or emotional disclosure. We all know, through interviews and comments, how Harry works. He studies every detail and he manages to portray and gift us of everything he can think of.

Magnus is never still. Whether there’s a close-up or he’s in the background, if you follow him with your eyes, you will notice that Harry always does something. Maybe it’s Magnus sniffing a weird object; maybe it’s him gradually disappearing from the room to avoid a discussion; maybe he does funny faces to another person (or to Camille’s snake). Whatever he does, I know it’s never unintentional. And that makes his scenes so interesting to watch, follow and study carefully. There’s a joy in examining what he does and in trying to understand why he does it. When he plays Magnus I just love it even more, because he does everything I’ve ever imagined Magnus would do.

I’ll be forever grateful for this cast. But even more, for them to choose an amazing actor like Harry Shum Jr. to portray one of my favourite characters ever.

#Shadowhunters #Magnus Bane #Harry Shum Jr #dailyharryshumjr #dailymagnusbane #Sh meta #Magnus Bane meta #nephilimdaily #my metas #I have a lot of feels ok #I'm rewatching all seasons and I'll die at 2x15 all over again #and I'll come back here babbling my love all over again #About Magnus Bane meta