J.K. Rowling, Cast Talk Fantastic Beasts and Dumbledore

J.K. Rowling and the 'Fantastic Beasts' Cast Talk Fan Expectations and the Return of Dumbledore

Updated on November 19, 2016 11:38AM EST

The Wizarding World is back on the big screen — and the cast is feeling the pressure!

At a press conference on Thursday morning, the cast of the film — Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol and Ezra Miller — appeared alongside Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling to talk about the new film and what it was like returning to the Potter-verse.

“I can’t wait for people to see the movie,” Rowling said when PEOPLE asked about fan expectations for Fantastic Beasts and Where to find Them. “This is just the beginning and we don’t know which characters are coming back, so this is chapter one and I think people will really like it. I hope so.”

Rowling also said that she tries “not to focus too much on what other people think about the work,” but does appreciate when fans express their love for her novels. The cast, on the other hand, was really feeling the pressure of entering into an universe so beloved by fans all over the world.

“I’d like to say that I was scared because as a big Harry Potter fan, I felt like I was running the risk of being compelled to loathe myself,” Miller joked, before adding that he would “join the ranks” of people who hated him if it wasn’t a good performance. “It was certainly a little daunting,” the actor added.

WATCH: Grab Those Wands! JK Rowling, Eddie Redmayne and Jon Voight Attend ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ Premiere

Waterston, the film’s leading lady, agreed with Miller, saying, “I was so nervous when we first started and … I was trying to act like I had it more under control than I did.”

As the film’s star and a huge Potter fan, Redmayne admitted that he also didn’t want to mess it up — but that only made him more determined to do a great job.

“Like Ezra said, we were such fans of the books and films and of course didn’t want to be the guy that comes along and ruins it,” Redmayne admitted. “So there was definitely a sense of expectation on ourselves, but I think that galvanizes you and I think it makes you work harder.”

Another hot topic of conversation was the return of beloved character Albus Dumbledore, whom Rowling recently revealed will be appearing in future films. “You’ll see Dumbledore as a younger man and a quite troubled man because he wasn’t always the sage,” Rowling warns. He was always very clever and we’ll see what I believe is the formative period of his life.”

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters Nov. 18.