Los Angeles, Nov 22 (IANS): Actor Dan Fogler says it is surreal to be part of the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise.

"It is surreal for different reasons. For the first one, meeting J.K. Rowling was like ‘oh my God' moment. She is superstar and a genius," Fogler told IANS here.

"Now, when I see her I am taken aback because she sees me and goes ‘Hi, Dan' and gives me a hug. And I am thinking I am on her mind and she is thinking about my character and knows me. It is just like a certain gift which keep popping up as life goes along," he added.

"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" is the second in the planned five movies spin-off franchise from the "Harry Potter" films. The first part "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" came out in 2016.

With the franchise, Rowling went back in time to introduce a thriving world of magic, magical creatures and wizards in New York. It brought forward new characters like Tina, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), Queenie (Alison Sudol) and Jacob Kowalski (Fogler).

In the series, Jacob is a 'no-maj' -- a term used for the person without any magical abilities. He stumbles upon the magical world with Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), and decides to continue on the mysterious path despite the twists and turns. The Warner Bros project released in India on November 16.