Why does Voldemort hold his wand in this manner?

Question

Is there any reason for the unusual way in which Lord Voldemort holds his wand?

Answer 1

This was a film decision, made by the character acter Ralph Fiennes, in conjunction with Production Designer Stuart Craig. In short, Fiennes was trying to make Voldemort's action tally with the book description of him as snake-like, with "silky-smooth" movements. The wand, he felt, should be an extension of these movements.

"She [JKR] describes the voice in a couple of places at least, which was a good indicator of where to go and the snake-like idea that J.K. Rowling gives him as someone, but that he himself has snake-like elements to his movement, silky-smooth and silent"

"With Stuart Craig, who's the production designer, and his team, we discussed what the wand would be, It has a hook on it, so I can hold my hand, and then the end can hook around this finger. I remember it should feel like an extension of my hand ... Like I almost have the hand open ... you'd think it would fall off the hand. But I just enjoyed that it could be light in the hand."

and

When we, when I was first discussing the part, I talked to the design department about creating a little hook, or a bird's claw on the end [of the wand] so that it could rest in an open hand, which I quite liked.