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June 30, 2007 - Cine Tele Revue interviews Emma Watson

The Order of the Phoenix is a much darker movie. Did you feel it on set?
Yes, the plot goes darker and more tortured with each movie. But a lot of this depth and darkness is also due to David Yates, the director. He’s very emotional and subtle.

Have the HP movies influence your teenage years? Do you feel you’ve been losing your best years?
Yes and no. I don’t have the kind of freedom that most teenagers my age have. I can’t do whatever I want. Whether I like it or not, I’m constantly in the public eye, even at school. So I have to be kind of wary, but I’m not complaining. After all, maybe it’s a good thing.

Have you ever thought about giving up on your role?
Yes, a few times. It sometimes gives me headaches. Filming takes so long and demanding that I have wondered if all those efforts were worth the sacrifice of my time with my friends and family.

What do you miss the most during filming?
Not to be at home often, and to have very little leisure time, because of the school work I have to catch up with. This stressing way of life that makes you feel aware of your responsibilities very early. Too early, maybe. But again, I don’t feel like a victim. After all these years, it’s still a lot of fun for me to go from Hermione to Emma and from Emma to Hermione.

How do you deal with filming and school work?
I have a tutor on set. And every time the schedule allows, I go back to school to catch up with my school work. The only solution is to talk with my teachers after class and to work harder than the others.

Do you think you’ll go on acting after the end of the HP series?
Yes. As long as I like the roles that I’m offered.

What kind of roles would you like to play?
I have a soft spot for women who go through hard times but make it in spite of men. And for stories that are connected to reality.

Are you scared about being typecast?
No, because I’ll change physically. As long as I’m a teenager and I play little girls, I’ll be seen as Hermione. But once I become a woman, the public won’t see me this way anymore. At least, I hope that people will see beyond the stereotype. I’ve been lucky to play Hermione, it gave me an early experience. It’ll help me evolve more rapidly in this business.

How do you deal with fame on a daily basis?
I’ve been dealing with it almost since I was a child. I’ve practically known nothing else, so fame isn’t a problem for me. It’s best to begin young. At 11, it’s incredible to be recognised and celebrated. After, you get used to it.

Ever since you became a star, have your friends been treating you differently?
My real friends, no. But people who don’t know me well don’t know how to react. But at school, they’re used to me being here. They see me everyday, they don’t think about Hermione, and they don’t treat me differently.

Are you as caring as Hermione towards your friends?
Yes, I’m very attached to their friendship. Being a loyal friend is one of my qualities.

How do you stay in touch with your friends when you’re filming?
It’s all a matter of organisation, and motivation and emails!

Are boys more interested in you now that you’re famous?
No. Boys don’t know how to approach me. And, without being distant, I’m very independent so it’s hard to approach me.

Will Ron and Hermione finally admit their feelings?
Nothing’s sure. And I can’t tell you anything because I haven’t read a line of HP and the Deathly Hallows.

If you weren’t an actress, what would you like to do?
I think I’d have lots of activities. I’ve always had difficulties staying concentrated on the same thing for a long time. My parents are both lawyers, but I don’t think I’ll become one.

What did you dream of when you were a child?
Becoming an actress.

What did you buy with your first wages?
Everything that I earn is locked on a bank account until I’m legal. But each week, I receive a little sum of money with which I bought a laptop.

What are your hobbies?
I enjoy skiing, being with my friends or my family, chatting. Going to the cinema or listening to music.

Do you enjoy travelling?
Yes, I really like going on a plane and get to the other side of the world in a matter of hours. I recently visited Scotland with my parents. China, Japan and Hungary for the previous movies promotion. I stayed longer in China and Japan because I’ve always been fascinated by these countries. The US, for promotion. What else? Oh yes, France. The country in which I love spending time the most. But also Amsterdam, Russia, the Maldives Islands.

What is the weirdest thing a fan ever asked you?
To send him 50 pounds, which I didn’t really want to do. In a restaurant, I’ve been asked to sign a plate. I’ve also been asked to sign an autograph on somebody’s skin.

How do people react when they see you on the street in London? Do they scream, do they touch you?
People in the UK are very respectful. Americans tend to scream, to clap, to make a big deal about it, and it can be embarrassing.

You’ll soon leave for university. Any idea what you’ll be studying?
Philosophy or English literature.

How do your parents cope with their daughter’s fame?
At the beginning, with difficulty and scepticism. But they grew used to it. There’s nothing more alarming for parents than to admit that their daughter is famous at 11, especially since the business reputation and the tabloids aren’t really reassuring. But they’re proud of me.

Do you think you’re spoiled by your success?
Until very recently, I never really measured how lucky I was. Now I thank my lucky star everyday. Being picked among hundreds of candidates was a miracle. Just thinking about all those talented actors that don’t get a job is enough to convince myself that I really am very lucky.

Were you already a HP fan when you were picked?
Yes, I was in the middle of the third book when I was picked.

What make them chose you for the role of Hermione?
I corresponded to their idea of Hermione. More by my way of playing her than by my physical appearance. But I think what was determining for them was how perfectly compatible our three personalities were. Very early on, I was confronted to Rupert and Dan so that they could see how we functioned as a trio. After all, we were supposed to become friends until the end of the series!

What did you think about Daniel Radcliffe’s choice to appear naked on stage for Equus?
It’s very brave of him. I admire him for daring to brave the critics and taking the risk to break his image when nothing required him to. No need for publicity, no feeling like wanting to become a pin-up boy. He did it simply because he believed in that role.

Who would you take with you on a desert island?
Dan, probably. He’s very talkative, and he would save me from being bored. But why not Rupert? He’s very funny, he would make me laugh.

Source: Cine Tele Revue

June 29, 2007 - Being in Harry Potter’s gang isn’t child’s play any more

They may be heading back to Hogwarts again, but Harry Potter and his friends look to be outgrowing their schooldays.

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the boy wizard, lined up with his co-star Emma Watson for launch of the fifth film in series.

But the cheeky grins and childish looks of seven years ago, when they were first cast for the roles, have been magicked away. In their place are the smiles of those on the brink of adulthood.

However, the pair will need all their knowledge and experience to deal with the challenges of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, based on the book by JK Rowling.

Not only will Harry and Hermoine Granger, played by Miss Watson, face terrifying battles in the £75million film, but Harry will also experience his first proper kiss.

Radcliffe, 17, who has left school and recently stripped off to play a deranged teenager in the play Equus, admitted at the launch that the latest film was his “most challenging Potter role yet”.

The last Harry Potter book is available for preorder and the demand is bigger than ever

It took 30 takes to perfect the kiss with his onscreen girlfriend Cho Chang, played by Glaswegian actress Katie Leung.

He added, however: “Kissing Katie was a very comfortable experience, compared to being naked on stage.

As the boy wizard teeters on the edge of manhood, his fans will have to grow up too.

Some of the previous films have been rated PG, for Parental Guidance, which means unaccompanied children may watch.

But the latest is a 12A, meaning anyone under 12 needs an adult’s permission to watch.

How Harry Potter and friends grew up

Who is Daniel Radcliffe’s acting hero? How does Emma Watson rate her abilities? And why has Rupert Grint bought an ice-cream van? The Harry Potter stars talk to John Hiscock 

They have spent almost half their lives on Harry Potter film sets, growing up in the magical but fictional world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

But now, as the final book of J K Rowling’s seven-part series is about to be released and the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, arrives in cinemas on July 12, a world without Harry Potter is looming for the films’ three young stars.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint took time this week - production on the next film does not start until September - to ponder their pasts and speculate about what the future holds when they leave Hogwarts.

Radcliffe, 17, has already briefly shed his Harry Potter wizard robes for a well-received West End stint as the troubled young man who blinds horses in Equus. He has a film, The December Boys, awaiting release and is due to begin work on another, My Boy Jack, soon.

His height - 5ft 6in - would probably preclude a career as an action hero, but then his ambitions lie elsewhere. He has a keen sense of humour and a quick wit and, with Peter Sellers as his role model, has his sights on dramatic and light-comedy parts.

“It was fantastic to do Equus but I’m not under the false impression that doing one different role will make people suddenly see me as an actor in my own right rather than the actor who plays Harry Potter,” he said. “I think if I continue to do other interesting roles, hopefully people will start to see me differently.”

Daniel was talking in a suite at Claridge’s Hotel, having slipped virtually unnoticed past the paparazzi, dressed in a black T-shirt with the slogan: “Flying Saucers for Everybody”. “It would probably be my policy if I was to run any kind of government,” he deadpans.

“Somebody asked me today what I would do if I was a leader of a country and it would be flying saucers and unicycles - everybody needs a unicycle in life.”

He has, he says, been plagued by strange dreams lately, although he cannot lay the blame at Harry Potter’s door. “I’ve dreamt I’m being stalked by an England cricketer. I don’t know what prompted it - although I’ve been watching huge amounts of cricket - but for some reason Andrew Strauss was being paid to stalk me. I woke up with a cricket bat in my hand.”

On July 9, Radcliffe will cement his stardom by placing his hand prints on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, but he still finds the idea “really bizarre”. “It’s one of the things I get embarrassed about because it’s such a massive honour. It’s a very exciting prospect.”

Despite having been in the eye of the Harry Potter storm for most of their childhoods, Radcliffe and his two co-stars seem remarkably well-adjusted and down to earth. “People ask me if I think I’ve had a normal childhood - and if a normal childhood is being healthy and happy, then I have,” he says.

“I don’t feel I’ve missed out on anything. Perhaps I’ve grown up slightly faster than some other people my age simply because from the age of 11 I’ve been surrounded by more adults than kids. I’ve had a working relationship with adults and that does change how you develop and mature. You possibly do grow up slightly faster.

“The other day, somebody said the last Harry Potter film will probably be released in 2010. I don’t know how true that is, but if it’s the case then that will have been 10 years of my life and that’s a huge chunk, so I’ll be sad because it will be the end of an era in a way. But I equally imagine it will be quite exciting to be out of that world.”

Daniel is as interested as any of the millions of Harry Potter fans in finding out Harry’s fate when the seventh and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is out. “I have no idea what will happen,” he says. “There’s certainly a possibility that Harry might die. I’ve been told that people in Las Vegas are placing bets over whether he’ll live or die, which is hilarious. Will it make me sad? No. I think if Harry dies in a heroic way, it’s a good way for him to go.”

Emma Watson, at 16 the youngest of the trio, has grown into an attractive young woman over the course of the films, but she is probably the least confident in her own abilities. While she sees a lot of her Hermione Granger character in herself - “We’re both very stubborn, determined, loyal, academic feminists” - she believes any acting talent she has is instinctive and is unsure whether it will be enough to carry her on in after Harry.

“I’ll feel a bit lost when it all finishes, I guess,” she says. “It’s hard to imagine life without Harry Potter. It’s made up such a big part of my life and dominated so much time. It’ll be really weird.

“Never having done an audition before and never having done any professional acting and going into the biggest film franchise of all time, I’ve kind of come from nowhere and gone straight in at the top. Where do I go from here? I feel like I need to backtrack and work my way through again. I’d be really interested to kind of train properly because I feel I shouldn’t be here. I should have done so much more.”

What she has gained, however, is valuable experience, and she had grown sufficiently in confidence to ask David Yates, the director of Order of the Phoenix, whether she was contractually obliged to do so many takes. (Yates, who likes 30 or so takes, gave a polite yes.)

“I got thrown in the deep end on the first one, but the Harry Potter films have been a pretty amazing acting school,” she says. “When I got the part, the only thing I had apparently was some natural acting ability. I didn’t know anything about making a film, and there was so much technically I had to learn and understand.

“I spent the first two films just constantly being in awe, not really knowing if I was doing it right, if I was any good or why I was there.

“I’ve worked with four directors now, all of different nationalities, ages and personalities and I’ve worked with animals, with huge amounts of special effects and stunts. And I feel like I’ve seen and done a lot, so I’m quite lucky and I feel I’m pretty well set up for any other project I take on. This is my fifth time around, and I feel so much more confident in my ability as an actress.”

Watson, who was wearing blue Diesel jeans and a pink Chanel top, is being paid a reported £2 million for each of the final two films in the series, but insists that her drawn-out contractual negotiations were not money-motivated. “It was more about juggling my A-level exams, going to university and doing the movies,” she says.

Apart from clothes, her biggest expense so far has been a laptop, although she will be buying a car as soon as she has passed her driving test. “I’m taking lessons, but it’s so hard,” she groans. “I had no idea.”

She, too, is eagerly awaiting the final book. “It feels as if I’ve been waiting for ever. I really want to know what happens. There’s a guy who claims he’s been able to hack into J K Rowling’s account, and he’s saying that Hermione’s gong to die, and I found myself getting sad. I hadn’t contemplated her dying.”

Watson, whose parents divorced when she was five, plans to take a gap year, go to university. And then, if things go as planned, with Hermione Granger behind her, she will return to acting. “I’m still growing up, changing all the time, and I hope I’m talented enough to take on another character. I guess that will be a test of whether I can really act.”

Of the trio, 18-year-old Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, appears the least concerned about the end of the franchise.

He has appeared in two other films - Thunderpants and Driving Lessons - and, since leaving school at 16, he has spent much of his time on the golf course when not on the Harry Potter set.

“Cool” is his favourite adjective; it applies particularly to the ice cream truck he has bought and drives around Hertfordshire.

“I don’t know why I bought it, but it’s really cool,” he says. “I’ve always had an interest in the ice cream industry. It’s really cool; it’s got a freezer in the back and a big kitchen with sinks. It’s got a bell that plays a tune. It’s really cool.

“The last few years have just been really fun all the time. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. I suppose socially you miss out on a bit, like you don’t get as much free time with your mates, but when I’m on the set I’m working with people I’m really close to because we’ve been doing it for so long now. I just have a good time doing it.

“I’ve learned a lot of set stuff because when I first started I’d only done a few school plays. If I can, I’d like to sort of carry on with acting.”

He finds it “cool” that people recognise him in the street, although, he says, “It’s something I’m still trying to get my head around.” For the happy-go-lucky Grint, a death scene for Ron Weasley in the final film would also be “cool”, but it is not something that he has thought too much about.

“It would be quite cool to have a death scene if it was a really cool battle scene, but I don’t have any theories,” he says. “It’s going to be really sad when it all ends, and it’s going to be weird because it’s been a big part of my life.

“But I’ve got to do other things after Harry Potter so I’ll just see what happens. I’ve still got my ice cream van if it doesn’t all work out, so I’ll be all right.”

Source: The Telegraph, John Hiscock

June 28, 2007 - 3 minutes with Emma Watson

The sassiest witch in Hogwarts channels her muggle side to chat about boys, baths, and why she avoids the beach!

Throughout the course of the Harry Potter movies, Emma Watson’s character, Hermione, has transformed from a poofy-haired brainaic to the gorgeous belle of the Yule Ball. Now, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (out July 13), we see that her character has also matured on the inside - into a confident, take-charge girl. “Hermione’s forced to take things on for herself and have her own initiative,” says 17-year-old Emma. “I love that she’s a bit of a feminist. It’s normally her dragging the guys off into the mischief they get into!” In the fifth installment of Potter, evil takes over Hogwarts when a new teacher arrives with shifty suspicions and unusually cruel punishments, like bloodily carving words into the back of Harry’s hand by magic. Ouch! With a quick swoosh of our wand, we got Emma to tell us what makes her tick in real life. Here’s what she said.

COSMOGIRL!: So what’s in your bedroom right now?

Emma Watson: I have collections of quirky things from places I’ve been to, like a set of Russian dolls. And I always keep cards people send me. I have a whole wall covered with them. So my room’s quite full - and messy!

CG!: Are you more of a tomboy or a girlie girl?

Emma: I’m a mix. I can be a bit of a boy when I’m with (boys). I get combative. But I also love fashion and makeup. I don’t have makeup on all the time, but when I want, I have fun with my friends choosing clothes and putting nail polish on.

CG!: Which sport do you prefer - Quidditch or soccer?

Emma: Quidditch. There’s more going on, and it’s juicy! I’m really competitive. Field hockey is my strongest sport, and if I lose a game, I take a long, hot bath and moan about it.

CG!: Which holiday do you enjoy more, Valentine’s Day or Halloween?

Emma: I find Valentine’s Day quite stressful; there are such high expectations. So I’d go with Halloween - it’s more fun. I like dressing up - once I was a pumpkin!

CG!: Would you rather relax on the beach or go skiing in the mountains?

Emma: Skiing. I can’t lie still long. I must do something!

CG!: Last question - if you had Hermione’s magical powers, what would you do?

Emma: My life’s just mad - I love to cram as much as I possibly can into every single day! So I’ve always envied Hermione having that Time Turner. I’d love to be able to stop time - just take a break and come back into it.

Photo caption: Emma describes costar Daniel Radcliffe as a “big brother who protects me.” Sweet!

Source: CosmoGirl!

June 27, 2007 - He said, she said

FACT OR FRICTION: “I think it’s fair to say that Emma and me have had our moments. But when you’re with someone for six years and you see them practically every day, there’s bound to be moments when you just irritate each other. But generally we get on really, really well and we’re still really happy to be working together.” (Daniel)

ODD GIRL OUT: “I’m kind of used to being the only girl in the house. It’s kind of my thing. Bossing them around, seeing it from the girl perspective. I love picking clothes. I’ve bought Dan loads of clothes.”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: “Hermione in this one is really about trying to take Harry out of himself. He feels very isolated and alone and he’s kind of lost in a big way, so he separates himself from everything he cares about, which is Hermione and Ron because he thinks that’s easier. And so Hermione’s job is kind of to get him involved again and show him that he does have something really important to offer and that he can do great things. She gives him back his self–worth, really. It’s quite an important role.”

SCHOOL DAZE: “There’ll be some days where I’ll wake up in the morning, and I’ll feel really good and want to make an effort. I’ll wear a skirt and a nice little jacket and look real nice. Other days I’ll wake up late, sleep past my alarm, feel very groggy and I’ll quite literally go to school in my Ugg boots and my pajama bottoms and just put my hair back in a ponytail.”

DANCE LIFE: “I’m doing a lot of dancing. I’m doing a program which encourages teenagers to have a drug–free high from being on stage. This year I’m choreographing an eight-minute dance.”

FASHION FAVORITES:“I love Nicole Farhi, I love Marc Jacobs. I’m also a big fan of t–shirts from Topshop.”

EMMA, ON FUTURE MOVIE ROLES: “I’ve read scripts, but nothing’s grabbed me. It would have to be a film I’m really passionate about.”

THE CAST, ON ON-SET ROMANCE: “When we were all turning thirteen, fourteen, there was a bit of that going on. We all fancied the hell out of each other.” (Daniel) “I can’t quite remember now.” (Rupert)

Source: Teen Vogue, June/July 2007

Hermione to take on muggles at Cambridge

In the Harry Potter series Hermione Granger is one of the star pupils of Hogwarts, the school for young wizards.

Now the girl who plays red-haired Hermione, Emma Watson, intends to be similarly studious in the real world of the muggles.

The 17-year-old actress plans to turn her back on stardom and a blossoming film career to study philosophy at Cambridge University.

She has played Hermione in all the Harry Potter films.

She is reported to have earned £2 million from the screen versions of the author JK Rowling’s books.

However, she still wants to be a student at the world-famous university.

Watson revealed her plan to switch from the screen to academia during an interview with Tatler editor Geordie Greig. “Her next plan is to study philosophy at Cambridge,” he said.

Watson is currently sitting AS levels in art history, geography and English literature. She got eight A* grades and two A grades at GCSE.

However, she will have to juggle her studies with the filming of the sixth instalment, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Source: The Telegraph

June 26, 2007 - Emma Watson: ‘I don’t want Hermione to die’

Harry Potter star Emma Watson has admitted that she is afraid of seeing her character die at the end of the seven-part novel and film series.

The 17-year-old actress has played Hermione Granger in all five Harry Potter movies, but has been disturbed by rumours suggesting that her character will die in the final instalment of the magical saga.

Watson insisted that Granger should find love with fellow wizardry student Ron Weasley when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is published next month.

She said of her character: “I know there’s this theory that she’s going to die, but I really didn’t have that in my plans for what she would achieve.

“I want to see her putting her intellect and her naturally very worthy nature to some very good cause. I’d like to see her just generally making the world a much better place and being with Ron and having lots of beautiful babies.”

Source: Digital Spy

Order of the Phoenix set visit part 2

Emma Watson

ACED: Each film gets more and more intense, does that change or alter your preparation at all before you get in front of the lens?

Emma: I’d like to say that it does, but I actually think I’ve gotten progressively worse. On this film Dan, Rupert, and myself in particular just can’t stop laughing. It’s awful, we’ve ruined how many millions of pounds of film stock?! There’s just something about this film, I’d like to say we’ve really been working hard to get into character and all that, but we’ve really just been endlessly laughing.

ACED: Are you excited that Hermione actually gets to see some action in this installment?

Emma: YES! Oh my god! Seriously! There’s only a certain amount of looking concerned at the edge of a scene that I can do. It was really nice, it brought me back to the first film, I was like “YES!.” We’ve just started the final sequence, and I’ve got dirt on my face and blood, I’m running around. Yes. This is definitely the place I want Hermione to be. It’s really really nice to get back to the action, it’s great.

ACED: Who would win in a duel between yourself, Dan, and Rupert?

Emma: Between our characters? Or Ourselves?

ACED: Yourselves.

Emma: A tricky one…umm..If I say me it’s going to sound really arrogant, so it’s going to have to be one of the boys. Then if I pick eather one of them, then I’m going to be in trouble with the other one. So basically I just can’t win, therefore..I have decided it would be a draw.

ACED: Let me ask you..how many kids do you think Ron and Hermione will have?

Emma: (Laughter) ummmmm. Well I don’t know…Weasleys do have big families. I’m not sure how Hermione will feel about that (Laughter).

Source: ACED Magazine, Kevin Kobori

June 22, 2007 - The Leaky Cauldron’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix press junket report

At the press conference for “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” in London, someone asks the main trio of actors whether there are any initiation rituals for the arrival of a new director. (Emma Watson says no.) It’s an interesting opening for a press conference that discusses so many things, first interviewing Rupert, Dan, and Emma, and later Michael Goldenberg, David Heyman, and David Yates, and which ends up delving into the darker elements of the fifth Harry Potter story. Despite so many diverse questions, there are recurrent themes; themes of love, friendship, and honesty.

Emma is asked about her deliberation over signing up for the sixth and seventh movies. She makes it clear, that like the character that she plays, learning is important. ‘I really want to go onto university’ she tells the audience, and reiterates how fortunate she is that Warner Brothers is so accommodating for her, arranging tutors for her on set, allowing her to go to school on Mondays, and even providing a service so that she can send work off to be marked over the weekends. She also confesses that she found the rumours surrounding the lack of immediate signing ‘frustrating and upsetting.’ Her love of learning was obviously tempered by her love for her character.

Daniel speaks of how they have all grown up with their characters and whilst he does not know whether ‘Harry as a character has influenced my character a lot,’ Emma tells us that ‘sometimes I feel I barely have to act,’ because she grew up with Hermione. But it is hard to judge how closely they are each influenced by their characters, Emma says, because ‘we can’t see ourselves from the outside.’

Unfortunately, Daniel could. In the fifth film there is a memory scene of Harry from the first film. Daniel was in an audience where he heard a ‘load of girls go “Ahhh!” – something he describes as ‘soul-destroying!’

Have they pre-ordered the next book, or do they already have the necessary information from J. K. Rowling, another journalist asks. Daniel suspects that J. K. Rowling’s husband may have had a preview but that they certainly had not. They know J. K. Rowling very well so that even asking for an autograph would be awkward. Well, not for Rupert. ‘I actually did!’ he says, referring to when he first met J. K. Rowling and had Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone signed.

Just as Rupert is lucky enough to have a signed book, he is also fortunate enough to own an ice-cream van, all stocked up, something he calls ‘brilliant!’ Daniel owns that he has not indulged quite so much despite many rumours about wanting to buy a Fiat Punto in a very special shade of green. ‘I would like to point out,’ he says, ‘I have never bought – or intend to – a fiat Punto!’ Emma is learning to drive. She finds getting into a car really ‘intimidating,’ which is rather similar to her character’s feelings on flying.

Talk turns to acting again. Do the actors desire to leave any message with their acting? ‘Oooh,’ is the collective response which leads Emma to talk about Harry’s journey and the importance of friendship, particularly as illuminated in the fifth film. Friendship ‘gives him something to fight for’ she says, and Daniel backs her up: Harry’s journey is about sticking to your guns if you know that you’re right and what you’re representing to the truth, you ‘can’t let yourself be compromised.’ And the way that Rupert, Daniel, and Emma, almost as a unit, answer the audience’s questions, illustrates a real-life friendship.

But what if their characters die? Rupert would not mind ‘if it was a really cool scene’ for him to act but Emma has not ‘really contemplated it’ as yet, taking it for granted that Hermione will survive the series. They speak of the closure that many fans desire when they read the final book installation; indeed, Daniel thinks that Harry’s death would be ‘fitting’ and that he thinks Harry might die, ‘but that’s based on absolutely nothing’ even if there are bets being placed on the death of the boy hero. ‘There are bets?’ Emma interjects loudly, ‘you serious?!’

The fifth Harry Potter story sees the emergence of Dumbledore’s Army with Harry at the helm. All three really enjoyed acting out the scenes; Rupert because of the stunts he was able to do, including taking on Hermione and losing, whereas Harry explored his inner Henry V, thoroughly enjoying turning his character into a leader, even if Yates did tell him to ’”reign it in a bit”.’ But acting on the set itself was less enjoyable. Mirrors on every wall and a huge roaring fireplace meant that the room looked amazing, but was incredibly hot. But ‘we weren’t cruelly treated,’ Daniel says.

Instead he found himself pushed harder than ever in this film. After many takes David Yates would tell him that he could improve or that what he had just done did not seem real enough. At times Daniel felt that he could not do it, but ‘I could,’ he insists. And the film shows that he can. Daniel felt that he needed a challenge and he got one in Yates. Emma watched all of Yates’s other work; ‘oh my goodness!’ she says, for it ‘really made me feel something’ and she knew that his standards were very high. Not so high, however, that the three did not fall in love with him. Daniel describing him as a ‘lovely man’, a ‘delightful man’, and ‘this fantastic director’; he even suggested breaking Yates’s legs whilst he was sat in his director’s chair ‘so he can never leave!’ Yates, Rupert says, was ‘a contrast to Mike Newell’, being ‘a lot more relaxed.’

How has the audience changed over the course of the five films, someone asks. There is a varied audience but ‘always a good sort of feedback’, Rupert explains. Daniel elaborates, saying that there is an element of uniqueness that Harry Potter attracts such a ‘huge range of people.’ One day Emma is asked for an autograph by a young child, the next day someone who is thirty or forty. But perhaps most special of all is that just as the actors have grown up with their characters, they have also grown up with their initial audience.

With an audience comes fame, so how do the actors deal with it? Emma makes a comparison to Harry, who is a nobody for the first part of his life and is then thrown into a world where everybody knows who he is. For her, however, it is a lot easier as she feels she has ‘never known anything different’ to being a child actor and as she has grown up in this environment it has built up her confidence. She is ‘really well looked after’ by those with whom she works, but they ‘all have really strong families’ around them. Quite unlike Harry, and it obviously helps.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix features a Harry known to many fans as Capslock!Harry; he’s angsty, he’s hormonal and he’s a teenager. So what, the three are asked, are Harry’s bad points? Realistically Daniel points out that everybody has bad points; Harry lashes out at his friends because he knows that they will be there for him in spite of it. Daniel also thinks that Harry is, to an extent, selfish because Harry feels that he is this ‘great defender’ and should ‘cut himself off’ from those who care about him. There is some merit, he continues, in what Snape has to say about Harry inheriting from his father: his arrogance. Emma is more tolerant. She lists all that Harry has had to put up with, including the Dursleys who are ‘anyone’s worst nightmare’, and surmises that it’s amazing Harry has not gone completely off the rails. ‘He’s a survivor’, ‘she says, ‘a fighter’. And Daniel reminds us of something J. K. Rowling once said, that if you didn’t understand Harry’s anger in the fifth book then you haven’t understood what he has been through in the previous four books and Harry’s right to feel angry.

And what were their favourite scenes from the latest film? Rupert really enjoyed the scene in the Hall of Prophecies, which was shot entirely in green room. Daniel is content with anything so long as it isn’t on a broomstick ‘for fairly obvious reasons,’ but there is a clear agreement that all of them thoroughly enjoyed the scene immediately following Harry’s kiss with Cho Chang. ‘I was on the floor, just laughing, like … laughing’ Emma says; and most notable was that it was all natural. The laughter shared between Harry, Ron, and Hermione at that point was the same sort of laughter shared between the friends Daniel, Rupert, and Emma. It was simply just a genuine episode of giggling. After Rupert, Daniel, and Emma have left and Goldenberg, Heyman, and Yates have entered, this scene is mentioned again.

The second half of the conference takes a slightly different tone as the producer, director, and screenwriter take questions, the first of which dives in at the deep end: what was their biggest challenge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix? Yates answers; it was about making choices about what to cut out in the adaptive process for it was a ‘huge book to condense’. He wanted a story which ‘felt organic’, that ‘felt cohesive’ and was not episodic with a successful story arc. And what was that arc? It was Harry’s journey. As the three actors had already mention, it was about a young wizard ‘isolated and misunderstood’ under an ‘intrusive political regime’. He says that it is something ‘Jo captures beautifully in the book’ and he wanted, as a fan, to do it justice.

How much did they work with J. K. Rowling? She was ‘a dream collaborator’, says Heyman. During the film Harry enters a room whose walls are entirely covered by the Black family tree tapestry; it was something which needed detail, something that needed ‘to be more than four or five names.’ All it took was a telephone call to the author, for fifteen minutes later she gave them a family tree with seventy-five names covering five generations, birth dates, marriage dates and family exorcisms.

Later it is asked whether there were any conflicting visions and how they were reconciled and the three demonstrate their love of the books. There were no conflicting visions because they were all building from the same foundations, it ‘all comes from the books’, Heyman explains, and if there were any uncertainties they would contact J. K. Rowling. Indeed, she would even point out to them any potential errors. There had at one point been the threat of writing out one of the characters, but J. K. Rowling said that if they then attempted to work on the seventh story, it would have them ‘tied in knots’; the character stayed but Heyman has left fans guessing as to which character this was.

Goldenberg is then asked about his own work as screenwriter. ‘It wasn’t as daunting as it might appear’ he tells. The book had a ‘basic narrative’ and was ‘pretty self-contained’. It was a ‘process of finding Harry’s story’ the spine of which was Harry’s emotional voyage. It was not as simple as just going with the first draft, however. Such perfectionists were Goldenberg, Heyman, and Yates that they were continually revising the script ‘right up until the last day of shooting’. And it was the atmosphere created by the likes of Heyman which enabled this. Yates felt that he was in a ‘very secure and creative environment’.

Heyman had the enthusiasm of a fifteen year old and ‘that spirit is infectious.’ Daniel had already mentioned how he had been challenged by Yates and in detailing how the actors had developed throughout the course of filming, Yates divulges that he ‘pushed all of them a lot’ in making his film. Daniel always ‘loved to turn something on a sixpence’ he says, and ‘really embraced’ his opportunities. Yates even went so far as to bring in for a few hours a bereavement counsellor to talk with Daniel about how people react to traumatic losses, so that the actor might understand what his character felt after seeing Cedric murdered. It is with a certain amount of pride that Yates talks of Daniel asking ‘really bright questions’ and having an ‘amazingly vivid imagination’ which permitted him to parallel the real world and the experiences of his character.

For it is a darker film. In addition to Harry’s own inner demons that he must fight, he must also contend with an increasingly oppressive Ministry of Magic and, in particular, Dolores Umbridge. The film addresses ‘politics with a small “p”’, says Yates. Heyman acknowledges that there are ‘threads of Nazism and racism’; the totalitarian regime is encapsulated by the very Soviet-looking banner of Cornelius Fudge seen in the Atrium of the Ministry.

Imelda Staunton, who Yates describes as ‘a bloody good actor, actually’ does an amazing job of bringing Dolores Umbridge to life. Umbridge in the film is quite terrifying as her true feelings cannot be truly seen, making her rather unpredictable. She is a many layered character and ‘Imelda got all of that,’ Yates says appraisingly. Umbridge is cruel and her detention with Harry Yates recalls as having a ‘slightly religious’ feel to it, cleaning Harry of his sins. It is a ‘subtle form of abuse’. Does this make a frightening film? Of course it does. But ‘did you never enjoy being scared as a kid?’ argues Yates. As a child he thoroughly loved being scared. It makes children feel ‘vital and alive’ and he feels that it is important that ‘children aren’t patronized’. Yates explains that they showed the film to a group of very young children in Chicago, all abuzz with youth, caffeine and sugar, and yet the energy and lack of patronization in the film was enough to quieten them for over two hours.

But just as this story is about Harry overcoming the evils and hardships of the world through love and friendship, so too do Goldenberg, Heyman, and Yates speak about the strengths of family and friendship. Harry’s first kiss with Cho was an important scene, not just because of its function in the storyline and Harry’s development as a teenager, but for what it meant for the crew and the lead actor. Yates cleared the set of all those who were not crucial because ‘everyone wants to gawp’ as in any sex-related scene and he wanted it ‘to be as tender and as true as possible.’ And it was. Daniel’s make-up and costume assistants were both rendered quite emotional by seeing ‘someone they loved very much snogging for the first time’; and the ‘someone’ was Daniel, not Harry. It was the familial bond of the crew that made the scene extra-special for those involved, just as the bond of friendship between Rupert, Daniel, and Emma made the following scene similarly particular. They all knew each other so well that, to some extent, the script was abandoned and the three just improvised. Yates ‘just encouraged them’ to act out their giggles. ‘That is not acting,’ Heyman says, ‘they were just being.’ Which is probably why Yates says, ‘I’m very proud of that scene.’

And whilst the fandom looks forward to the seventh and final book of the Harry Potter series, Yates has the added bonus of being able to look forward to directing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He ‘had such a nice time making this film’ that he does not yet have the desire to depart from a ‘very difficult world to leave’. Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Newell were both asked back to direct the fourth and fifth films respectively but, Heyman says, they did not have the stamina for it. Yates has the ‘fortitude and strength to carry on.’ Harry Potter is, as we all would probably agree, a ‘dream experience’ and Heyman continues to say that whilst making a film is about the audience, making a Harry Potter film is about ‘doing their best’ because they all love Harry Potter ‘it’s a passion’. And, hopefully, this love and passion held by everyone, for Harry Potter the character, and Harry Potter the concept and journey, will be seen in the film when it hits the big screen.

Source: The Leaky Cauldron, Lorie Damerell

June 17, 2007 - Sugar magazine Emma Watson cover story

Emma Watson: smart, polite and seriously normal. Is she even a celeb?! Sugar finds out in this exclusive chat.

You’ve been famous FOREVER but you seem so normal. How do you make sure you don’t get carried away with it all?
“I have such strong family around me and such an amazing friendship group that I’m not really allowed to. You know, I’d have the piss taken out of me if I was to get carried away with it. I’m lucky to have that around me, especially with celebrities all over the place in rehab and all this crazy stuff.”

What do you think of young Hollywood stars like Li-Lo and Britney?
“I used to love Lindsay when I was little - I thought she was so cool that I wanted to be her. I just think her approach to fame is different from mine and the publicity is part of that. But I don’t think it’s made her happy, which is sad, because once you’ve invited the press into your life you cna’t tell them to go away. So when I see their lives sprawled across the papers, I do think, ‘Oh God, you poor thing’. I can imagine the pressur eand stress of that every single day.”

Can you ever see yourself going out with no pants on?
[Shrieking] “No! No way! My parents are far too strict and I like to think I’m far mor esensible to go out without any knickers. And anyway, you must get so cold going out like that. It’s stupid!”

Do you have to watch how you behave in public?
“Fame probably restricts my freedom a little. I can’t act like the rest of my peer group, I have to think more carefully and be more wary of people. You don’t even have to do anything wrong, the papers just interpret it in a certain way. So I’m careful. But I don’t feel like I don’t have a good time or am hiding inside myself.”

Someone posted pics of you drinking online. How did that make you feel?
“Um… wellm it was kind of frustrating because I wasn’t even drinking. I was posing as a joke! But it’s awkward, ’cause there’s the story there - ‘She’s going to be an alcoholic’. Then they bring out the whole screwed-up child star thing. It’s was when something that innocent is turned into something so serious. I did think, ‘Be more careful’ but I never want to get to a point where I feel I can’t live my life. There’s a balance, definitley.”

Have you ever experienced any jealousy from friends due to your fame?
“I’ve had people be funny with me, but never seriously nasty. More like people not knowing how to act around me and it coming off in an unfriendly way. But I don’t tend to confront people, I just hope the longer they’re around me, the more they see how much I’m like everyone else, and the awkward feeling will go.”

Do guys ever treat you differently because you’re a celebrity now?
“Well, you can’t stereotype all guys because everyone reacts differently. Some are cool with it, some are funny, some are intimidated, some don’t like it at all… But I’m not going to change myself for anyone. I’ll wait around for someone who likes me for who I am and who can handle that.”

You’ve talked in the part about having problems finding a lad…
“Generally I don’t talk about it, so it comes across like I’m really struggling, and can’t get a boyfriend! But it’s better than stories in the paper claiming I’m some sort of man-eater so I suppose there’s a bright side! I just think it’s difficult because if you start talking about your personal life it’s not just about you any more.”

Do guys assume you’re just like Hermione in Harry Potter - a goody-two-shoes princess?
“They definitely think we’re quite similar. But then I like hip-hop and they’re like, ‘What, Hermione likes hip-hop, it doesn’t quite go!’” [laughs]

OK, Harry Potter ‘Date, Mate or Slate?’ time. Who are you dating and slating?
“Right, I would date Rob Pattinson, (Cedric Diggory) he’d be funny. I’d be mates with Dan (Harry Potter) ’cause he’s a nice guy. And I’d slate Rupert (Ron) ’cause he’d take it the best.:

Daniel shocked us with his superfit bod onstage in Equus… did you have any idea what he was hiding?
“Oh, I’ve known about the body! Even on Harry Potter he kept really fit. He trains twice a week and generally keeps himself in shape. So I knew.”

Do your mates fancy Daniel even more now?
“Yeah! Since Equus came out, they all want to meet him. There’s a whole new interest in him. I don’t think Dan was looking for that but whether he likes it or not, it’s happened!”

Em’s style guide - She’s grown up on camera, but what does Emma think looking back?

[2001 Philosopher’s Stone New York Premiere] “I look so young! At first I found premieres weird ’cause everyone’s looking at you, but it’s my job so I’m getting used to it.”

[2003 Bafta Children’s Awards] “Oh I regret that - it was way too old for me. But no one designs premiere outfits for 13 year olds! So I struggled.”

[2004 Prisoner of Azkaban New York Premiere] “I loved this. The dress is Lanvin and the shoes are Marc Jacobs, which I found in 20 minutes. I felt so confident in this.”

[2005 Empire Awards] “I wore this to the Empire awards - it was a fun outfit. I don’t have a stylist - I choose my own clothes so it’s my work!”

Source: Sugar magazine, August 2007

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