Interview With James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Matthew Lewis, and Devon Murray

Mar 24, 2004

Posted by: KristinTLC

Uncategorized

TLC reader Crystal recently attended Celebrity Autograph Expo, where she had the opportunity to interview James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Devon Murray, and Matthew Lewis – read to find out what they enjoy about filming, their scariest ‘fan’ moments, real life (James and Oliver just turned 18) their favorite sports (Devon’s into show jumping), and more.
Our thanks to Crystal for the interview!
Note from Crystal: I?ve tried to take the kids answers word for word from my voice recorder but at times there was too much background noise to understand so I had to go off my written notes. But every answer I have written down has been to the best of my knowledge and I haven?t written anything that I wasn?t completely sure about.

Note from TLC: We’ve left Crystal’s notes and comments pertaining to questions in. Again, our thanks to Crystal for her report, and for thinking of such great interview questions!

Q: What?s the thing you most look forward to when you return each time to the studios or is it something different with each movie?

Devon: Meet up with everybody
Matthew: Just being there and seeing everyone again.
James: Mixing it with the cast.
Oliver: I suppose really seeing everyone else.

Q: Have you made any life long friends that you will take away from the filming of the HP movies?

Devon: Jamie Waylett and Matthew Lewis and others.
Matthew: There?s the main three (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson), nearly everyone.
James: Devon, Matthew, everyone really.
Oliver: Sean Biggerstaff, Luke Youngblood, people in our age group that we can relate to.

Q: Do you know anything about the 4th movie and have any inside clues to anything interesting?

Devon: No
Matthew: No idea.
James: No
Oliver: Not as yet, no.

Q: Godric?s Hollow will be talking to comedian Jim Tavare (Tom the Leaky Cauldron barkeeper) on the phone, was he a goof off?

Devon: Sweet
Matthew: He?s very friendly.
James: Pretty funny.
Oliver: No he?s quite quiet, actually.

Q: How many new people joined (Azkaban) and what was it like to work with them?

Devon: 2 or 3 new people. They?re amazing.
Matthew: (Paraphrasing Matt) Some new really excellent people.
James: Pretty hush, tied up a bit. Sorry. (I think he thought I was asking about GoF)
Oliver: There was like new child actors who were in there. It?s a bit like going to a new school.

Q: What?s your favorite scene in GoF that you hope they include in the movie?

Devon: Quidditch World Cup
Matthew: The one where Harry gets the egg from under the dragon, yeah.
James: Where the Weasley?s go and rescue Harry in the beginning.
Oliver: Probably the Weasley tent. (At the quidditch World Cup all the Weasley?s, Harry, and Hermione squeeze into 2 pup tents but they?re huge on the inside).

Q: Did you manage to take souvenirs home from the set?

Devon: The fake bald patch when his feather blew up.
Matthew: Nope.
James: No
Oliver: No

Q: Have you read OotP and if so how do you feel about your character roles in it?

Devon: No
Matthew: (Crystal paraphrasing Matt) I?m really excited how Neville learns more and the fighting.
James: I just started?(didn?t press him for an answer because I didn?t want to ruin the book for him)
Oliver: Yeah. I thinks it?s really good how they?(this part the tape gets muffled but he basically says?) how it?s great how the Weasley?s leave all the jokes that they pull.

Q: How it was working with Michael Gambon instead of Richard Harris.

Devon: Similar but it didn?t feel like Michael was really Dumbledore like Richard was.
Matthew: He?s very nice.
James: They?re both really cool. Richard was good and Michael?s really nice.
Oliver: He was really quite friendly. The first day I saw him he had his hair and makeup on and he was really cool. You couldn?t tell the difference between him and Richard.

Q: How was it to work with Alfonso compared to Chris Columbus and are you looking forward to Mike Newell, the new director (if you?ve met him).

Devon: Both were great just had different ideas.
Matthew: (Alfonso) He?s was really excellent. They both were.
James: Alfonso?s really cool, so?s Chris.
Oliver: I?m looking forward to Mike because he?s quite comical. (Talking about Alfonso and Chris) They both have their different styles.

Q: Do you have any other projects other than Harry Potter you?re working on?

Devon: No
Matthew: No
James: Not at the moment.
Oliver: Not at the moment.

Q: Do you plan to be in all the Harry Potter movies that your characters are in?

Devon: I?m signed through 4.
Matthew: I?d like to.
James: We?re going to do a movie at a time.
Oliver: (I asked the question but from the other responses I said but you probably can?t tell me.) He said Yeah.

Q: What are your plans for the future? More acting, schooling?
Devon: try and keep on acting and try myself pick a name for the horse, show jumping (horse shows)
Matthew: I think I?m going to finish school and go into Sixth Farm. You don?t have to do it. It just gives you some extra qualification. As I was think I was going to do that and then uh, I have no idea. I enjoy acting but I?m not sure whether I want to continue.
James: Acting or being in the industry.
Oliver: (on acting) Yeah I?d like to do that.

Q: Does the media ever bug you about being a twin, constantly asking about things that might happen, or do they focus more on your rolls in the HP movies?

James: More about Harry Potter. (He went on to say that it?s kind of annoying that people put him and Oliver together when they are separate people.)
Oliver: He told a story about how when they were younger James smashed a bat at some games they were in and the media put them together because they are twins. (It?s about the best I got from my tape ? there was a lot of background noise.)

Q: Are there any similarities between you and your character? Do things blow up on you?
Devon: They don?t blow up on me, my character, but the thing is I?m clumsy?
Matthew: Yeah, my memory?s really faulty. Really, really bad.
James: Like to have a joke.
Oliver: I think so, in some ways. We?re quite sarcastic and play jokes.

Q: You just turned 18, so you?re legal adults, how do you feel about that?
James: Pretty cool. A lot of my friends are 18 and we can go to the pubs and places together.
Oliver: Yeah, quite cool. Yeah, I can actually do stuff with my friends and just really enjoy you know. Over here (in the U.S.) you?re 21 (not me personally) but back in England you only have to be 18.

Q: What year of school are you in?
Devon: 3rd year
Matthew: year 10 ? I think that?s 9th grade here (in the U.S.).
James: Finished

Q: Favorite:
Sport:
Devon: Show jumping
Matthew: Well, soccer.
James: Soccer or Rugby
Oliver: Soccer or rugby

Q: Food:
Devon: Steak and potatoes
Matthew: Pizza
James: Knickerbocker glory
Oliver: Steak

Q:Country to visit:
Devon: America
Matthew: Um, I have no idea I?d probably just say America. I have no idea. The main place I wanted to go was L.A. and I?ve been there now.
James: I?d like to visit Japan.
Oliver: America

Q:Fan moment:
Devon: Somebody sent me naked pictures.
Matthew: I don?t know. I enjoy doing the question and answer with the fans.
James: ?Two dozen girls wanted a kiss.? ?Really?? ?Yeah. I had nothing planned.? (as in he didn?t know what to do)
Oliver: There were these people who traveled from Arizona to Orange County, CA. I can?t remember their name but I guess they traveled through the night.

Q:Scariest fan moment:
Devon: Some lady tried to seduce me.
Matthew: We got this really strange e-mail. We think it was just someone messing around but then we were wearing this bowler hat for a laugh for a Michael Jackson impression and I went outside to put some stuff in a bin and we got an e-mail saying you look nice in your hat and it was strange. We think it was just the next door neighbor messing around cause he?s quite funny.
James: Some girls gave me a bra stuffed with potatoes. I still haven?t figured what that was about.
Oliver: When we were in (a town) some guys asked me to pose naked.

Q:Do you believe in:
Yourself:
Devon: Yes
Matthew: I have really low self-esteem actually. Um, no I don?t. I always think I?m not good enough.
James: Yep
Oliver: Yes. Well, you got to.

Q:Your friends:
Devon: Yes
Matthew: Most of them.
James: Yep
Oliver: Yes, definitely

Q:Santa Claus:
Devon: No
Matthew: Uh, no
James: Yep
Oliver: No

Q:Tooth Fairy:
Devon: No
Matthew: No
James: No
Oliver: No

Q:Destiny/Fate:
Devon: Yes and No, in a way
Matthew: Yes
James: Suppose so
Oliver: Yeah to an extent

Q:Angels, Spirits, Afterlife:
Devon: No
Matthew: Yes
James: I believe in heaven
Oliver: Yes

Q:Ghosts:
Devon: Yes
Matthew: Yes
James: Yep
Oliver: No

Q:Devil:
Devon: No
Matthew: Yeah
James: Yep
Oliver: Yes

Q:UFO’s:
Devon: Yes
Matthew: Yeah
James: Yep
Oliver: No

Q:Any hobbies?
Devon: Show Jumping
Matthew: Uh?
James: Golf, football, and rugby matches
Oliver: Uh, I like to play golf and soccer and hang out with my friends.

Q:Extracurricular activities? (after school)
Devon: Hurling, Gaelic football
Matthew: I don?t really do anything. Uh, badminton.

Q:How many people in your family?
Devon: 3 (he?s an only child)
Matthew: Including me? 5
James: 4 plus my 2 dogs.

Q:How is it visiting a new country?
Devon: Funny at first and then it calms down.
Matthew: It?s cool, actually. Especially the U.S.A. actually. Everyone?s very polite and helpful. Yeah, I think, yeah. It?s cool.
James: Good?nice to visit new places in America.

Q:Where would you like to live besides your current home?
Devon: America or Jamaica
Matthew: L.A.
James: I don?t know?my own island in the south Pacific.
Oliver: I don?t know. Somewhere close to the city but in the countryside.

Q:Do you live close to the studio or do you have to stay someplace close during filming?
Devon: Mom answered: They have to get a hotel close to the studio while he?s filming.
Matthew: Yeah, we have to stay at a hotel.
Oliver: No, we have to stay in a hotel.

Q:Do your parents come with you and get to watch or just drop you off?
Devon: Mom answered: She at least will come with him since he is under age. She also said that most people think that being on the set would be fun all the time but it?s actually not as glamorous as most of us non-film people think.
Matthew: My mom does. My dad comes down sometimes.
Oliver: Yeah, they do.

Q:Do you have a mailing address for fans to send you stuff?
Devon?s mom: devonmurray.net is his personal website and should be completed by the time this trip is done.

Q:My husband wants to know: did you get to play with cool fireworks on the set?
Matthew: No, we don?t.
James: No

Q:Who?s the biggest practical joker and what was their best trick?
Devon: Robbie Coltrane: He put plaster all over Devon?s face and made him walk into the makeup room and they thought he had a whole bunch of scratches on his face.
Matthew: I think it was actually Chris Columbus. This stunt man got a glass that shatters, but like a safety shatter and Sean Biggerstaff that played Oliver Wood they shot this scene and Chris Columbus came up. ?I told you so many times that?s not the way I want it!? He got the glass, threw it on the floor and it smashed and Sean was terrified. And the Chris went, ?I?m only kidding.? It was hilarious.
James: I don?t know. I can?t think of anyone off the top of my head.
Oliver: James and myself.





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