In The News
Dan, Rupert, and Emma Talk "Half-Blood Prince" and Beyond in New Interviews
HBP FilmCanada’s Edmonton Sun Newspaper has two new interviews online where they sit down with Dan Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), along with “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” director David Yates and its producer David Heyman, to discuss many different topics related to the sixth film. These interviews focus on the casts’ thoughts and experiences on the sixth Harry Potter film, which is currently in production, and their expectations of the seventh film, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” set for release in 2010. Having grown up in these roles, Dan, Rupert, and Emma speak on this in the first of the interviews, which go into detail about acting, their passion for it, and their future prospects. Director David Yates begins this article simply by saying the casting of the young trio is “a remarkable thing.”
Harry Potter film producer David Heyman gives much of the credit to Chris Columbus, who chose and directed the young actors in the first two films “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” He says:
“Chris Columbus deserves huge credit in casting who he cast… They were obviously not the only choices he had. These were the choices he made and I am forever grateful to him for that.”
Speaking to the subject of making the “Harry Potter” films with a sense of professionalism and dedication, even at a young age, Dan Radcliffe is quoted as saying:
“I don’t think the franchise, in a way, needs any justification because it is such a leviathan of a thing anyway. Things don’t get that big without merit.
“But, I suppose, it (extra work on the DVDs) is almost to prove to people that we are, in fact, taking this very seriously. More seriously than people would probably assume. I took it very seriously when I was 11 and (growing up in the Harry Potter role) I’ve taken it more and more seriously.
“So, to me, it’s just about letting people know that I’m incredibly serious and passionate about this – this series of films – and how much they mean to me. If you’ve been involved in something for more than seven years now, you want to be able to talk about it articulately and explain why you love it, explain why you loved being involved in it so much.”
The Harry Potter films are not the only things on the young actor’s minds, as Emma Watson also relates in this article, working on future projects will determine whether this is the true career path for her. She says of this decision:
“I did a film for the BBC, called Ballet Shoes, in the summer. Having an experience outside of Harry Potter really helped me. I think it convinced me that this is where I am meant to be and this is what I’m meant to be doing: That I do want to be an actress.
“But I think I needed to have an experience outside of Harry Potter because, in a way, I was really plucked out of obscurity and given this role. I mean, I really wanted it but it never felt like a decision that I made. It just happened to me. I felt that I won the lottery. So I’ve always kind of slightly questioned it.”
Dan, Rupert, and Emma also spend more time talking of the “Half-Blood Prince” film in the second interview, where Dan comments on the ‘tonal shift from the brooding atmosphere of The Order of the Phoenix’ by noting his his personal preference for the “morbid” undertones verses the lighter aspects of the story. He explains this by saying:
“I think the script’s great and I think it’s going to be a really great film. But I’m just one of those people that, in what I’m doing, I always lean toward the dark side and I really enjoy doing the dark stuff.
“I know Emma and Rupert really, really like the lighter stories and all that. And Rupert particularly is really going to have a field day on this, because he’s got fantastic comic timing and he’ll be able to use all of that to great effect on this film with his relationship with Lavender Brown.
“(But) I’m actually going to miss doing all the morbid stuff, I think.”
Dan describes his eagerness for the seventh film by calling it “the one last hurrah, that film. That’s going to be great. I really am very, very excited about the whole thing. It’s going to be epic, I hope.” While Rupert Grint speaks to the new production by noting, like each of the films, its “own sort of atmosphere,” and goes on to say:
“It’s got sort of a dark undertone to it because Voldemort is back and that is quite a scary time for them. But there are some really cool bits in it. Ron gets a girlfriend in it, so that’s going to be quite cool.”
Continuing on this subject of romance in the film, producer David Heyman is also quoted as saying of the balancing of these emotions:
“It’s much more comedy and the awkwardness of romance. And the romance goes beyond Harry into Hermione and Ron and other characters. I also think it’s about characters growing apart as well as realizing the importance of one another.”
The article concludes to describe a certain ‘awkward reference’ to the wand of Albus Dumbledore in an original draft of the “Half-Blood Prince” script, which had to be revised in light of the publication of author J. K. Rowling’s seventh novel “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” this past July. Heyman says of this revision: “For obvious reasons (if you’ve read the seventh book) it had to be changed.”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” will be released in theaters November 2008.
Many thanks to redcakesfan and all who mailed!
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If ron was really with luna i would cut her!!
Ross, he hasn’t repeatedly said he is excited to kiss Bonnie, he mentioned the Ginny scenes to TLC and then while promoting OotP he said it (if I’m not mistaken) 2 times, then in another interview he said “it’s going to be weird…” so let’s not put word in his mouth…he repeatdly talk about the kissing scene when he did it with Katie.
And Dan has no problem with the comedy aspect, again you’re putting words in his mouth that he finds it difficult to film these scenes, Dan has done a lot of light and no so light comedy, including Equus which he used a lot of sarcastic comedy, but as an actor he does prefer the more dramatic tone in a movie, personally I find easy to make people laugh, with dumb comedy or with smart comedy (however you want to put it) drama is another notch, it is complicated to find the right tone on drama, if you push it too much it comes as force if you don’t push enough it comes as light and boring, Dan has master drama which is reflected in the projects he has done so far, he is more into dark drama than light romance comedy, I don’t picture Dan watching those teen romantic movies but movies with smart scripts and powerful themes…
Every time he’s been asked, and even times when he hasn’t, he’s expressed excitement over it. He said it’d be weird because he’s known Bonnie since she was 9, but he’s still excited about it. Especially at the OotP premiere, he sounded very excited.
I’m not putting any words in Dan’s mouth, he himself said he finds the darker stuff easier and is drawn to it. He said Rupert can do the comic stuff well, and he himself doesn’t seem to think he can. Nothing wrong with that.
Dan was just being diplomatic when he said that he prefers the dark stuff than the light stuff. He has great comedic timing as evidenced by his turn in “Extras”. I suspect what Dan really means is that he didn’t like the way they have turned HBP into just a lighthearted romantic comedy film. But he’s too well bred to say that the script sucks. Maybe that’s why he also isn’t looking forward to the GInny scenes. I mean, he couldn’t stop talking about kissing Katie before. ONly two reasons for that: 1. He doesn’t find Bonnie attractive (whereas Katie is “beautiful” OR; 2. he’s following what the filmmakers want – to make the Lavender/Ron thingy as the selling point of the HBP movie just as the Harry/Cho kiss was the publicity centerpiece of OotP.
“he himself doesn’t seem to think he can. ” Again you’re putting words in his mouth, when he has said that he doesn’t think he can do comendy, when and where please post quotes to back up what you’re talking about, he has done Extras, which by the way his episode was nominated for an Emmy, in DB he has funny lines, specially when he is with Lucy (Maps gf), and in Equus he has to the funny sarcastic tone, which is great, so he has dones all kind of comedy which shows he is more than capable to do comedy, but that is something that he doesn’t like to do in his professional projects, I think he did it and show he CAN do it and then move on to what he really likes which is drama, you really can tell what kind of movie topics he likes with the tittle books he mentioned in his latest fan letters.
About the Ginny scenes, I only have heard him talking about it about 2 times, and I’m a Dan fans so I have read most of his interviews, the last interview he did (video not writing press) was when he said that it was going to be weird kissing Bonnie, then there was the comment of Harry kissing ROn’s sister, but he didn’t show any excitment compare to when he was talking about the kiss between Cho and Harry, that right there was excitment.
Debra: I’m not disagreeing with you that Rupert has done some terrible interviews. I’m just saying that perhaps he’s very uncomfortable with the circumstances, which doesn’t mean he’s dumb. I know which interview you were referring to, I saw it myself. I actually thought that it wasn’t one of his worst interviews considering the reporter asked the same questions everyone has already asked – nothing original. BTW, Emma and Dan didn’t say anything new, either, they just used more words. Sometimes when Rupert does a really bad interview I think that maybe he’s doing it on purpose so people will leave him alone. Perhaps he doesn’t care if people think he’s stupid if it means he won’t have to do interviews, or at least not as many as Dan and Emma.
Both Dan and Emma have very exuberant public personalities, and Rupert’s public personality is really laid back. We have to remember that we don’t know any of the trio personally, so what they are or aren’t like in reality is a matter of conjecture. They show us what they want us to see.
Kelly that’s true. I always get the impression Rupert doesn’t give a toss what anyone says about him, everyone loves him anyway, so why should he?, unlike Dan and partly Emma. They’re not as secure as Rupert. I reckon Rupert is far more open in real life, he’s just keeps it to himself in interviews etc…, (good trick Rupert, less is more as they say). I also think Rupert has probably read the books once and that’s it, just like myself. He’s not a Harry Potter nut, they’re just books which he has to read because he’s in the films! He’s an actor, it’s only a job. Ron’s a part which is pretty obvious from the start, he’s the comedy side-kick, it’s an easy character if you’re skilled in that type of role, which Rupert clearly is. I can NEVER feel sorry for Rupert, because he is good and he knows it. Why do you think he doesn’t do lots of stuff outside Potter, he doesn’t need to, he knows he’s good, he’s got nothing to prove.
Dan is the one I feel especially sorry for, he isn’t that good of an actor and he hasn’t got the stunning looks like Emma, which will carry her, or the natural skill that Rupert has. He’s not proved himself as an actor, even though he’s tried to outside in Equus & MBJ and sadly, the Harry Potter films haven’t shown him in a good light as an actor, so he’s dead after Harry. I go for the underdog and Dan is definately that in the bigger picture.
Harry is a far more complex, quite a morbid character so he’s not popular like Ron or Hermione. Dan’s need for darkness is maybe his only way of being able to get a grip on the character from the hollow screenplays, or the only skill he has as an actor.! So when people keep slagging off Dan, please take into consideration the feelings that as Dan fans, we may never see him again after Harry finishes!! Rupert and Emma are guaranteed a future, that’s why I like to see Dan at the forefront, get him while we can.
As for the romance, I think it’s been handled extremely badly through all the films, as the adaptations have. The films could have been soooo much better but it seems the actors get the blame for it, (especially Dan), but does he write the screenplays that leave out Rupert?, not that I know of, so blame the Kloves and Goldberg!
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Leaky Poll
Moving the HBP film to July 2009 is:
- Completely unforgivable34 (44%)
- Annoying, but I'll get over it28 (36%)
- Not something I care about.4 (5%)
- Cool; who wants to go to the movies in the winter anyway?1 (1%)
- Awesome! I get to save $10 until next year.3 (3%)
- Awesome! I get to save $10 because now I'm skipping this movie!4 (5%)
- I've made a Facebook group, started a protest, called my local councilman, staged a sit-in, started a boycott, and organized a million-fan march because we won't stand for the - wait, what was this about again?2 (2%)
Kelly, I’m not taking the word of only one reporter but many. Actually, the words “nothing there” are the words of the first reporter to publish her report of the DVD launch. For myself, I’ve watched Rupert in some interviews and he does tend to… be in Rupertland. He will give a different answer to the question being asked. Maybe he’s just rattled or what, but answers like that tend to give the impression that he’s not smart in the head. As for not reading the books, I’m not accusing him. I just suspected that he has not read the books. He says he does but how come he can’t talk intelligently about it? He didn’t even know that Ron had quidditch scenes in OotP. (GOF DVD interview) That implies that he just relied on what the sripttwriter and the Director said to him.
But you’re right, it’s his acting that matters most not his work outside the camera. Dan and Emma are already terrific advertisements for HP, Rupert can remain in their shadows.