While promoting his new film "In Bruges" actor Ralph Fiennes gave a new interview where he discusses his role as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. Ralph says he will not be appearing in the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," and has not yet signed for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." He discusses the fact he "particularly liked" doing "Goblet of Fire" under the direction of Mike Newell. Noting that he was never an avid reader of the Harry Potter book series he says that it wasn't until he went "to the premiere of the first one I did, I got a real sense of the extraordinary nature of it all." Quotage from the interview with Ain't it Cool is as follows:
Capone (of Aint It Cool) Are you even in THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE?
RF: The one they're shooting now, no, I'm not in it.
Capone: So it's just your nephew that's playing…
RF: My nephew is playing, I think just for a couple of scenes, the younger Voldemort [Tom Riddle]. I understand that the bulk of the bulk of the backstory of Voldemort is played by another, slightly older actor [Frank Dillane].
Capone: And have you signed on for the final film yet?
RF: I have not yet, no.
Capone: Has it been fun seeing yourself rendered serpentine for the two films your are in?
RF: Yeah, I particularly liked doing the first one. The second one, I think Voldemort is placed more as a sense in Harry's head, whereas in the first one I did with Mike Newell directing, there was that fantastic scene of his rebirth in the graveyard, which I enjoyed doing. I've enjoyed making the movies, but I was never an avid reader of the books. It just wasn't something I went towards. When I went to the premiere of the first one I did, I got a real sense of the extraordinary nature of it all.
Capone: Were there small children in the audience screaming at the site of you?
RF: Yes! The volume of people and the noise and excitement; it was a huge phenomenon, the whole thing is definitely. And I actually think that the David Yates-directed one, the last one, was particularly good. I liked the style of it; it was grown up. and had an edge to it, the way it was shot and lit. It's a franchise that could so easily have not developed, but I think just filmicly it has been developed, and the producers have been very smart to keep it alive and present and edgy.
I didn’t really expect it either, but I hope the guy they got to play tom riddle (when hes a bit older) is good.
i also hope he’ll get signed for DH…they cant get another one
I just expected him to be in that scene where he asks Dumbledore for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post.. But I’m not surprised either.. I just always imagine him in that scene whenever I read the book..
Well, as he’s so much younger in all the flashbacks, i didn’t really expect him to be in this one. Is anyone else feeling like I am…. just get this one over with because i want to see DH on the screen? I mean, i can’t wait to see Alan Rickman shine in this one, but it all seems anticlimactic. I’m really wanting DH.
Lili: It’s interesting you should say that, because that’s the feeling I got from the book; it had a fantastic finale, and obviously all the romance stuff was fairly crucial, but to me the main narrative felt rather undernourished, as if it was more concerned with doing the heavy lifting for Book Seven than it was with being a complete and satisfying story on its own merits. For that reason, I’m actually looking forward to the film a lot; I’m hoping the fact that this book had a slightly looser feel to it will give them a bit more room to be creative and give us an interesting spin on the whole thing. And of course, THAT climax will be legendary.
As for Fiennes, well, his absence is to be expected, given that, as has been said, he isn’t really in the book; I thought they might use him if they were going to include the flashback to his job interview with Dumbledore, but that was always a long shot. From the sounds of things, though, he’s someone who’s genuinely enthused with the film series and enjoys working on them, so I can’t imagine that he won’t be back for part seven; so much the better, because his Voldemort is fantastic, being nothing like what I had expected, but simultaneously everything that I could want. THAT’s the ideal that the books nailed, and that the films should strive towards; don’t simply give the fans what they want, give them something else, something unexpected, that they never even realised they wanted…
hmm…I thought for sure that they fudge the book a little and put him in the Hogwarts raid sceen in the end. I am not too mad because this is Snape’s book. I am more worried that he is unsigned for DH! He also said that he liked doing GOF, and said nothing about OOTP. If they can’t get him back for DH, then they have problems. I am also sure that the most important flashback sceen(Voldmort asking for the DADA job) has been cut.
What are we talking about here? Ofcourse he is not in Half-Blood Prince! Voldemort is not evem in the book, well not in his “current” form anyway. No surprises there.
And with Hallows not filming untill februari next year, no need to worry. Heyman has all thing under control (well he better have).
It makes sense that some of the actors wouldn’t be signed for DH because the screenplay hasn’t been written. It makes even more sense that Fiennes wouldn’t sign on until they announce if it will be split into two films. I think most of the actors who have already signed for DH are in HBP as well.
If they do split the movie, I think everything will be filmed at once. However, with two different release dates, they’ll make twice the profits (depending on how much it costs to film it). I can’t imagine that the actors whom have already signed would be “okay” with making the same amount of money for one film when its actually 2 films.
The voldemort in the book where he was asking for a teaching position,wasn’t the same ,he was slowing changing into the the Voldemort that we saw in O.T.P
Posted by Gregory Allen Johnson on March 04, 2008, 04:33 PM
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I hope he’s there in Hallows…no one else an be Voldemort now, he’s etched into my mind too well.
Well, here’s my $0.02….Yes, I think it would be awful, if they didn’t have Mr Finnes, in DH. I really don’t see that happening. However, in the matter of the scene, where he returns to Hogwarts to ask for the DADA job…I can see them having his face obscured by a hood, or even a “younger than Mr Finnes” Riddle. I don’t think they will cut the “Voldemort/Dumbledor” scene. JMHO
James whirled about; a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of graying underpants.
Well, seeing as he wasn’t in the book I’m not surprised.