Helen McCrory Talks Filming on Spinner's End for Half-Blood Prince
HBP Film
Posted by: sue
July 11, 2009, 10:17 AM
Actress Helen McCrory has given a new interview where she discusses filming her role as Narcissa Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Noting her appearance in the film is short, she also jokes about the fleeting appearance made by actor Timothy Spall as Wormtail in the Unbreakable vow scene at Spinner's End. Quotage:
"She appears in the two final films of the series, but warns: "Don't
reach down for your popcorn, because by the time you do, I could be off
the screen, in Half-Blood Prince I am literally like, whoa, there she
goes! But everyone was like that. In our first scene, Helena Bonham
Carter and I are rolling past this blue screen, and we knock on the
door and Tim Spall comes out.
"Tim pulls open the door and
looks. That took about a day and a half of filming, and then it was,
'Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen, that's a wrap on Mr Spall,'
and you go, that's it? You have people like Tim, that most producers
are killing themselves to work with, and that's the fun of doing (Harry
Potter]. Everyone is giving their all and they're all used to playing
the lead parts. They're going, 'How shall I open the door? Do you want
me to do it like this, or like this?' That sort of attention to detail,
because, you know, they probably last did Hamlet. So David is
surrounded by actors going, 'Right, I can give you this, or I can give
you that, or I can give you . . .' and he's like, 'Please, please, just
say your one line and f*** off.'" She laughs heartily. "He's
extraordinary, because it's a huge project: the pressure!"
As
the mother of two young children – with her husband, actor Damian
Lewis, she has a daughter Manon, two, and a son, Gulliver, one – I
wonder if she approached Narcissa in the spirit of Cruella de Ville, or
that of a ferocious mum defending her cub?
"In this film it's
about protecting her son. The fact that you have children probably
makes a bit of a difference, but not enormously, because you do spend a
lot of time as an actor trying to imagine what the other person's
feeling, anyway. As a woman you've played mothers before, and you don't
have to be a mother to understand what feeling protective is all
about."
48 Comments
376 Points
i love her!
opennnning the door.
that’s going to be epic.
337 Points
Good interview.
1565 Points
Ahahah, I love that, how shall I open the door? Such detail!
49 Points
Lol great interview, she’s really funny. I never really imagined Narcissa with that hair and fierce air, but still, I think sh’ell be great.
16257 Points
She’ll be good. Too bad she has such a small part.
4630 Points
Wow, it sounds like the Spinner’s End scene is going to be very short!
2976 Points
Haha, I love the bit about Timothy Spall….she seems quite funny :)
871 Points
Valid point, the way you open a door, it immediately reveals how you are feeling, calm, nervous, welcoming, suspicious. The actor may know the book but he doesn’t know what effect the director wants to create unless he is told.
4452 Points
awesum interview :)
564 Points
This is a funny interview. Many of these actors haven’t had such a small role for many many years. Most of them had a big part in at least one of the movies in the series and their characters are still here so they have to come back to do that one little small part, like Timothy opening the door. The roles in the movies might end up being small, but the characters themselves are not small by any means. I mean Peter Pettigrew has to be in Spinner’s End. Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Severus Snape have to be there. We won’t accept them being played by other actors. They have to be by the actors that did them before. Except for minor characters like Pansy and Angelina and the unfortunate death of Harris, Harry Potter has kept the same actors throughout the entire series. That is a beautiful thing. We’ve had Dan Radcliffe play Harry in all the movies. We’ve had Alan Rickman play Snape in all the movies. No one has said they’re too big to return for just one line. That’s absolutely wonderful. The continuity is fantastic. In that aspect this series, being an 8 film series, is amazing. All the actors have returned when asked. They want to be here. They want to play their part.
7239 Points
Excellent interview! And, you’re right Won_Two…“There ARE no small parts, only small actors!”
58 Points
I think she’ll portray Narcissa perfectly! Can’t wait to see the movie!
123 Points
‘Please, please, just say your one line and f*** off.’
RUDE but funny at the same time= me laughing my A** off!
123 Points
‘Please, please, just say your one line and f*** off.’
RUDE but funny at the same time= me laughing my butt off!
1459 Points
I love the fact that all these actors who have done these giant productions will bother to take that much detail with this series. Dedication like that is extremely honorable.
i love her!
opennnning the door.
that’s going to be epic.