David Yates on Emma Watson in Half-Blood Prince: Much More Confident

Jul 02, 2009

Posted by: SueTLC

HBP Film

The Telegraph has a new interview with David Yates where he reflects on his second stint as director of a Harry Potter film, this being the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Mr. Yates notes he has now settled in and is feeling more situated as he directs his second Harry Potter film, saying “Oddly, that meant that when I started this one, I was a little bit warier of
everything rather than being more confident. The first time round you just
do it; you just go for it. But I have settled in and this one’s quite
different from the last one. It’s a little bit more grown up and a bit
wittier. It’s a different vibe.”

That different vibe is seen in the actions of the cast on screen in Half-Blood Prince, with David Yates giving high marks to the actors. “I think the
cast are getting better and better’ Yates says, “and Emma certainly seems
much more confident this time. She really moved on in the last one, but now
she’s even more at ease. And Dan, having done Equus, he’s just finding
moments and beats that are really surprising and lovely.”

He also speaks to visualising on the screen some of the events merely written about in the novel by J.K. Rowling:”I remember when Jurassic Park came out and that was quite a violent movie,
with all these cutting-edge special effects’ Yates says. “But because it
was Steven Spielberg, people said, ‘We think kids will go with it.’ “And I
think that’s true here: because it’s Harry Potter and because of the
fanbase, I think there’s a higher tolerance for what we can present to the
audience. The viewers know the world and they’ve read about these things and
they’ve experienced it on the page. Hence we are able to do a little bit
more than maybe other films can.” He smiles. “That’s the beauty of Harry
Potter.”





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.