Dan Radcliffe on the High Stakes Involved in Half-Blood Prince Story

The Sydney Morning Herald has a new interview with actor Dan Radcliffe who speaks thoughtfully and passionately about the story involved with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Dan gives some new thoughts on the part that Harry must play in the tale written by J.K. Rowling, and speaks to both the novel and film of the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series. Quotes of interest:

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has been a touchstone for a
whole generation of kids growing up: Radcliffe’s generation, in
fact. So what’s the appeal? “I think for younger kids, it’s the
magic that draws them in,” Radcliffe says. “But what sustains them
– and where I think Jo [Rowling] is brilliant – is that she makes
it mundane. It’s household chore magic, which leaves room for the
characters.”

“Most
people seem to see these books as being about good and evil,”
Radcliffe says. “There is that but I see them more as the story of
loss of innocence. It’s about a kid who’s gone into this world and
thinks everything is magical, wonderful and amazing and then
realises that this world is darker and more dangerous than the
world he has come from. That is his journey.”

… Radcliffe says Harry starts to take real steps towards
killing Voldemort. As he moves into adulthood, he is laying hold of
his world. “And his relationship with Dumbledore has changed
completely. It has always been very much that of student and
teacher. Now it is soldier and general. Probably the note I got
more than any other on this shoot was a reminder of how high the
stakes are.”