Our reader Laura, sent us

Our reader Laura, sent us this picture and article from this month’s Premiere Magazine:

If the words Hogwarts, Quidditch, and Gryffindor mean nothing to you, you probably haven’t been within a brooms’ throw of a bookstore for the past three years. Based on the first of author JK Rowling’s mega-bestselling Harry Potter novels, this film is poised to launch one of the most successful cinematic franchises ever. Shot on nine soundstages outside London at an estimated cost of $150 million, it follows Harry (Radcliffe), an orphan condemned to a life under the stairs in his aunt and uncle’s home until he learns that he is, in fact, a very special wizard. Carried off into a new life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry–with the help of pals Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson)–begins to unravel the mystery of his parents’ death and confront the forces intent on destroying him. “Before I got this part, I wasn’t a big reader,” says Radcliffe (The Tailor of Panama), who beat out thousands for the role. “I didn’t think I stood a chance.” Columbus (Home Alone, Stepmom) didn’t have it much easier, competing with such directors as Jonathan Demme, Brad Silberling, Terry Gilliam, and Steven Spielberg (who ultimately passed to make A.I. Artificial Intelligence). “The first question everybody had was, ‘Are you going to make it dark?'” Columbus says. “Everybody thought I was just this soft, sentimental guy, but I’ve always had this incredible dark side that I never projected on film.”

Commitment Issues: “I wasn’t sure I wanted to do this,” says Harris, who plays Hogwarts’ Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, and who has already signed on for three sequels. “I hate making dates and appointments; it feels like entrapment.” But a call from his 11-year old granddaughter left him no choice. “She rang up one day and said, ‘Papa, if you don’t play Dumbledore, I’ll never speak to you again,'” he says.

Every Witch Way But Loose: Harry’s Potter’s Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint.