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06-02-2009, 10:46 PM
| | |  Rhys Ifans talks Xeno Lovegood & Harry Potter films
Actor Rhys Ifans was interviewed on BBC Radio in Wales last week, where he talked about working in Deathly Hallows as Xenophilius Lovegood. Although the entire interview was in Welsh, an English translation has been received, thanks to Mynwy, which can be read here: Quote:
I can't reveal much about the new Harry Potter film, which I don't understand because the book is out anyway, but I had to sign a clause that I wouldn't.
However, I play Xenophilus Lovegood, a wizard who is the father of Luna Lovegood, one of Harry Potter's friends. That's all I can really say because I haven't read the book!
There's been so much money thrown at the project, with there having been [six] other films. They're filming up in Leavesden near London in an old Rolls Royce airplane engine factory.
It's an enormous place, so you walk about and see things like a zoo full of owls, so if you need an owl for a scene, you pick up the phone and someone comes across with an owl. It's a like a machine. I've never been - in America - with an employer of so many people.
I'm not a big fan of Harry Potter but it feels like a privilege to get called up with people like Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon so it's an honour that they thought of me to play a cross-eyed wizard.
Photos of Rhys during the interview can be seen here: 
For anyone interested, Rhys's interview can be heard here, where he begins talking at 13 minutes in about his other roles; he discusses Harry Potter 20 minutes into the segment.  | |
06-02-2009, 11:01 PM
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#2 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,314
Second Year |
LOL! "a cross-eyed wizard" Funny 
Can't wait to see him in DH!
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06-02-2009, 11:04 PM
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#3 (permalink)
| | Dugbog
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 124
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Not a fan of Harry Potter hmm...Hope the dude aleast reads the chapters hes in.
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06-02-2009, 11:10 PM
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#4 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 1,076
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Aurora Dahlia Pennant
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I Can't Wait To See How He Does With the Part!
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06-02-2009, 11:16 PM
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#5 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottery St Catchpole
Posts: 1,950
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Olena Tymoshenko
Second Year |
Maybe he should read the parts he's in, so he can relate a little bit more. I must admit; I imagined Xeno as being a little 'bigger' if you catch my drift.
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06-02-2009, 11:27 PM
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#6 (permalink)
| | Swedish Short-Snout
Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: In Your Dreams
Posts: 31,312
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Alex Black
First Year | SS Featured Writer Lovely Lady
He looks like he would fit the part okay, but I'm not impressed by the "not a fan of Harry Potter" comment.
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06-02-2009, 11:28 PM
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#7 (permalink)
| | Fire Slug
Join Date: May 2009 Location: NY
Posts: 146
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How can he not be a fan if he hasn't read the books? Hmmm... I understand that an actor doesn't have to be avid fans of the source material like we are, and that they have a job to do whether they're fans or not, but it would probably be helpful if he did all he can to understand his character.
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06-02-2009, 11:37 PM
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#8 (permalink)
| | Firecrab
Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Canada
Posts: 798
| its time to choose between what is right and what is easy
hmmm not how i pictured Luna's father at all...and he doesnt really sound interested in the series at all, i just hope he is dedicated to his role and does a good job..
maybe once he has a costume, makeup and hair done, he may be able to convince me he is Xeno lol | |
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06-02-2009, 11:57 PM
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#9 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Free Falling
Posts: 1,563
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jacqueline Neally
Fifth Year |
He looks younger than I imagined, but other than that... lets hope he at least glanced at his main chapters...  | |
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06-03-2009, 12:04 AM
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#10 (permalink)
| | Bundimun
Join Date: May 2009 Location: Texas, U.S.A.
Posts: 32
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jules Knightly
Fifth Year |
Not a fan of Harry Potter hmm...Hope the dude aleast reads the chapters hes in.
I totally agree! He definitely needs to read the chapters to get a better feel for Xeno. And I bet that engine factory is where they are shooting scenes from the Lovegood's house. They've probably built a set and have all kinds of odd contraptions here and there to really play up the Lovegood's oddness. Cool. | |
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06-03-2009, 12:07 AM
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#11 (permalink)
| | Doxy
Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Florida
Posts: 6,438
| My Cherie Amour
He seems young for the part but I am sure he will do a good job! He actually looks like Luna's father, except for he is missing his white hair!
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06-03-2009, 12:50 AM
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#12 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bama
Posts: 1,191
Hogwarts RPG Name:
unsorted
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He sucks...not a fan of Harry Potter. Oh Well, I HOPE he does a great job. He's not how I pictured LUna's father. I always thought Bob Hopskins was going to be cast in that role so that's who I pictured when I read the book.  | |
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06-03-2009, 01:27 AM
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#13 (permalink)
|  Bad to the Bone BellaPuffskein
Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Oz
Posts: 1,738
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Serena Riddle
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Have seen Rhys Ifans in a few movies, he usually plays quirky off-the-wall characters so I think he'll do a good job of playing Xeno. Check out him as Hugh Grant's crazy flatmate in Notting Hill & Danny's Deckchair (Aussie film, I think that's what it's called) | |
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06-03-2009, 02:11 AM
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#14 (permalink)
| | Kappa
Join Date: May 2009 Location: Western US
Posts: 14,683
 x9  x8
|  Super Slytherin Buddy | | ⅓ She-Snake Trio | | a normal girl with normal knees
not a fan of harry potter!??
anyway, he is close to what i imagined Luna's dad to look like actually.
Cant wait to see the film!  | |
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06-03-2009, 03:13 AM
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#15 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pembroke Pines, FL
Posts: 1,129
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You know I didn't like what he said but he is a good actor... he was in The Replacements with Keanu Reeves and Little Nicky with Adam Sandler...So I believe he'll be able to pull it off well cause he seems a little wacky...
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06-03-2009, 03:18 AM
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#16 (permalink)
| | Jarvey
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 662
Graduated |
*Happy music plays*
He looks PERFECT for the role! Just how I imagined him!
But *record stops and makes that "ERRRRRPPP!" skiddy like sound*
HE'S NOT A FAN!!! RAWR!
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06-03-2009, 04:08 AM
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#17 (permalink)
|   SS Featured AuthorTürk BilginiBugbear
Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: {in a leap of faith}
Posts: 31,791
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Sarani Glass
Graduated x12
| ♥ Mrs. Itachi Uchiha™ & MAJNOO! : Bleach & Kyo & Natsume ♥ [ Maxh!Jesh ]
Quote:
I can't reveal much about the new Harry Potter film, which I don't understand because the book is out anyway, but I had to sign a clause that I wouldn't.
LOL. xDDD
Not how I imagined Xeno, but he'll have to do. =]
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06-03-2009, 09:20 AM
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#18 (permalink)
| | Crup
Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK
Posts: 17,077
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Marcella Riddle
Graduated | Kaplinski Rival Sorting Hat Machine
Quote:
Originally Posted by potternut24  Not a fan of Harry Potter hmm...Hope the dude aleast reads the chapters hes in.
I totally agree! He definitely needs to read the chapters to get a better feel for Xeno. And I bet that engine factory is where they are shooting scenes from the Lovegood's house. They've probably built a set and have all kinds of odd contraptions here and there to really play up the Lovegood's oddness. Cool. Leavesden Studios used to be a factory, that's what he meant.
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06-03-2009, 10:09 AM
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#19 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Hogwarts...
Posts: 1,600
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Sophie Belle Weasley
Graduated |
Lol...you need to read the books Sonny Jim.
Haha, I was right...He plays Spike in Notting Hill...He's so funny!
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06-03-2009, 02:00 PM
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#20 (permalink)
| | Horklump
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 44
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I don't have a problem with him being quite young. If Harry's parents were about 21 when he was born (I forget), they'd only be 38 now, along with Snape and Remus. Taking into account the fact that wizards seem to frequently marry far younger than muggles, and Luna is a 16 year old only child, why shouldn't he be still be relatively young? I know his hair was white, but that doesn't necessarily indicate old age. He just has to look like wildly eccentric!
What I don't like about this interview is when he said he wasn't a fan of Harry Potter. That could be taken negatively (as indicated by some of the responses on this thread). He may have simply meant that he didn't read the books and follow interviews which is fair enough. However he should have left it at that - admitting he hadnt read the books was enough indication he wasn't a fan, he didn't have to state it so clearly. He frequently acts in 'edgier' roles, maybe he felt HP uncool? That could be unfair, but when he stated his opinions so bluntly, he opened himself up to interpretation.
It just came across as unprofessional. He doesn't need to read the book, Xeno isn't that important. However I certainly hope he read the few chapters his character was in, to get the right flavour. Michael Gambon's character was far more substantial yet apparently he just read the script and based his Dumbledore on that. Bearing in mind how various Hollywood execs always mangled Steve Kloves serviceable first drafts, in order to target various audience groups, it explains how his performance veered away from the books so wildly.
I really hope Rhys Ifan made the effort and read the few pages JKR wrote about his character and didn't depend on WBs script by commitee that is so sub-par.
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06-03-2009, 02:47 PM
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#21 (permalink)
| | Crup
Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK
Posts: 17,077
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Marcella Riddle
Graduated | Kaplinski Rival Sorting Hat Machine
Quote:
Michael Gambon's character was far more substantial yet apparently he just read the script and based his Dumbledore on that.
That might not be true, given Michael Gambon's notoriety for lying in interviews, because he loathes the whole process.
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06-03-2009, 03:06 PM
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#22 (permalink)
| | Snidget
Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: King's Cross ♥
Posts: 2,901
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Gatty Natalia Piper
Seventh Year | harry ϟ potter is a lifestyle
^ That's true-in that Top Gear interview he said he pretended to be gay for years
I personally don't like Rhys Ifans as Xeno. Too young, too 'cool', definately not right for the role.
*don't hate me!*
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06-03-2009, 03:59 PM
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#23 (permalink)
| | Snidget
Join Date: May 2009 Location: I don't even know
Posts: 2,545
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Good interview! | |
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06-03-2009, 04:21 PM
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#24 (permalink)
| | Horklump
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EmmaRiddle That might not be true, given Michael Gambon's notoriety for lying in interviews, because he loathes the whole process. That's true - I've seen both of his appearances on 'Top Gear', as well as 'Have I got News for You' and 'Room 101'. All shows where he's been very amusing about his attitude towards interviews/journalists.
I just hope he was telling the truth when it came to Dumbledore. Otherwise I can't imagine why his interpretation, especially in the earlier films, is so different to the books, when he knows how important the character is to the story and the fans. I know some people prefer him to Harris, which is fair enough, but in my opinion, JKR wrote a self controlled, quirky old man with a good sense of humour hiding vast inner strength. That self control and strength is what Voldemort feared, not an ability to start shouting and panicking at the first sign of trouble. I just can't see how Gambon's performance can have been inspired by the books.
Sorry, a bit off topic! Back to Rhys Ifan. I don't know enough about him to judge fairly, but from what I've seen, he plays groovy, cool characters or stoners. Apologies if I'm wrong. Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith etc are strong character actors who can submerge themselves in their parts - become their parts. I hope Rhys Ifan is that sort of actor, who won't just play a variation of the character he always plays. Unless that character suits Luna's father, of course!
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06-03-2009, 07:54 PM
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#25 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 1,642
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Ebony Wandson
Graduated | Zombie Hunter Korn-y
Rhys Ifans has always impressed me in interviews and I think based on past performances, he'll make a great Xeno Lovegood
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