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Audio: Fansites at Harry Potter cast Exhibition/Deathly Hallows I press conference
The press conferences that took place this past Monday which SnitchSeeker and various other media and fansites participated in to promote the opening of Harry Potter: the Exhibition in New York City and the home video release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I are now available for listening. During the chats, producers David Heyman and David Barron, and 14 actors from the series discussed their work in the Harry Potter films, commented a bit about Harry Potter: the Exhibition, and teased about their work in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II. Those can be heard below.
Freddie Stroma, Natalia Tena, David Thewlis, Evanna Lynch, Warwick Davis, Helen McCrory, Robbie Coltrane, David Barron
Clemence Poesy, Domhnall Gleeson, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Bonnie Wright, Mark Williams, Michael Gambon, David Heyman
Quote:
SnitchSeeker: Since this is Harry Potter, and you’ve all worked with Dan Radcliffe, what’s your favorite scene or experience with him?
Robbie Coltrane: Well, my favorite thing is his terrible jokes. He went through a period, do you remember about three years ago, when he decided he was going to become a stand up comedian. He’d tell me jokes that my father told me about fifty years ago. And I’d go, “Timing, Dan. Better timing in that.” But they were terribly funny because he was so earnest. He’s always been terribly earnest and determined to get it right. He’d say, “You’ll love this one. You’ll love this one.” And I’d go, “Ok, yeah.”
Helen McCrory: He’s also got a great knowledge of music. Two Christmases ago I really decided I’ve got to stop listening to Stones and Dylan and try and lurch myself loose into the twentieth, if not twenty-first, century. He was fantastic and wrote lists and lists of brilliant albums, all of which my husband owns now, which was bought for Christmas presents. He’s a real music-head. He’s passionate.
David Barron: He’s just fun and funny. She’s so interested in everything and everybody. He’s really brilliant. He’s a real leader on the set because he’s really motivated to make anybody who’s new, either in crew or cast terms, just made to feel comfortable and settle in as if they’re part of the family that had developed over the years. He’s a really, really impressive young man, but he’s also very funny – loves to joke around and loves a laugh.
Helen McCrory: Let’s start making things up now. (laughs)
Freddie Stroma: I can completely agree with David. I came on late in the films. I can in for my first ever costume fitting and he introduced himself to me. Then I saw him again three weeks later and he came straight up to me, “Hi, Freddie, how are you doing?” He completely remembered my name. He meets hundreds of people all the time, constantly. He will still remember your name and everything. It’s really quite amazing. Just such a lovely guy.
David Thewlis: I remember when we were doing the scene where he changes into [seven] different Harrys. The first AD (assistant director) snapped at him about something, or something wasn’t going right, and about 30 minutes later apologized. He said, “Sorry, Dan. It’s been a long week, so I really apologize” and Dan came straight back, saying, “It’s been a long adolescence, mate,” with an expletive in there, as well.
Warwick Davis: I’d like to talk about Dan for a minute, Echoing what everyone said, his enthusiasm and energy is boundless, and really is infectious when you’re on the set, which is useful when you’re under four hours of prosthetic make up. You need somebody to give you a bit of a boost and increase your energy.
Just remembering back, having worked with him on all of the films, Dan was very, very young, 9 or 10 when we started. I think I was taller than Daniel when we started. I remember filming the sequence in Gringott’s Bank. He came up to the counter and Chris Columbus was particularly keen for Dan to be a bit shocked when he first sees the goblin bank teller peering over the desk at him. He whispered to me before Dan’s close up, “When we get to this close up, as Dan approaches the bench, can you make some sort of scary noise and make him to jump so that we can get a shocked reaction?” I said, “That’ll be fine. I’ll sort that out.” I had all the face make up on, so that’d be no problem. So the cameras rolled. Chris shouted action. Dan walks up and I went, “BLAHHHH!” like that. Daniel just stood there for a second and then burst out laughing. It had completely the opposite effect than we’d desired. He’s just a brilliant lad to work with. He’s done so well. And just to have gotten through all these films and been so consistent, it’s quite an achievement, really.
David Barron: It was growing up, too, that’s the other thing we all forget.
Helen McCrory: And it’s also really nice to say it genuinely. So often we’ve made films and somebody’s like, ”What are they like to work with?” and you’re “Extraordinary individual” with a lot of subtext in that. The reality is you have to work with these people and then you have to lie about how enjoyable it was to work with these people. So it’s actually nice to not have to lie at all. Genuinely, he is a gentleman.
Robbie Coltrane: There was never anything child actorish about any of those three. There is a sort of child actor to be avoided.
David Barron: It’s the whole supporting cast, too. There isn’t anybody you wish wasn’t there, really. It was just extraordinary.
Quote:
SnitchSeeker: Were you satisfied with your characters’ final resolution in the series?
James Phelps: Yeah. (laughs) I just hope it’s as powerful – without giving away what happened – I hope that it’s as powerful as it is when you read the book. Because I know how important it is to readers and our fans have told me millions of times - that scene and the whole series in general. A few guys saw the film yesterday and it went down amazingly. On a personal level, I hope it comes out really cool and, on a professional level, I’m sure that it’s going to blow everyone’s expectations.
Oliver Phelps: I think it’s very cool to play characters that are very jokey and yet you can show very serious, very somber side to them. You don’t normally get that in a film series especially. To be able to do that totally differently was really cool with these characters that we’ve grown up playing.
Michael Gambon: And to be able to show your range.
James Phelps: We were so used to just going on and just pratting around, pretty much, and given the run to do it. But then, like Mark said, we got to play another side to the character when they are a bit serious and somber-like in Part 1 where George’s ear gets blown off. And that was going back to how we’re a family, like Mark and Julie. We talked about how you would feel coming into that. So being able to play that range of the character, as well, was really cool. Then, obviously, Part 2, goes in the other roundabout.
Bonnie Wright: I was pretty happy, yeah. Mrs. Potter with three kids, so I was OK with the resolution for my character.
Mark Williams: Yeah, you did all right.
Bonnie Wright: Yeah. (laughs)
• Robbie Coltrane discussed how he used to watch Marlon Brando movies when he was younger in terms of recreational activities.
• The cast mention some of their favourite props and sets: Nat loved her wands and Buckbeak, Robbie would have loved Hagrid's Hut.
• Evanna comments on a few hints with Luna and Neville in the last film, though does mention that Luna goes off to marry Newt Scamander anyway.
• Helen McCrory emphasised that she had nothing in common with Narcissa Malfoy in terms of being a mother, though said that she would have been as protective as her counterpart towards Draco as she would to her actual children (though it hasn't been seen as it's in the last movie). She did joke that she'd break out the Narcissa wand and wig if her children were misbehaving when they got older.
• David Barron said that there weren't many unreleased deleted scenes from the Harry Potter films, and that they were economic about what was chosen (Robbie joked about the nude Hagrid scenes cut out), but figured that more may surface than there have already.
• David Thewlis remembered when he, Nat Tena, and Robbie Coltrane flew on the same airplane to New York, and saw a passenger watching Deathly Hallows: Part I on their television, and jokingly considered going up to the person to give them a bit of a surprise.
• They discussed life on the sets, which became a bit like home, and how they chose not to destroy any of them because they never knew if it would be needed for future films, especially since Jo Rowling never gave them a heads-up.
• Nat just teased that it was cold during the day Tonks' death scene was shot.
• Michael Gambon noted that he runs off through the stage door after a play, but with Harry Potter he'll stand around to greet young fans and sign autographs. David Heyman also stated how mischievous Gambon and Daniel Radcliffe were on set together.
• In terms of props they'd like, Bonnie would like her Gryffindor robes; Mark Williams would like the flying Ford Anglia that he never got the chance to ride in; and Gambon went on at length about Dumbledore's slippers which he said he nicked from the set.
• Domhnall discussed being the newcomer to the film set in Deathly Hallows: Part I, and how he nearly wet himself from the vastness of the series.
• Clemence said that because of her work in the Harry Potter films, some of her smaller projects were financed, and she was happy to be back for her wedding in Deathly Hallows: Part I.
• David Heyman said he went to see Daniel Radcliffe's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and said he was the hardest working person in show business. He and Gambon commented on how amazing was in it; Bonnie noted that she had heard great things about it and went to see it this past Tuesday. Heyman commended Dan on taking risky choices, from Equus to How to Succeed, and said he was 'The Man'.
• Bonnie revealed that she had filmed a scene where she killed chickens in a chicken's pen, which related to her assisting in the opening of the Chamber of Secrets.
The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I Blu-ray and DVD sets, out on April 11, 2011 in the U.K. and April 15, 2011 in the U.S., can be pre-ordered on the WB Shop or Amazon at the links below. A list of international dates for the DVD's release can be found here.
Love the great feedback for Dan as well. He's very dedicated. Great interviews with James and Oliver. Their characters will be wonderful to watch in part 2!!
I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to snitchseeker for transcribing most of the audio interviews. Ive checked the other fansites and they just give u a link to listen to the audio which is totally worthless to me as i am Deaf. The interviews were so wonderful! I loved how they all praised Dan as an actor and as a person. Sounds like hes a great guy overall with so much on his shoulder but he seems to be loving life which is fanastic!! Again, many thanks to whomever transcribed this!! You are my favorite site anf i check this 3 times a day first before checking mugglenet and the leaky! Give urself a huge pat on ur backs :-). Hugs hugs!!!
• Bonnie revealed that she had filmed a scene where she killed chickens in a chicken's pen, which related to her assisting in the opening of the Chamber of Secrets.
Aw, sounds like everyone has high praise for Dan. Makes me very proud to known that if anyone had to be Harry Potter, at least it was someone with a good head of their shoulders. As for those jokes Dan used to do...oh Dan really is persisient but at least he grew out of that phase. His persistence just went towards his career.
Hehe, why do nude Hagrid scenes sound so interesting suddenly? As for Helen McCroy breaking out the wig and wand...oh God, those poor children.
I wish they had left the chicken scene in but I realize that it may have been too much for a PG movie where a little girl is strangling chickens so I can understand why it was cut out. Too bad though 'cos I would have wanted to see it. Maybe they have it somewhere on their shelves in the studio?
"Dan came straight back, saying, “It’s been a long adolescence, mate,” with an expletive in there, as well."
That part cracked me up!
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