[NOTD] News Of The Day - 12/07/2007

Almost the entire Harry Potter cast had turned up to be interview by the press at the County Hall in London. Look out for discussions on auditions, merchandise and playing ones self in the computer game. Q: I'd first of all like to ask David Heyman something if I may. This is of course the fifth of what has been an extraordinary successful 'Harry Potter' series so far. Every new film we see, we expect more as an audience and as fans of the books. How do you rise to those challenges, David? How do you keep it fresh, so that we all walk away and we're as excited as we hope to be?
David Heyman: Well, it happens quite easily in a strange sort of way. I mean making the films is never easy, but actually that aspect of trying to make a better film or to keep the standard high is something that comes organically. We have the gift of Jo Rowling's books which obviously provide us with fantastic and rich source material. So that's the starting point, then everybody involved in the films is ambitious and wants to make the very best film they and we can. The feeling is, because we're all avid fans, if we can make a great film, or a film that we're all pleased with then the fans will be too. Directors are quite competitive, even though they may not admit it and I know that Alfonso wanted to make a better film than Chris, and Mike wanted to make a better film than Chris and Alfonso, and I know, even though he may not admit it, David Yates wanted to make a better film than anybody who'd come before him. And I suspect that with the sixth film he'll want to make a better film than this one. In fact I know he will. Also, I think that we learn from our mistakes or anything that we've done before and all of that helps, I hope, to make each film better, more mature than what's come before. Q: Do you think that's fair David? Were you quite competitive with the previous directors? Is that one of the benchmarks for this film?
David Yates: Do you know what? I don't think you can be a director without a kind of sense of competitiveness. It's quite a competitive business, but I mean in truth I loved those earlier films, but when you come to a series like this you're desperate to put your stamp on it and you're desperate to kind of move it forward and do your best. So I'm very proud of the film that we've made and we're doing 'Half-Blood Prince' next and I want that to be a better film than five. So,yep. David Heyman: The other thing which is quite amazing is the generosity of the directors that have come before, so that Chris spent time with Alfonso, Alfonso spent time with Mike and Mike spent time with David, showing an early cut of the film, talking through what it means to be a director and how they went about it and any sort of titbits that they can pass on. And it's a really collegial and supportive environment between directors, but also I think within Leavesden itself. Q: A question for Emma, Daniel and Rupert. Imagine yourselves a few years on, you have young relatives aged about 11 or 12 about to start starring in a long series of very successful films, given your experience what advice would you give them?
Daniel Radcliffe: Wow! Emma Watson: Yeah, that's so hard to answer. I think if someone had said to me, you know this is what it's going to be like, whatever…a) I wouldn't have believed them and b) you just, I don't know, you just can't… Daniel Radcliffe: …you just can't imagine it till your there. Emma Watson: Yeah. Daniel Radcliffe: It's very hard. Particularly with something like 'Potter' which is so huge and really does…it is a global phenomenon…it's even very hard for us now to see the extent to which it reaches. But I think I'd suppose tell them to just make sure that y'know when you're starting out you just tell the people around you to be completely honest with you, so that there's no room for sycophants to sort of creep in because I think… I think that's the difference y'know. That's what makes the difference in terms of y'know growing up in front of the media and things like that is that if you have people around you who are honest with you and don't just say what you want them to hear then you'll be well adjusted and you won't be arrogant I think that's the only thing I could say, to be honest. Emma Watson: In a way it's quite extreme how hard I've tried to live exactly the same life that I did before I got the role. I think it's really kept me sane and y'know it would be so easy, given how busy I am doing this, to lose touch with the people, the friends that I had before I took the role. And my mum was like 'no, always make sure that you…'. Because then y'know, just to make sure that you have an identity outside of it, in the gaps in between. I don't know, just really value your friends and really value the people around you. Just try really hard to always have time for everyone that was there before you did it I guess. Q: Would you agree with that Rupert?
Rupert Grint: Yeah, definitely, yeah… Emma Watson: (Laughter) Sorry Rupes! Rupert Grint: For me, I've got a really big family and I think it's really important. It really does help, especially, I've got a lot of little sisters as well and they really do help to sort of bring you back down to earth when I go back home. So, that's really helped. Q: I would like to ask you about the story. How would you like the story to end and your part to end? To the three heros.
Daniel Radcliffe: Well, none of us know how the stories are going to end, but y'know, I don't have any specific theories because I know that whatever we can sit here and sort of talk about, Jo's going to come up with something far more interesting or exciting than anything we could ever predict or imagine. But if you're after theories then I would say that Evanna is certainly the person to talk to on this one. Evanna Lynch: But you'll need a few hours! Daniel Radcliffe: Right, yes, hours of time! Yes! Q: What would you like to see happen to Hermione, Emma?
Emma Watson: I don't know, there's this theory that she's going to die and that's just, I really didn't have that in my plans for what she would achieve. I really…I want to see her putting her intellect and her just naturally very caring nature to some very worthy cause. So I kind of want to see her in another country protesting for the rights of house elves or continuing with S.P.E.W. or just generally making the world a better place hopefully y'know being married to Ron and having lots of beautiful babies. That's the plan anyway. Q: Rupert?
Rupert Grint: I don't know really, it's really hard to say. Everyone's got there own little idea, but I'm not sure really I think if Ron had to die it wouldn't be so bad because it's the last one as well, which is alright! Q: Would you like to see him play Quidditch professionally somewhere or something like that? Rupert Grint: Yeah that'd be quite cool, yeah! Maybe,yeah. Daniel Radcliffe: No it wouldn't be. Quidditch is a painful experience, you don't want to go through that! Q: Hi, this is a question for Katie. I think loads of teenagers will want to know in as much detail and description as possible, what it's like to kiss Daniel Radcliffe?
Katie Leung: Oh God! It's hard to say 'cause he's sitting right next to me. (laughter) But, no, he was great. I'm sure everyone wants to know if he was a good kisser – he definitely was! No, I just had so much fun filming it. I mean I was so nervous just because everyone had been discussing it before and we didn't really have an exact date of when we were going to do it because Daniel fell ill just before we were about to… Daniel Radcliffe: Not directly linked to the scene! Katie Leung: So it kept getting postponed, but we eventually did it and yeah it was really good. Q: Are you pleased with how it turned out?
Katie Leung: Yeah I was very pleased. I only watched the film yesterday actually and I thought I'd be cringing and I didn't think I'd be able to watch but yeah, I'm very, very pleased with it. It's very endearing, a very sweet scene. Q: And what did your friends say about it? Were they jealous that you got to snog Harry Potter?
Katie Leung: (Laughter) Yeah, I think a lot of them were, but they were very supportive and they just can't wait to see it either. I'm not sure how my mum and dad are going to react to it, but hopefully they'll find it really sweet as well. Q: Daniel, Harry gets very, very angry in this film. Did that make it more challenging to play? What did you have to go through to make Harry go on that journey without alienating the audience? Daniel Radcliffe: Very good question. I mean, in the fifth book, a lot of people said that they disliked Harry because they disliked how angry he was and I talked to Jo Rowling about that and she just said 'frankly, if people say they don't understand Harry's anger in the fifth book then they haven't understood what he's been through in the past five years, because he has a right to be angry'. But I think you're right, I think for me it was possibly just as interesting to y'know play the anger, play the more reflective side of the anger, like out of where it comes from and loneliness and feeling misunderstood by everyone than the out and out shouting which people may have interpreted as what was in the book. Q: Hi, I've got a question for Rupert, Dan and Emma. I would like to know what kind of expectation you have for adulthood, because you're going to be like 20 soon or so.
Daniel Radcliffe: Yeah, I don't know what to expect really, I don't know what adulthood is like, cause I'm sort of…are you 18? No. Rupert Grint: I'm 19 this year, yeah. Daniel Radcliffe: You're 19 this year. Oh right. So you're 18. Right. OK. Cool. 'Cause you know I'm in that sort of stage of being in between just a kid, a teenager, and being an adult, so I'm looking forward to being 18. But I don't know what will particularly change. I don't think I'm going to suddenly mature… Emma Watson: Oh I can't wait! Daniel Radcliffe: Really? Emma Watson: Yeah, I can't wait. I'm learning to drive at the moment and I just can't wait for the feeling where y'know, you can just get in a car and just go anywhere you want and just the freedom of that. I can't wait to go to uni or go and travel and just live on my own, have that first experience: cooking disasters I'm sure and not being able to do my own washing and everything. Yeah, I can't wait! Rupert Grint: I've already experienced some really cool things, 'cause I'm 19 this year and obviously driving was a really cool thing for me, I really enjoyed that and I'm not sure really. It's going to be weird when these are all over 'cause I'm going to be like 21, so it's going to be quite strange. Daniel Radcliffe: Tell them what you bought! Q: Now of course two of the actresses sitting here on the front row have come to 'Harry Potter' through the open auditions. I know that David you wanted to explain, David Barron about the new film. You're doing some more open auditions?
David Barron: We are. The open auditions that provided us with Katie and Evanna were particularly successful and we have new characters, principally one male and one female character – Lavender Brown and Tom Riddle aged 16. And we are having two calls, one next Sunday and one the Sunday after. The first one devoted to girls, second to boys and anyone who lives in Great Britain, Northern Ireland aged between the ages of 15 and 18 is eligible, they don't have to have had any acting experience, just provided that they think that they can bring something to 'Harry Potter', they're welcome to come and try, we'd love to see them. Because it opens it up, it's a very democratic sort of way to cast because it makes it open and available to everybody. They are going to be held at Earls Court and we hope to find our new cast members whilst doing it. Q: I imagine David, there was 15 thousand people that turned up for Evanna's part?
David Yates: When we were looking for Luna Lovegood, it was extraordinary. I turned up at the casting and I was in a car and the queue just went round the block again, again and again. 15 thousand people turned up, it was the most amazing thing! And what was brilliant for us, normally when you cast you have all these casting agents sending you people that they've found and sometimes you've got kids who have been to stage school who come in tap dancing and singing and what you're always looking for is someone who's absolutely natural and absolutely credible in their own right. And that's how we found Evanna last time, it was a real thrill, through these 15 thousand people to suddenly land someone who in our film, 'Order of the Phoenix', just presents the most amazing, natural, naturally gifted performance. And what's exciting is that it's open to everybody this time so we can't wait to see who comes through the door. Q: What was it like when you walked in Evanna, going for the open audition?
Evanna Lynch: It was really crazy, everyone was just so excited. It was fun. Q: Did you think you'd get the part?
Evanna Lynch: I hoped it but I didn't go as far as to think it. Q: Did you say anything that you thought would influence their decision?
David Barron: She said very strongly that she thought she was the right person to play Luna Lovegood and if we didn't think so it would be unfortunate and it would be really our problem and not hers; we would have got it wrong. But she said it in the nicest possible fashion. Evanna Lynch: It makes sense, you know? Q: Daniel, I wonder if you could tell us about working with Gary Oldman because I gather you were something of a fan?
Daniel Radcliffe: In this film, probably more than any of the others, me and Gary got to do some really great, emotional, heartfelt scenes together. I loved it. As you say, I've been a fan of his for a long time. I think anybody would be hard pushed to name another actor whose body of work covers so many different areas. So yeah, I think he's incredible and if I was to emulate someone's career, if I could I would try, and probably fail, to emulate Gary's. We get on really, really well and despite the fact that we probably won't be working together again, certainly not on 'Potter', we're keeping in touch which is great because he's a fantastic guy. Q: Daniel, could you tell us a bit about your experience on stage with 'Equus' and whether you allowed Emma and Rupert to come to see you?
Daniel Radcliffe: I didn't ban anyone from coming to see me! Being on stage and doing 'Equus' was fantastic. It was a great experience and once you've been on stage naked in front of 1,000 people you really do feel you can do most anything that requires a loss of inhibitions. It was an amazing experience for me and it was something I will be very, very proud of doing for the rest of my life I think. Q: Emma, after your first kiss you are talking to Rupert's character about what mixed feeling Kate's character has. Of course he doesn't understand. Is this something you feel yourself, that boys don't have a clue how girls feel?
Emma Watson: I absolutely love that scene. It's probably my favourite scene in the whole thing just because I think it reflects quite a genuine relationship that Rupert, Dan and I have in real life. I think it is funny. I can't put it totally on guys. I mean, sometimes I feel 'what on earth is this guy thinking?' I think members of both sexes are quite bemused by what's going on. I think it's very true to life. I have got a lot brothers and am friends with a lot of guys and you do just think 'how can you not get this?' 'How can you not understand what she must be feeling?' It really, really makes me laugh that scene. It plays brilliantly on the differences between guys and girls. Daniel Radcliffe: It's not true at all! I don't know what she's talking about! Emma Watson: Perfect! Daniel Radcliffe: In very general terms, I think both sexes have terrible trouble understanding each other and will probably until the end of time remain a mystery to one another. But as you say I don't think it's all on one side, but I know I'm confused a lot of the time. Q: Evanna, I know you've been a big fan of 'Harry Potter' for years. How did that influence your audition and how did you feel when you landed the part? Evanna Lynch: I don't think I would have got the part if I didn't love Luna as much. People were turning up and saying 'and who are we auditioning for again?' and they weren't going to get it, clearly. I knew everything about Luna because she was my favourite always and I even answered things in the books that aren't asked. I just explored her. That definitely helped. Q: How did you feel when they called you offering you the part? Evanna Lynch: I was just stunned. You don't picture it ever happening. Well, you think it will, you try and convince yourself, but then it happens and it's very strange like it's happening exactly as you imagined it would and then it really does! Q: And what was the first day on set like when you met Emma, Dan and Rupert? Evanna Lynch: It wasn't on set it was at the read through. I was kind of just standing back watching and I didn't feel like I should be there but everyone was trying to include me and it was very nice. Q: Daniel, we've heard from Katie about the first on-screen kiss for Harry Potter. What was it like for you? Were you nervous? Did you ask anyone for advice? Daniel Radcliffe: I think we were both a bit nervous because we did know everyone was talking about it and there was the knowledge that this was a highly anticipated scene and that everybody had been waiting for this scene in some ways. I don't know why I said that last bit because that's what highly anticipated means! We were a bit nervous but after the first few takes it was fine and we started thoroughly enjoying ourselves! Q: I'd like to ask David Yates how the experience of making this film compared with his other film projects and I'd like to ask the cast how David's approach differed from the other directors.
David Yates: For me it just felt like coming home because it's a very welcoming place Leavesden where this film was shot and David Heyman and David Barron, my producers on the film were incredibly supportive and made me feel very safe. The studio were really delighted with the material we were getting so it felt perfectly natural and normal to be telling this big story on this big canvas and I had a ball. It's probably the most enjoyable filmmaking experience I've had. I can't wait to start shooting the next one. Daniel Radcliffe: What David managed to do, which is fantastic, is that he took the charm of the films that Chris made and the visual flair of everything that Alfonso did and the thoroughly British, bombastic nature of the film directed my Mike Newell and he's added his own sense of grit and realism to it that perhaps wasn't there so much before. It's the film that I'm certainly most proud of. I think we all had a fantastic time working with David. I know we did. Emma Watson: The thing about David that I feel, is that this is the most genuine of all the films. This is the one that has a real sense of realism to it. The word that I connect the most with David Yates is truth. He always wants to find truth in all the characters and in each single performance. He had high standards but I think Dan, Rupert and I really relished that as it stopped us getting complacent fifth time round. I think we all really learned something from him. It was really nice. Q: The new book is just a month away. Where will you be when that comes out? Do you get any special treatment?
Daniel Radcliffe: Mine is already pre-ordered from Amazon and I hope I can get some free vouchers for saying that. Q: What about you Evanna? Where will you be as the big fan when the book comes out?
Evanna Lynch: I'm queuing up as usual. I'm planning my outfit, I'm trying to get all the 'Harry Potter' things in there. But I can't tell you where I'm going because I just want to be a fan again. Q: But you're going to wear a special outfit?
Evanna Lynch: Yep. Q: Are you going to borrow one of the costumes from the film?
Evanna Lynch: No, I'll make my own. Q: Will you all just go straight to the back of the book or will you read it the whole way through?
Daniel Radcliffe: I'll certainly be reading it the whole way through. My grandmother does that and it's a terrible habit. Katie Leung: Definitely from the beginning to the end. I've reserved my copy so I'll be queuing outside as well. I'm dying to know what happens. Rupert Grint: I'll be very tempted to have a little flick at the back to see if I'm still there. But I don't know, I'm going to read it all the way through I think. Emma Watson: It's really hard. I can say now, I'll read it page to page, be really good and everything but it's hard to say. Daniel Radcliffe: No it's not! Emma Watson: When it's late at night and you've just got your copy. I don't know. I'll do my best. Q: What's it like playing the videogame with a character resembling yourself? Daniel Radcliffe: Very strange I think. Q: Have you played yourself in the 'Harry Potter' game?
Daniel Radcliffe: Very good choice of words and very sensible too (laughter). I have played the 'Harry Potter' games and I must say I got really overly competitive with my, as he was then, eight year old God-brother over the Quidditch World Cup game. It was sort of slightly ridiculous. I play them and I enjoy them but the stakes aren't quite so high as they are when you're actually making the film, obviously. Q: How about you Rupert, have you played them?
Rupert Grint: Yeah, definitely, I've played it. It's really weird yeah, all the merchandise is quite strange and now they're getting more realistic, especially the games. They've even got my voice on it now so it is quite weird, yeah.

Q: Emma, what's the strangest bit of merchandise you've seen of yourself or the guys?
Emma Watson: There's a classic. I was in Waitrose the other day and along one of the shelves was something like Hermione's Magic Muffins (laughter). There was actually a recipe with my head on one of those sticky things you put on top of a cupcake. I was like 'that's a new one!' Brilliant. I mean, honestly, every time round there's something new.

Source: Future Movies

By STEVE CLARKE

Rowling

By DAVID HAYHURST