NEWS FOR THE DAY 28.03.06

Best known as Hogwarts' headboy Percy Weasley, Chris Rankin has just made his major theatrical debut in a national tour of Wuthering Heights. The up-and-coming actor spoke to Caroline Harrap about life on the set of the Harry Potter movies, and why he still has to pinch himself to believe it's all real...

When Chris Rankin decided to watch an episode of Neighbours instead of doing his GCSE revision, little did he guess what a huge impact it would have on his life.

But, just by chance, he happened to catch the end of Newsround, and in the final item on the programme, they mentioned that the makers of the new Harry Potter films were holding open auditions for the cast.

With nothing to lose, the aspiring young actor, who was at secondary school in Norwich at the time, decided to apply and, lo and behold, two auditions later, he was chosen to play pompous prefect Percy Weasley.

"I just couldn't believe it," says the 22-year-old. "In fact, I still can't believe it now...

It's almost six years to the day since I found out I'd got the part, and I'm still trying to get my head around it!

"We start filming the next one in two weeks' time, and it's always the same; I look around at all those great British actors, like Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) and Julie Walters (Mrs Weasley), and think to myself, 'what on earth am I doing here - why did they pick me?'.

"I didn't even go to drama school!

"To be honest, I spend most of the time thinking, 'I really shouldn't be here...'"

Getting the role of Percy, the bossy older brother of Harry's best friend Ron, has certainly been a dream come true for Rankin.

Incredibly, his only previous experience of acting had been treading the boards with his local youth theatre.

"I was always quite a shy sort of person, so I took up acting as a way of overcoming that," says Rankin, who lives with his mum, an English teacher, in Norwich.

"I found that when I was playing other people, I just felt more confident.

"But I never imagined it would lead to this!"

As the self-important Percy, Rankin has certainly had his fair share of amusing scenes in the films.

Right from day one, he's been busy bossing everyone around, first as a prefect and eventually as headboy at Hogwarts.

Now it's all set to go a bit dark side in the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is due for release next year, as the power starts to go to his head.

"Over the course of the films, he's gone from being a stuck-up, poncey prefect to quite a nasty piece of work," says Rankin.

"My character didn't appear in the last film but, when he makes his return in the next one, he starts to become really obnoxious.

"By that stage, of course, he's working for the Ministry of Magic and he's become so power-hungry that he'll step on anyone to get where he wants.

"And let's just say that the Minister for Magic, Mr Crouch, has his shoes well and truly kissed!"

Not surprisingly, Rankin has a whole host of hilarious anecdotes about life on the set of the movies...

Like the time when Daniel Radcliffe changed the language on Robbie Coltrane's mobile phone into Turkish - naturally, the well-known actor, who plays Hagrid in the films, was unable to turn it back because he couldn't understand the instructions.

Then there was the incident when identical twins James and Oliver Phelps, who play Fred and George Weasley, decided to secretly swap characters in one of their scenes, without anyone else ever being any the wiser.

"It sounds like a clich?, but it really is just one big happy family," says Rankin.

"Everyone knows each others' names - from the producer to the main characters to the people who make the tea.

"I remember on the very first day of filming, when the car came to pick me up, there in the back was a nine-year-old Emma Watson looking excited and terrified in equal measure.

"Since then, of course, I've got to know Emma, Daniel (Radcliffe) and Rupert (Grint) really well - when you're all stuck in a studio, just outside Watford, for several weeks in a row, you end up spending quite a lot of time together.

"I think they're all brilliant actors and they've coped with the whole fame thing amazingly well.

"As the big brother in the film, I can't help feeling really rather proud of them all."

In spite of all sorts of bribery, followed by various forms of blackmail, Rankin refuses, however, to give any clues as to how the books will end.

In fact, he says that the cast are as much in the dark as anyone about the future development of the plot.

"On the few times I've met J K Rowling, I've tried to coax it out of her, but she honestly wouldn't tell us anything," he groans.

"Obviously, for my part, I'm hoping that Percy's descent into evil will continue, and by the end, he'll be Voldemort's second in command, or something like that.

"Like everyone else, though, we'll just have to wait and see!"

Not surprisingly, since appearing in the Harry Potter films, Rankin has been inundated with offers of work.

Last year, he played the role of Waring in BBC drama The Rotter's Club adapted from Jonathan Coe's best-selling novel, and, more recently, he filmed a pilot for a new satirical comedy sketch show, Days Like This, from the writers of Not the Nine O'Clock News.

He has also appeared on Hell's Kitchen, Smile, SMTV, Ministry of Mayhem, Blue Peter, CBBC Xchange and Newsround - to name but a few.

In the theatre, as well as a few low-key roles, including with his own production company, Painted Horse Theatre, which he formed in 2004, he's also starred in several pantos.

Now, in the latest string to his bow, he has just made his major theatrical debut in a national tour of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

Featuring a host of well-known names, the show also stars Michelle Hardwick (Lizzie Kennoway in The Royal), Tony Scannell (DS Roach in The Bill), Robert Beck (Gavin Ferris in Emmerdale) and Barny Clevley (Will Davies in Hollyoaks).

"Funnily enough, I found out about Wuthering Heights on the same night I discovered they wanted me for the next two Harry Potter films," says Rankin.

"Needless to say, a fair few drinks were had in the pub that evening!"

So far, he says he's loving every moment of appearing in this classic work of English literature - even if he doesn't get to play the legendary hero of the story.

His character, Edgar Linton, is the one that Cathy marries, only to be shunned in favour of Heathcliff. "Poor Edgar, who is this weak,

rather sickly sort of fellow, falls madly in love with Cathy," says Rankin, who is single at the moment.

"She, on the other hand, is this wild, wonderful creature who runs around the moors at night.

"My character eventually dies of a broken heart when he realises that she couldn't actually care less about him and is really in love with Heathcliff.

"Ultimately, it really is an amazing love story - unfortunately, just not for my character!"

The tour continues through to August, after which, Rankin will be returning to the Harry Potter set full time to complete the rest of his scenes.

So what does the future hold for him when it's all finally over?

"There are all sorts of things I'd like to do," says Rankin.

"I'd love to do some more theatre and television, and one day, I'd really like to try my hand at directing.

"To be honest, though, I just feel so lucky to have had this opportunity, and as long as I'm employed then I'll be happy."

*Wuthering Heights runs at The Capitol in Horsham from Thursday May 4 to Saturday May 6 at 7.30pm (plus Saturday matin?e, 2.30pm). Tickets start from 15 (concessions available). For more information, call the box office on 01403 750220 or visit the website at www.thecapitolhorsham.com