Cinecon view with Emma, Dan and Rupert
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We had a chance to participate in an interview with the young stars of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets last month in New York. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Emma Watson (Hermione), and Rupert Grint (Ron) were all there to answer questions about the new film. Please keep in mind that this interview took place before the untimely death of Richard Harris (Dumbeldore). Here’s what the trio had to say about the latest installment of the Potter series, and how their lives have changed from their participating in it…
What’s the best part of the experience of being a celebrity?
Daniel: I think the best thing, so far for me, was meeting Ben Stiller, then in New York when I met Tim Robbins. That’s probably been the best thing so far.
Rupert: Getting recognized is pretty cool.
Emma: I get to wear really cool outfits.
Daniel, you’re being perceived almost as a heartthrob these days. How does that make you feel?
Daniel: Personally, I can’t actually see it, but if other people can then it’s great.
Could you predict one thing for the future of your characters in the Harry Potter books?
Emma: She’ll probably be a doctor or something. Something very academic.
Daniel: (pointing to Emma and Rupert) I think these two are going to get together. (laughs)
Daniel, we’ve heard you’re quite a music enthusiast. What type of music are you listening to these days?
Daniel: I’ve kind of developed an interest in a lot of original punk rock now. I like the Sex Pistols, The Undertones, bands like that.
Tell us a little bit about the fan mail you’ve all received since starring in the film.
Daniel: I’m amazed by the amount of effort people put into some of these letters, it’s unbelievable.
Emma: For my birthday, somebody gave me a massive, big white teddy bear. About as big as me, they sent it in the post to me. I just thought that was completely amazing.
Any concerns about Chris Columbus leaving the director’s chair for the third film, with Alfonso Cuaron taking the job?
Daniel: I think the most important thing to mention is that Chris is still going to be around. He’s going to be the producer, so he’ll still be there. But it’ll be a new experience.
Emma: Alfonso’s a really nice guy, and I think it’ll be very exciting working with someone new.
Rupert: I’ll miss Chris as well, but he’s always going to be around. And Alfonso…he’s really good.
Chamber of Secrets has some surprisingly scary moments. Do you think some children will find it too frightening for their tastes?
Daniel: I personally don’t think it’s too scary, I mean, it’s all in the book. And if you take away the ‘darkness’ from the film, then you haven’t done the book justice. And so, if they’ve read the book, then no, I don’t think they’ll be very scared at all.
Emma: I think the fans of the book will be really, really happy with it. I think it depends on the parent, really.
Rupert: I think it’s pretty scary. I guess it’s up to the parent, if they want to put their child through that. (laughs)
What’s the best thing and the worst thing about having starred in the Harry Potter films?
Daniel: I think the best thing by far has been playing a character who has inspired children all over the world. Honestly, I don’t think there is a ‘worst thing.’
Emma: Again, it’s the acting which I really enjoy. Even when you take away all this glamour and attention, it still comes down to the fact that you’re acting.
Rupert: The best thing for me? Coughing up slugs and coming to New York.
Daniel, who are your favorite directors, and what are some of your favorite movies?
Daniel: I absolutely love Wes Anderson, and The Royal Tenenbaums. I think my favorite film of all time is definitely Twelve Angry Men.
What do you guys do during the downtime when you’re not acting?
Daniel: When we’re not acting, I basically just lock myself up in a very small room and watch films.
Emma: When I’m not filming, I’m at school. I play a lot of sports, and I do a lot of art, hang out with my friends, things like that.
Has your celebrity status led to any real life problems so far, with friends and whatnot?
Daniel: Well I’ve moved schools, and all the people there and all the people I’ve met have been absolutely fantastic. There’s no jealously or anything like that all. Everyone’s been really nice.
Are you directed to ‘play your age’ when filming, or do you find yourself trying to play younger or older?
Emma: Play your age! It’s kind of like we’re growing up with the books, we’re the same age as the characters, so we’re going up with them.
How has your experience on the first film helped you during the filming of Chamber of Secrets?
Daniel: I think I’m certainly a lot more confident with Chris, and I could say more to him if I had an idea. I felt more comfortable talking about that, while on the first one, I wouldn’t have been able to do that.
Emma: I think everyone was a lot more comfortable. We knew the crew, we knew the director, we knew what we were doing. I think everyone came back feeling a lot more confident.
Would you like to stay on for a fourth and fifth Harry Potter film?
Emma: Well, I don’t know if they’re going to make a fourth or a fifth or whatever, but it’s been a really good experience and I’ve really enjoyed working on them. So yeah, I suppose I would.
Daniel: We’ve got time before we’ll have to encounter that decision.
Rupert: I’ve really enjoyed doing them all, so yeah I’d do more.
Describe one of the standout scenes from the film that you liked which included a great special effect.
Daniel: The Basilisk (giant snake monster), in the books, I think is supposed to be eighty feet long. They filmed twenty-five feet of it, and the head. Actually, it was quite hard to fight because I kept knocking the teeth out of the mouth. But that’s how much of it was actually there.
Rupert: The slugs were probably my favorite scene, because I got to try out all these different flavors of slime. There was orange, lemon, peppermint, chocolate, and they tasted really nice. I really enjoyed it! (laughs)
Emma: For the ‘petrified’ scene, they made this amazing wax model of me. No, that wasn’t really me.
How have your parents reacted to your newfound fame?
Daniel: My parents are really amazing, they’ve helped me with absolutely everything I’ve done.
Rupert: My parents have totally kept my feet on the ground.
Emma: Yes, they’ve been really supportive.
Name a scene you really enjoyed from Chamber of Secrets.
Daniel: I loved filming the dueling scene. There was a huge crowd there, and Alan and Kenneth there together was just fantastic.
Rupert: My favorite scene in this film was the bit with the flying car.
If you could own any of the ‘magical devices’ found in the film, what would it be?
2. – I’d like to have a flying car!
Daniel: I’d like to have the invisibility cloak.
Emma: I’d probably also like to have the invisibility cloak.
What was it like working with big time actors like Kenneth Branagh and Alan Rickman?
Daniel: It was amazing working with Kenneth and Alan. They’re two of the most fantastic actors in Britain, but also some of the nicest people.
Emma: They’re terrific actors on the set, and off the set they’re two of the nicest guys ever.
Rupert: I was a bit nervous about meeting them at first, but they’re really nice people. Really down to earth and funny.
Was it difficult to jump right from filming the first film into working on Chamber of Secrets?
Daniel: I did think it helped going from one film right into the other. It helped because we were still in our characters’ frame of mind.
You’ve all given three years of your life now to the Harry Potter series. What’s been the most satisfying aspect of that?
Rupert: Meeting new people and coughing up slugs.
Daniel: I think one of the best things is actually seeing the finished product. It’s a really great moment when you finally see all the pieces together.
Emma: Yeah, you’ve spent ten months doing it, and you haven’t seen any of the special effects, you haven’t seen the editing, you really haven’t seen anything yet. There’s this massive pride when you finally see it, and it’s really, really rewarding.
Do you find yourself relating to your characters even while you’re off the set?
Emma: Sometimes I find myself saying lines from the film, but not very often.
Daniel: I think I’m going to have to go to therapy one day. When I keep reading the books, I just keep finding out more about myself through Harry. We have some of the same traits too, like curiosity, and loyalty, and we both seem to get into trouble. It’s the weirdest thing, I don’t think much is different between him and I.
Rupert: I’ve always related to Ron. We both have ginger hair, we’re both afraid of spiders, and we’re both from quite a big family.
Do you have any reservations about possibly always being known as ‘The Harry Potter Kids?’
Daniel: I think if I ever go on to act, or whatever I do, Harry Potter will never be something I’m ashamed of. I think it’s something to be really proud of.
Emma: I could be a hundred years old, but I’ll always been very proud to say that I’ve been in the Harry Potter films.
Daniel, in Chamber of Secrets, your character shows a more darker side than in the first film. How do you feel about that?
Daniel: I think everybody has a dark side, really. Some people are afraid to show it, but everybody has it. I think being able to show Harry’s dark side was great, because it shows that he’s not flawless, he’s not the perfect person.
What are your favorite subjects in school, and what would you like to do when you grow up?
Emma: I’m not very academic, so I’d say either sports or art. If I had to say something more academic, it’d probably be English or history.
Daniel: I love English. I’d probably like to be a writer. I’d kind of like to be a director as well.
Rupert: I think I want to carry on doing this, because I really enjoy it.
How do you feel about the so-called ‘child actor’s curse,’ where it seems that many young actors face several tough challenges and obstacles in the course of growing up? Chris Columbus has directed such stars in the past.
Daniel: I think you’re talking about Macaulay Culkin? Actually at the moment, he’s doing a play on the West end and it’s doing really well. But, I guess it’s like a coincidence that they’ve had these problems during their time acting.
What do you all want for Christmas this year?
Rupert: I don’t more. More slugs, I think.
Daniel: A DVD of the Royal Tenenbaums.
Emma: Hmmm. More clothes!
How difficult was it to act out during scenes where you’re interacting with cgi-created characters who aren’t physically on the set?
Daniel: It was just made so easy by everyone around us, so we kind of got used to it.
Are some of the things that come along with growing up going to be a problem while filming these movies? Your voices changing, for example?
Daniel: My voice did break during filming, but it kind of went from one to the other. But Harry’s also at the age where his voice might start to break, so I don’t think it was a problem.
Rupert: Fortunately, the characters in the book grow up with us. My voice has broken as well.
Daniel, some have taken issue with the Harry Potter books allegedly supporting ‘witchcraft.’ How do you feel about those claims?
Daniel: I can’t really see how it’s ‘Satanist’ or anything like that. The thing that saves Harry from being killed in the first film is the love his mother had for him, so I don’t see how that can be charged with being ‘evil.’