Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the set where the Harry Potter movies are filmed, and I had a chat with Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe.
I was greeted by a studio representative, and taken on a tour of the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban set. Parts of the set were being dismantled now that filming is complete, but it was still amazing to see the Great Hall, the hallway with the moving staircases, Professor Trelawney’s classroom, Hogsmeade and some of the areas where the special effects are filmed. Harry Potter productions truly are magic.
Once the tour was complete, we made our way to another section of the studio. As we walked down the hallway we were greeted by a very charming and extremely nice man who turned out to be Radcliffe’s dad. We all introduced ourselves, and then another door opened, and in walked a guy with a very big smile on his face, very warm and welcoming. I think you know him as Harry Potter, aka Daniel Radcliffe
Radcliffe, who was still sporting his Harry Potter scar, immediately came over and shook my hand and said hello. I thought I was well prepared for this moment, but I was wrong. He totally blew me away with his charm and sincerity. (I could go on, but I’d be gushing!)
Radcliffe had kindly agreed to answer a few questions about Prisoner Of Azkaban, so we sat down together for an informal chat.
What was like to work with Gary Oldman?
Gary is a really cool guy, and really fun. He is really focused and it is very interesting to watch him prepare for a scene.
Working with Chris Columbus you learned a lot. How did this prepare you for new director Alfonso Cauron and what did he bring to the table?
I was able to bring everything I learned whilst working with Chris Columbus and put it into practice in the third film. Alfonso works differently than Chris. The first thing he made me do was to write an essay about my character Harry. Writing the essay was very helpful for me.
What scenes should we look for in Prisoner of Azkaban, and which scene are you the most proud of?
Definitely look out for the scenes with the hippogriff, and the Quidditch scenes in the rain, but my favorite scene, without actually having seen the film yet, would be the Shrieking Shack scenes towards the end of the movie, I think.
If there is a film made of the fifth book, and assuming you will still play Harry, how do you feel about playing the character as he has more harrowing scenes?
In POA, Harry has already started to evolve into the angry character he will become in the fifth book, and you will see him portrayed that way in the film. Harry is now a teenager, and teenagers, as you know, can be quite angry. Yeah, I am looking forward to portraying him that way.
Of all the characters whether book, television, or film, who would you most like to portray?
Johnny Rotten… because he has led an interesting life.
Has your perspective of the Harry Potter books changed since you first started portraying the character?
When I read the Harry Potter books now I often think, hang on, I might be doing this one day!
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is due out in theatres on June 4th.
