| Up Close and Personal: A Chat with Harry Potter Stars |
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| Interviews - General | ||||||||
| Written by Marilyn Almonte | ||||||||
| Wednesday, 04 June 2008 | ||||||||
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 Full Gallery Below You become uncertain about what your initial reaction might be. Not sure if you will faint, burst in flames like Fawkes (Dumbledore's loyal phoenix), or be as skeptical as Cornelius Fudge. Then it happens, they open their mouths to say hello and it hits you very quickly. They are no different from you and me. They are very talented and well-known, but people, nonetheless. Four amazing actors that have breathed life into the enchanting characters of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels spent May 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency in Weston, FL, sharing their experiences of the films and their personal lives with all those in attendance. Natalia Tena, or Tonks, from Order of the Phoenix; Devon Murray or Seamus Finnigan, the accident-prone and unluckiest of wizards; Danielle Tabor, who was Angelina Johnson in the first three films; and Hugh Mitchell, our Harry-obsessed Hogwart's photographer, Colin Creevey. Lucky enough to get an exclusive interview, ACED brings you Howlers in very big packages. Our Harry Potter guests were more than welcoming when asked questions about their experiences. To sum up the personalities that will be evident in the interview, I will say: Natalia is very passionate when she talks, and full of enthusiasm. It was a great listen because she's so animated -- well they all are -- it felt like I was being told a story. Devon is very sweet, mature, and much of a gentlemen; he looks you in the eyes and shakes your hands to say "hi". Danielle is a very nice, proper and professional young lady. She wasn't afraid to share the humorous moments that occurred on set. Hugh is more reserved than the others, but he opens up when you ask him the right questions. He interjected his opinions when he felt most eager about something, and it helped the others remember other memorable moments as well! Brace yourself for a very long, but intriguing, look into the lives of some of the most enthralling characters. Foremost, there was a strong curiosity as to why they come to these comic conventions in the first place. Hugh cheerfully summed it up as he laughed and said, "We were asked, so we just came!" The rest agreed. Could it possibly be the wonderful world of comics, graphic novels and video games? The reason so many others save money for the sake of spending it all on animation. Here, Natalia expressed her strong opinions as she took charge and shocked some of us. "Graphic novels I love. I love graphic novels. I got a whole lot. I love Alan Moore. He's just a God. Prometheus is amazing. And his new one, Lost Girl, it's like erotic. He did it with his partner, so cool. I love graphic novels. I love 'em! But video games, I think...personally I think they're evil." "Really?" Devon says curiously, before I could interject. "Because I think they stop you from actually living in the world that we're meant to live in. Why play tennis...like on a game, when you can go play it and get fit?" explains Natalia. "Even if you've never played tennis?" Hugh inquires. "No, I don't because human beings need stories to pass on. If you want to learn how to shoot, go learn to shoot. Join the army. Do you know what I mean? I don't get that," retorts Natalia. Naturally, computers should fall somewhere in there because people have become very attached to them. Natalia disagrees, "Hmmm... No, that's a tool. That's to get information." "Yeah," Danielle says in agreement. Hugh interrupts and emphasizes that, "Checking your emails is just a way of being sociable. You know when people say, 'You spend all your time all online.' But yeah, that's just a different way of having a social life." Communication is a big key for every aspect in our lives, including work. So they spoke about how different the directors are from each other, and how it was working with them. In regards to David Yates, director of Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince, all of their comments were wholehearted and kind. We all had to lean closer as Natalia Tena spent a few seconds whispering in imitation of David Yates, making the others laugh in agreement. "He is awesome. He's so soft spoken. You don't even know how he gets stuff done. Most other directors, like in theatre, are like, ‘Lights! What are you doing? Get him to do that!'" yells Natalia, and then bursts into laughter. Devon adds, "He's just more laid back than all the other directors. Besides Alfonso Cuarón (Prisoner of Azkaban), he was just real hip. He was like 'Go on, yeah. Do it. Do it.' Whereas, Dave... he would ask [everyone] on the set: What is your input, what do you want to happen in the scene? Like, if you would say to him, 'Well, if I was to do this and he was to do that,' he'll film that and then he'll try it his way. So it's nice to have your own input into the movie as well." Natalia continues, "Yeah of all the male directors, he's pretty cool. But in theatre, I've only ever worked with females. All women, in all of the shows I've done. And that's a different thing." In terms of flexibility in theatre, she believes, "There's so much money and technical stuff, I think you can't play as much." Keeping in mind that Danielle Tabor only worked on the first three films, she described her experiences on working mainly with Columbus. "The first three [were] wicked. Like the first one, I was fifteen. I had no idea what was going on whatsoever, I was like, 'Ah heh...Cool!' And I was in school, so it was random. By the second and third one, I was really into it and everything. But with Chris Columbus, I thought it was like wicked stuff." Hugh carries on, "He made me feel more relaxed about it. I mean, I was twelve years-old, and you know, I had done nothing [before]. I was walking out to the Great Hall and seeing people -- I have never done anything like it. I would have been definitely crapping myself. Chris Columbus was awesome. And he just makes you feel very relaxed and he drives you to such a point as well, but not in a bad way. I remember I was doing a scene and doing it over and over again and he was like shouting, 'You're insane! Remember you are insane!' I was like, he's absolutely crazy." Devon sums it up, "He kind of treats us like one of his own children as well. He makes you feel like you can get away with everything, really. I think he was like the biggest child. The basketball courts thrown in. All the game rooms and everything in the studio." "Yeah, exactly!" Danielle and Hugh in unison. It was definitely a memorable experience for them; you could see it in their smiling eyes. It was a truly heartfelt moment about the positive experiences of working with Columbus at an early age, and in the beginning stages of their acting careers. Such a great start on such a huge platform, who could ask for more? For Hugh, he loved working on all the scenes he was in, but some of the memorable ones included "the scene of walking into the Great Hall surrounded by other people dressed in Harry Potter gear, the scene with the owls, and the Howler." "I remember the scene with the owl that flew into the fire cauldron," Danielle excitedly exclaims. "Oh yeah, and it caught fire! I remember that briefly," Hugh cuts her off. This really happened, they were talking about a real owl! "Yeah, I felt really bad, but it was kind of funny," Danielle admits guiltily. Everyone laughed hysterically. Thankfully, the owl was alright after that, but he retired from his "Harry Potter" career. More importantly, the conversation swiftly took a turn toward the sixth installment, Half-Blood Prince, because I'm sure fans all have their hearts beating a little too fast with anticipation. Natalia is a bit more blunt about her opinions than the others, and she's not ashamed about it. I think this is a rare trait that so many of us lose to remain neutral and prevent controversy. It is one that can either gain us respect or lose it entirely. It always depends on the listener though. "The script was so different from the book. I think that a lot of Harry Potter fans are going to be a bit pissed off about it, and that's my own opinion. I think it is so different from the book. Like so different. So many elements of it. I think the book is supposed to be about how the two worlds (Muggle and Wizarding) are now being affected by this dark force. Like the beginning of the book, you see the Prime Minister and you get a sense of that forecast. All this stuff was taken out, and I think it's a shame. I personally would've liked to see that." Devon partly defends the film but gives his opinion of what he would have liked to see in the fourth film, The Goblet of Fire. "They were going to have to cut it so as to not make it longer (in regards to HBP)....Like in the fourth movie, I think where they had the Quidditch World Cup, it was like only two or three seconds." "But in the book it is quite long," Danielle affirms. "But that was a really, really big theme. And yeah, that would have been a really good theme, but think about how long that would have made the film," Devon reasons. Really, it all comes down to the Harry Potter fans seeing the sixth installment and deciding for themselves. The wait for it has been unnerving, and with this news, even more so.
We can expect to see more romance and a lot more kissing scenes in HBP. Devon enlightens us with just a few hints of what is expected. "Yeah, there is still a lot of kissing scenes in the sixth movie. So far, we have been able to see quite a few of them. They are pretty cool and really, really good." What a tease! Everyone laughed, admiring his surprising response. "I don't kiss anybody. I don't kiss anybody though! But now, we are ripping the piss out of everyone who was kissing. So it's been pretty cool." Another tidbit he gives is that the death scene that awaits us all at the end of the film is a "really good scene with lots of people crying." A nice conclusion to our conversation had to include a question about whether, if they could, choose another sinister character and join Voldemort. "I would definitely play Helena Bonham Carter's part! Bellatrix Lestrange!" Natalia declares enthusiastically. As soon as Devon insists on Draco Malfoy, Danielle and Hugh agree completely. "He's such a bastard that you want to be him," Hugh insists. "Exactly that! And he gets all the women as well," Devon agrees. "Yeah, he's cool, you still like him even though he's mean," Danielle emphasizes. It would be somewhat difficult for you to feel intimidated by Danielle, Hugh, Devon and Natalia, because they are so genuinely laid back and sincere; they unintentionally reflect this encouraging attitude onto you. The entire time, the atmosphere was very cheerful and comfortable. Personally, I believe the best of luck is in order for their future endeavors. And of course, we will be bringing even more HBP goodness soon enough! View photos from the event:
                   
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