Face to Face With Daniel Radcliffe

Interview by Jenna for DanRadcliffe.com, 3rd December 2003

I just recently went on holiday to London and I had an absolutely fabulous time! Just to give an overview of my trip, I did a lot of shopping and sightseeing while there; I visited Demelza House; and I was also very fortunate to be able to visit with someone very special.

My most memorable day from the entire trip was the day I visited Leavesden Studios. 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 were walking down the hallway we were greeted by a very charming and extremely nice man,who turned out to be Dan'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 Daniel Radcliffe.

Dan, 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!) Dan had kindly agreed to answer a few questions about POA for the readers of DanRadcliffe.com, so we sat down together for an informal chat. 

Jenna: What it was like to work with Gary Oldman? 

Dan: 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 Alfonso 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 POA, 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 favourite scene, without actually having seen the film yet, would be the Shrieking Shack scenes at the end of the movie I think.

If there is a film made of the 5th book, and assuming you will still play Harry (and we hope you do!), 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 5th 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. Yea, 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 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!

Jenna with Dan at Leavesden Studios, 3rd Dec 2003

Yes, I know what you are thinking... Why only 6 questions?! Well, he's answering 100 questions for the fans as a Christmas pressie, I just couldn't ask any more than that....

After the "interview", we chatted for a while about music, bands, films and other various things. Dan's absolute favourite band right now is The Strokes (I love them too), and they were actually in London touring while I was there. They had concerts scheduled on that Friday and Saturday. I scored tickets to Saturday's concert, and Dan got to see them on Friday. Hah, I wonder if the sound failed during the concert HE attended?!

Speaking of music, I hadn't heard Jet or The Thrills before he mentioned them to me, but I have now and .... thanks for the tip Dan, they are really cool!

Of course we went on to the subject of films, and I can't remember all of the films we discussed, but Dan's favourite film for the year 2003 is Bowling for Columbine.

Dan had to go back to class, but he wouldn't let me leave without showing me the card trick that he had been practising. And yes, everything had gone well all day, everything was great .... and then .... I had a blonde moment ...

He took the four aces from his deck of cards. He held up the Ace of CLUBS in his hand and asked me what card he was holding. I said Ace of Spades. D'OH! Yes, if there had been somewhere to hide at that very moment I would have hidden there.... He was very nice about it though. He didn't laugh ... too much ... No really, he was very nice about it. He asked for me to hold out my hand and he placed the card in my hand face down. He then held up the Ace of Spades and he said very sweetly "This is the Ace of Spades" and smiled. He placed that card face down in my hand on top of the Ace of Clubs and closed my fingers over the cards. He kept the Ace of Diamonds and the Ace of Hearts in his own hand. He snapped his fingers, did a little magic, and then he told me to open my hand. And Whamno --- The Ace of Spades and the Ace of Clubs were gone and the Ace of Hearts and the Ace of Diamonds had mysteriously appeared in my hand. I have no clue how he did it. I couldn't even get the card right so don't even ask!

Once he completed the card trick, it was time for him to go. We said our goodbyes and Dan departed. I stayed and chatted with Dan's dad for a while and he showed me the "sacred desk" where Dan reads and replies to your fan mail personally. There was a stack of letters waiting for Dan as we spoke.

For me, having the opportunity to share an afternoon with Dan and his father was a truly wonderful experience, and one that I shall always treasure. I have never known two people in the world more kind, generous or charming than Dan and his father. The entire day was in the truest sense, Magic. My sincere thanks to Dan, his father and all the people at Leavesden for making me feel so welcome!