Interview with Daniel Radcliffe about Order of the Phoenix

By Jenna Bensoussan, Conducted July 2006

About OOTP Filming...

It's very well. David, the director, is absolutely delightful. I think he is making the best film so far. By a wide margin I think it's gonna outshine even the fourth one.

So, how do you like that character this time around?

He's angrier and it's great. David is absolutely a brilliant director. The way he's gone in to Harry's character with me has been fantastic. It's been an absolute sort of pleasure working with him and it's been great. I think Harry this time, he is angry and he has every right to be. And also, he...actually...I think he is actually quite frail. He is very vulnerable this year and that is great to play. I am really enjoying that kinda stuff. I find that part of it really, really fun. It's more interesting to play.

You know, you've got all these archetypal super heroes sort of flying around these days, and I think...and they are great and they're fun...but I think the best heroes are the ones with flaws. That's what I think's great about Batman. He is so weak in some ways as well. I think that works so well with the character, same with Spiderman. Superman is...um...when I was reading comics, Superman was never my favorite. He was too perfect.

How do you feel Harry copes with all of the tragedies he must endure in this installment?

Generally I think he copes very badly, but I think what I admire about the way he copes is he tries to cope with it on his own. He doesn't make his problems other people's problems. He just sits there and actually tries to work it out on his own. The only person he sort of really, really reaches out to is Sirius. He usually reaches out to Dumbledore, but Dumbledore is being aloof this year, which is another thing to add to his frustration.

I think he didn't deal with it very well, but I think I still have a little admiration for the way he tries to deal with it on his own...and that's a really fun and interesting part of the film...Harry trying to work his problems out, and actually having no one there to really reach out to and actually understand what he's been through.

Have you gotten to your heated, temper scenes yet?

No..no there is one scene where I do...I get to break a lot of things. It's very...with any luck it should be very, very powerful. I will actually film the scene in Dumbledore's office where he talks about Sirius and how Dumbledore's responsible for Sirius' death indirectly. We do that next Monday. I am really looking forward to that. I think it is one of the strongest scenes in the book and so I'm looking forward to doing it. And also, it's plot stuff which you need to explain what happened. It is more practical, not an emotionally-driven scene.

Most interesting scenes filmed so far...

I think anything with Umbridge. They are great because Imelda Staunton is just brilliant. She is absolutely perfect. Not only is she a brilliant actress, she is a nice and charming person to be around because she is so funny and kind and generous-spirited. She is really helpful with stuff when you're acting with her. She is very good with advice and general encouragement. Her and Gary Oldman are my two favorite people I have ever worked with.