MuggleNet’s “Deathly Hallows – Part 2” World Premiere Interviews Now Online

Transcribed by Marissa Osman

Interviewer: What do you think was going through Lucius' mind at during the final battle?

Jason Isaacs: I just think he sees no future for himself. He's living in denial. He knows there's no place for him next to Voldemort in the future. He clearly knows he's not going to have a place in the world if Harry wins. It looks like there's no place for him next to Narcissa. He's obviously prepared to sacrifice Draco. He's a very, very, very lonely man and he thoroughly deserves to be.

Richard Reid: Do you think he's going to end up on the good side? It's sort of left ambiguous at the end. Do you think he deserves it?

Jason: I don't think he deserves anything. He's a completely odious man. I can say that now I'm no longer playing him. He deserves all the terrible things that come his way and much worse too.

Interviewer: Do you have any sympathy for him?

Jason: Yeah, I do have sympathy for him when I play him. He's a man full of terror and fears. He's frightened of the future, he's frightened of the Muggles, he's frightened of being exposed for the narcissist that he is in [his] childhood years. All of that hatred and bigotry and racism is based on fear and ignorance, and he just wants to hold on to how things were but you can't hold on to how things were. In fact, they were never that good to start with. It was just in the world that he came from, he ruled the roost. And you watched that power being dragged away from him; it's a very satisfying thing for us, the audience, but it's not very nice for him and it was painful to do.

Interviewer: Is this turning out how you expected when it started?

Jason: He started out as this unbelievably arrogant, racist pig, and then very slowly everything that he thought made him who he was was stripped away from him. Voldemort came back and saw right through his rampant ego mania and then eventually, the most glorious thing happened, which is his son - who he thinks is the one thing that he's managed to hold complete power and dominion over - breaks the bonds, breaks those awful chains, and becomes [a] fine young man. Draco makes some very bold and noble choices for him in this story, and I find that really inspiring.

Richard: But doesn't he show some signs of love at the end for Draco?

Jason: Have you seen the film? I don't know [if it's] so much love. I think somewhere deep down there is a core of being a parent [that] ultimately overrides all the rest of his selfish desires, which - in a way, I suppose - goes to redeem him, but only partly.

Interviewer: What's your favorite scene from this newest film?

Jason: Well, I'm not in it. I just love the battle. I just love the battle. I think we've been waiting for it for ten years. We've waited for seven books, from the first time Voldemort's name is mentioned we all know - because we all know what great classic stories are - that at some point, Harry's going to have to face off with Tom, and it's going to be a battle to the death. It's been a long time coming, and I think they really play it off beautifully.

Richard: Hey! This film had a more serious tone. Did you guys miss the more comic moments?

James Phelps: Yes and no.

Oliver Phelps: It was nice to be able to play the same characters but play them in a more serious manner. It was a bit hard, not having a good laugh in a few of the scenes.

Interviewer: What was the last scene that you filmed? Did it offer you any closure?

James: I guess it offered me closure. [laughs] The final scene is always pretty dramatic, especially when you've been doing something for ten years. I wasn't actually thinking about it being over until today and now it's getting a bit [makes uneasy facial expression].

Oliver: It was a cool scene to be able to shoot, though.

Interviewer: If you could pick one thing from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, what would you take?

Oliver: I would probably take one of the Skiving Snackboxes and see what I could do with it. See what trouble I could cause.

James: I'll take a Portkey because it took me 45 minutes to cover a quarter of a mile in a car in London. Yeah, a Portkey, I think.

Richard: Rupert, what was Ron's greatest moment throughout the series?

Rupert Grint: His greatest moment? I think in these last few films, from [Film] 6 [on], I think he had a good time. He finally got to be on the Quidditch team, which I think was a big goal of his. And then getting the girl, getting Hermione. That was a really nice moment for Ron.

Interviewer: What has been one of your favorite off-screen moments while making the films?

Rupert: I don't know. These things are always quite amazing. This is just beyond anything I could have imagined. [There are] just people everywhere; I can't even recognize Trafalgar Square [because there are] so many people. It's quite emotional because it is the last one and it's going to be quite sad, but I'm just making the most of it and enjoying it.

Interviewer: In the first part, we see Ron leave and then come back. How do you think he's changed after he comes back to his friends?

Rupert: I think the time where he was gone he learned a lot. We see a completely different Ron, really, in Part 2. He's not so doubtful and paranoid and - I suppose - selfish, he's much more focused and there for Harry. It's a lot of emotional things that Ron has to go through, falling in love [and] losing his brother. It's a good one.

Interviewer: What type of advice do you think older Neville would give to the Neville from the first year?

Matthew Lewis: From the first year? Geesh. I guess he would have said, "Just stick by your friends, you're going to need them." He would have said, "Keep doing what you're doing." I think Neville always stayed pure; he always stayed so courageous, and he might have been absolutely terrified but he knew it was the right thing to do and he always tried to do that. I think older Neville would have said, "Relax, take it easy, and watch out for your friends."

Interviewer: Did Neville's story turn out the way you expected from the very start?

Matthew: Not from the very start, no. I never anticipated that Neville would go on to do what he did in this last movie. I knew there was something about him, I knew there was something more. He was in Gryffindor for a reason but I never thought he'd go on to do [that]. Where is he? He's up there somewhere on a poster with his sword. It's fantastic. I loved it; I loved the ending. I thought it was a beautiful way to finish Neville's story.

Interviewer: What was your favorite scene to film?

Matthew: In this one? I've got two. The one that was the most fun was the bridge stuff. There's a scene where Neville... Have you seen it? I haven't even seen it yet. Is it good? Yeah? [It's] when Neville has to go and destroy a bridge. I felt like I took it a bridge too far. I felt like I was in the [secret service] or something. It was really cool. [There were] a lot of stunts, working with Nick Moran and the special effects department. It was fantastic. But my other [favorite] scene was working with Ralph Fiennes just because [of] the actor that he is. Working one-on-one with him, I really had to raise my game and that challenge is what all actors really want. I think I came away from those couple of weeks and thought, "Bloody hell. That was exhausting but I loved every minute of it."

Richard: Do you have any projects upcoming?

Matthew: Not at the minute. I've just finished a play. I just finished a six-month tour with an Agatha Christie play, and I'm ready to sleep for about 10 days. So I think I'm going to get through this promotion stuff, maybe take a couple of weeks off in August, and then I've got a few meetings coming up for some other stuff. Fingers crossed [that] it's going to be a good end to the year.

Richard: Anything you can tell us about?

Matthew: Not yet.

Interviewer: What was it like bringing out your inner action hero for the final part of Deathly Hallows?

Julie Walters: My wand arm is much bigger than my other arm because I had to do so much with it. [laughs] But my inner action hero? It was always there! She was always an action hero, Mrs. Weasley, but she was cool, so she just brings the action hero out when she needs to.

Interviewer: How has it been seeing the trio grow up throughout the films and being there for everything?

Julie: It's an utterly unique experience. I can't imagine anything else that would ever happen in apart from a soap opera and this is very different from that. It was extraordinary as it makes you feel very close to them.

Richard: Would you like to have had a bigger role in the film since a lot of your character was cut out?

Ciarán Hinds: No, I think it's sufficient for whatever they had to do. haven't seen the final issue yet, obviously, because it's the first time going to see it, but I was just thrilled to be asked to be in the story at all. I just got in by the skin of my teeth in the last round [of casting]. I also don't know how much they've left in from the scene I shot. If it's all in a waste-paper bin I'll be a bit sad; I hope it's not because that'll be a bit of a bummer. Now I'm just very much looking forward to seeing it. I was thrilled just to be asked, and to be Sir Michael Gambon's younger brother was even more of a thrill.

Richard: You were in it and you were great.

Ciarán: Have you seen it? Oh, you have! Okay, so it works. And I was in it still! That's good.

Interviewer: What was it like coming into such a big series and getting to be a part of it?

Ciarán: It is strange because, of course, I was working with Daniel, Rupert, and Emma, and they all [got to know] their characters over the last eight, nine years. It was me that was making it up and needing all the help I could get. But no, it was just a great thrill. Also, the work I had to do was pretty quiet with them; it wasn't a huge extravaganza with all the stuff going on, apparently. It was just a joy, and it was kind of a secret, down in that little hovel I live in. I was very happy to do it.

Interviewer: You did a great job.

Richard: You got to make some awesome spells, as well.

Ciarán: Oh, did I? I through a few shapes but I don't know what the results of them. Are they good?

Richard: Very good.

Ciarán: Yay! Fantastic! That'll teach them. [laughs]

Interviewer: Are there any actors you would have liked to act alongside from the earlier films?

Ciarán: Just about all of them. But they probably would have made mincemeat of me because this is certainly an extraordinary bunch of actors from Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales. It's just as I said, I was very thrilled to be asked at the last moment.

Interviewer: Thank you very much!

Richard: You're notorious for having some real jokes on set, did you have any this time?

Michael Gambon: No, I've forgotten them all. I'm so overwhelmed by the millions of people, I can't think of a joke. Tell me one.

Interviewer: The sunshine!

Michael: That's a joke.

Interviewer: Were you excited to come back for the seventh film to film the scene at King's Cross?

Michael: I only had one scene in the seventh film and I liked it very much. It was good.

Interviewer: Many children view you as such a fatherly figure. What advice would you have for them?

Michael: Be good. Don't tell lies.

[Everyone laughs]

Interviewer: Do you feel like the one scene you had in this film was closure, or do you feel like you already had closure in the series?

Michael: That's closure, isn't it? I'm a ghost. Dead.

Staff: These are fansites.

Helen McCrory: Hello! These are the real hardcore [ones]. These are the ones you're really nice to because they know more about it than all the cast do put together.

Staff: Beware. They ask tricky questions.

Helen: I know. Please don't ask me tricky questions.

Interviewer: Do you feel like Narcissa redeems herself?

Helen: Yes, I do. I think that they're all archetypes and that J.K. Rolling was very, very clever when she wrote this. You can see it in The Odyssey, [and] you can see it in all great fairy tales. They have the main character who's fighting for good, which now in society is a very complex thing to do, and is a very unusual hero to have. She gives them... [the crowd cheers loudly in the background] Sorry, I'm so fascinated to hear the noise level of hormones when Dan arrives. Every time I hear, "Ah!" I can't help but look to see if he's there. I think that J.K. Rowling gave her a redeeming feature at the end of actually putting her son's life before her own, but more importantly, to be changed by her son. Because I think her opinion is changed by her son. That's good mothering.

Richard: Given how selfless she acts toward her son, do you think she really is a true Slytherin, or does she belong somewhere else?

Helen: I think that she's a mother, primarily. She is a Malfoy rather than a Lestrange at the end of the day.

Interviewer: How was it coming into the series and getting to work with all the children, like the trio, and all of the other actors?

Helen: It was interesting because, of course, I didn't know the younger actors but Gambon, Helena, and everybody, we've all known each other for years. We've all worked with each other, we all go to restaurants and stuff. So I was really impressed [with] the way that they conducted themselves and their talent and their interest; it was still sharp and keen. Because you don't know - you're walking [onto] a set with people who've been doing it for a very long time - how blase they would be, and all I can say is not a moment were they blase. It was a privilege.

Richard: Were there any scenes that got cut that just couldn't be fitted in but you would have loved to have seen them included?

David Barron: Actually, I think not, boringly. What we did by making the seventh book into two films, we found the space. Sometimes things had to be compressed a little just for the sake of the flow of the narrative, but I think we kept everything in. It's why we made two films and it's why Jo was happy we made two films.

Richard: Over the years, has it been difficult to condense so many books into short, two-and-a-half-hour films?

David: It really has. Ever since the fourth book we've looked at the possibility of making two films because they're big, thick, weighty books. But when we analyze them - for Book 4, Book 5, and Book 6 - there was plenty of color and character easily enough for two films, but there wasn't really enough for two. There was more than enough story for one film, but not enough for two. So we had to compress that story into a single film and lose some of the lovely character and color.

Interviewer: Do you see this film as the second part to Part 1 or the closing part [of] the whole series? Can it be both?

David: I think it's both. I think the end started with the sixth film when we started to learn about the Horcruxes and Dumbledore was preparing Harry for the job ahead of him. I think at the end, it isn't just Part 1 and Part 2. I think it began a while ago, and so [Part 2] is an end to the series.

Richard: Is it possible that Draco is the coolest character in the series?

Tom Felton: Undoubtedly. I see there being no competition, really. He's a very deliciously horrible guy and he's great fun to play. I miss him already, for sure.

Interviewer: His character ended up doing some noble and very wonderful things in this film. How do you feel about that transition?

Tom: I'm sure he feels a bit more strongly about it than I do. [laughs] Draco definitely has a tricky time in his last couple of years of school. There are very indecisive moments for him and, hopefully, we see that in his last film. We don't really know which side of the fence he wants to be on.

Interviewer: What has been your fondest memory throughout the entire series?

Tom: It's very hard to pick one, lovely, to be honest with you. But just all the friends that we've made and all the friends for life that I've met through doing it.

Richard: How fun is it playing a bad guy?

Nick Moran: It's much more fun than playing a good guy. It's been a lot of fun. Also, in this film, I turn up with an army and I've never done that before. Everyone's wondering when I'll come back with an army and sort this all out, and I got to do that which is a lot of fun.

Interviewer: Did you do as much running in this film as you did in the last?

Nick: There is a fair bit of running. There's also a fair bit of falling. There's a lot of falling over. The fact of the matter is, I was wearing Gary Oldman's old boots [that he wore] as Sirius Black with my costume and they're really bad at running in. They're actually from AllSaints and they've got zips in them. You slip all over the place and fall over a lot, so they're not perfect for stunt work. There was as much falling over as there was running along.

Richard: Any injuries?

Nick: Yeah! Good god, yeah. There was quite a big one, actually. The bridge collapsed at the wrong time and we were quite lucky. But that's par for the course in a film like this. There's a lot of stunts in it [so you are] always prone to a few accidents. There were a few, but they were a really good team so it got sorted out really quickly.

Interviewer: What did you think of your costume for the film?

Nick: It was all my idea. [laughs] It was all my idea to look like a cross between Adam Ant, Paul King - for those of you that can remember him - and maybe a bit of Kassabian thrown in there as well. That was the plan [and] it worked like a dream.

Richard: It worked!

Nick: Thanks very much.

Richard: How much fun was it filming the big fight scenes at the end?

Jim Broadbent: Well, I didn't have to do a great deal of fighting. A lot of my stunt days are behind me now, I'd have to say.

Richard: Would you like to have done more?

Jim: Yeah, but you can't have everything. [laughs]

Interviewer: How do you think Voldemort's character has changed? Do you think he's gotten stronger, or does he have an arc to his story?

Ralph Fiennes: Yeah, I do. Absolutely.

Interviewer: What kind of change is it?

Ralph: As he gets closer to victory he actually gets weaker.

Interviewer: What was your favorite part of playing Voldemort?

Ralph: The first scene in the graveyard. The entrance.

Richard: Do you think he deserves any sort of redemption?

Ralph: Of course. In the sequel. He comes back. [laughs]