Interview with Emma - From The Leaky Cauldron

Q: Can you tell us about the dementors and what theyre like in this movie and how it is acting against what will later be an effect?

Emma Watson: Weve seen some images, basic.

Q: How has it been to work with Alfonso Cuaron?

EW: Especially for me, as someone who hasnt acted in anything else before, it was great working with a new director and doing something different, seeing different techniques, different ideas. Its also been really good fun, its been great.

Q: What kind of different ideas, can you give an example or two?

EW: I think theres definitely a difference in style just like looking at the two, I mean Ive only seen a few clips of this third one thats coming out but Alfonsos done some amazing things with camera angles and camera shots and this ones much more flowy and its got you can just tell the difference. Especially with the director, a lot of himself goes into what hes doing and you can definitely tell the difference.

Q: We heard that hes bringing out the teenagers in you.

RG: Yeah

EW: Yeah

DR: Oh yes.

RG: Hes a bit different, but it was really sad to see Chris go. But yeah, hes really good, hes really fun and we get on really well.

DR: The only clips Ive actually seen

EW: Dans being very professional and not watching it

. DR: Its not anything to do with professionalism, I just hate watching myself. [Laughter] I havent seen any kind of difference in styles because I havent seen any footage yet so officially I cant comment but Chris always had this fantastically energetic approach to doing the scenes, which suited the first two films absolutely perfectly and he made two absolutely fantastic films. With the third one, Alfonso has a much more kind of laid back emotional intense way of directing.

EW: He wants a lot of our input in the characters. A lot more he kind of said, well how would you do it, what would you do it like, No, Im not going to tell you how to do it, it has to come from what you think and from your own experiences.:

Q: Have you seen any of Alfonsos previous films?

EW: Yeah. A Little Princess. I loved that, I cried in that. Well, I cry in everything, but, it was great. It was really, oh, I loved that film.

Q: What would you say was the most interesting sequence for you to shoot or the most challenging?

RG: Theres been a lot of good scenes. The one I like is where I did my dragging thing, that was really good, a dog dragging me into the tree. Its when the dog drags me into the tree and I had to have this harness on my leg and was dragged across the ground, it was really fun. That was quite difficult I suppose, because I swallowed a lot of grass.

DR: And you had to watch out for the camera as well.

RG: Oh, yeah.

EW: He crashed into the camera quite a lot of times.

RG: I kicked the lens of the camera off.

DR: The important thing to point out, didnt injure the cameraman!

DR: For me the most interesting scene is probably the Shrieking Shack you know, Im in the scene with Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and David Thewlis all at the same time, its like, Oh my god, fantastic! You now, youre surrounded by absolutely some of the most amazing actors, so thats probably the most interesting. Most challenging it could have been the same one, it could have been actually the same scene because it is, you do, obviously youre putting in effort all the time, but particularly when youre with Gary Oldman and David Thewlis and Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall, youre going to really, really go for it. So also all the stuff that went on with having my soul sucked out, thats also slightly harder.

EW: For me like Dan I found the Shrieking Shack was very challenging. It took quite a long time. We were in there for

DR: What, a month?

EW: More than that maybe. Its such a complex scene, and a lot is happening in it, and so a lot of it kept changing and that was hard and its all quite emotional really. Well not emotional, but

DR: You feel drained after

EW: Yeah you do feel drained.

DR: Another thing was that the walls actually leaned and creaked, so we couldnt actually hear what each other was saying

EW: So we had to do it like doubly loud.

TLC: Last year I asked you guys to predict what would happen to your characters. Now that you read the fifth book, can you update me?

DR: Oh - Im sticking with mine. Mmhm.

EW: What was the prediction?

DR: Oh you two are definitely, youre madly in love. Over to you two!

[Laughter. A blushing Emma and Rupert seem to be slightly flustered, so someone asks a new question.]

Q: Have you guys done the scene with the boggart yet, and what was that like?

EW: We didnt actually get to do it? Did we?

DR: You did, you had the spider.

RG: Oh yeah.

DR: But nothing was there.

RG: There was a picture of a spider.

Q: You get to wear a lot of your clothes in the last half of this movie. Does that help you feel more like yourself?

DR: Obviously in the first two films the story dictated that we were just in uniform a lot of the time, because a lot of the story takes place during the school year, where as in this one a lot of it takes place a lot of it during the holidays. So I think it makes it slightly more relaxed I supposed.

EW: I definitely felt that.

RG: [Shaking head in disagreement] Rons clothes are very itchy jumpers.

EW: In uniform everyone looks the same and I think its good because it got all sort of different peoples personalities out.

Q: There are lots of new sets in this one. Do you get as excited as fans do about whats going to go on the air?

DR: Absolutely.

EW: Yeah! Completely.

DR: It was actually, it got to the point there were a lot of visitors to the set and theyd come on and Id say, What did you see? and theyd say, Oh, the Shrieking Shack, we saw that, theyre just listing off things that I havent even seen!

Q: What are your favorite new sets in this one?

RG: This one [the courtyard] is really cool.

DR: And theyve got a huge, did you see the pendulum? Its fantastic. But its like, I think in one shot in the outtakes were just all swinging. But this ones really cool, especially when its covered in snow in one of the scenes, amazing.

EW: I still walk around with my mouth open. The stuff that they do is just amazing. And theres some great stuff. We did a bit of location for about a month in Scotland and the scenery was just breathtaking, it was amazing. Massive mountains and proper fresh air and it was really good.

Q: How did it feel to shoot in Scotland, away from the studio?

DR: It was rainy.

EW: Understatement of the century.

DR: And its not normal rain, its horizontal rain. Umbrellas are rendered useless. Its, it is really good to get out of the studios for a while.

Q: You guys are obviously great friends. Do you have time when youre not shooting between movies to hang out together?

DR: If you hung around with me for a year you wouldnt want to spend that much more time with me. [Laughter from Emma Waston.] Dont laugh!

EW: Sorry, sorry.

DR: We are with each other so much of the time, that we kind of need a break from each other by the end.

Q: A lot of the same crew has returned - do you guys have friendships among them?

DR: Oh yeah. Its just like a huge family.

EW: Yeah like a huge harry potter family.

TLC: Emma are you wearing a time turner?

[Emma Watson laughs and blushes.]

DR: Its a bit of fake one.

TLC: Its a fake one?

EW: All right, are you ready for it? [Reveals the rest of the necklace.] Its a fish weight. [Laughter.]

DR: There is a very good one.

EW: There is actually a very very good one.

DR: Yeah its brilliantly detailed.

EW: Ive broken about three of them so they gave me a fish weight instead.

Q: Rupert we saw a bit of you two filming [the scene where Ron and Hermione make up]. Can you tell us a bit about the dynamic between you two in this film, and does that scene resolve whats been going on throughout the rest of the movie?

RG: We get to argue a lot in this one.

EW: Yeah, its good.

RG: Emmas characters got a cat.

EW: Its all about the rat and the cat. Its like Tom and Jerry all over again.

Q: Can you talk about working with those animals?

DR: A bat landed on my head. [Laughter.] It was actually very funny. I actually really love the animals, especially the lizards. The lizards are so cool. And the mice are fighting the mice are fantastic. Were taking bets on them. Its between whos going to win or whos going to escape first.

RG: Spiders I hate, but when we were in there with the bat I didnt know I was scared of bats as well. [Laughter, Rupert makes a disgusted face.] Horrible!

Q: What about rats?

RG: There is a massive rat, absolutely huge.

Q: What other stuff is there?

Trio: Mice, lizards, bats, a six-legged tortoise.

Q: And do you two [Emma and Rupert] get to hug in this scene, are we going to see this? We saw a bit at the end of Chamber of Secrets whats going to happen, do we see anymore?

EW: No, [the hug] might be cut!

DR: Were not sure, it was originally.

EW: It was. But were not sure.

Q: Is it because you two just refused to do it?

[Laughter.]

Warning: Possible Spoiler:

Q: We saw on the storyboard, something about a rock?

EW: The thing is, that when she its sort of complicated she turns back in time, so shes watching herself in Hagrids Hut, and she throws the stone - to warn Hermione in Hagrids Hut, who recognizes the stone, that Dumbledore [getting flustered]

DR: [Putting out his hand as if to stop her from hurting herself] Emma, dont

EW: Its complicated

TLC: No, I got you.

DR: We were hoping at the beginning was, rather than the time turner, we were hoping you know, new director, maybe a new spin on things, so instead of a time turner we were hoping for the car from Back to the Future. Thats what we were all really gunning for. The thing inside, the flux capacitator or something. I wanted one of those really badly.

Q: Did you guys bond with David Thewlis like [your characters] are supposed to bond?

[Enthusiastic assent from all three.]

DR: I spent a lot of time with him because basically the core emotional scenes in the film are with Lupin and Harry. Those are the main emotional scenes in the film so I spent a lot of time with him, and it was very interesting, actually, working with him.

Q: And they actually built a hippogriff, what was that like?

EW: Its the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen in my life.

DR: It was fantastic. Its, Im not even going to try and explain. Here, its [stands up and moves back a few feet (away from the recorders)] Ill shout um about here [points to spot where beak would be, which is a few inches above his head. ] So its pretty big.

Q: How did you get on with the cat playing Crookshanks?

[Instant groans from the boys.] EW: Oh, I love my cat! They are so rude to my cat!

RG: Its the ugliest cat

DR: It looks like its been thrown against the wall at birth.

EW: Okay, so its got a flat nose.

DR: It doesnt have a nose! Its just 2D! Its like the cartoon cat!

EW: Its beautiful in its own ugly way.

DR: Notice the word UGLY.

TLC: Dan, if you stay on for the fifth book, how are you going to handle Harrys moods in those books?

DR: What weve done in this one, which I think is quite daring really, the Harry you read about in the fifth book is the Harry we kind of portray in the third film. He is incredibly angry in this one. Just full of teenage

TLC: Angst?

DR: Thank you, I couldnt say that word for a second, angst. So he is an incredibly angry character in the third film. I dont know, I think a lot of people could be shocked, I dont know. I think the fifth book has prepared them for it slightly. Its just different.

Q: Rupert what have you learned now that its the third time around?

RG: Um um not much. [A lot of laughter.] Basically its just a new way of doing it really. Its much different than when I used to go to school.

Q: Are you more comfortable with it now?

RG: Oh definitely.

Q: What did Alfonso have you do to prepare for this film?

DR: We all wrote essays actually.

EW: Yes, we all wrote essays.

DR: And both me and Rupert were put to shame by Emmas sixteen page essay! [Laughter] No, no, it was fantastic! It really was fantastic

RG: I dont think I ever actually handed mine in

[More laughter]

DR: I wrote one on four sheets of paper, which I was so proud of, and then we see Emmas written a three-volume novel! We were all slightly put to shame by that.

Q: What were the essays about?

DR: It was basically the state of our characters at the beginning, when we first meet them at the beginning of the third film.

TLC: Do you remember anything of what you said?

DR: I dont remember, I have got a copy

Q: Do you think that helped you, writing those things?

DR: Definitely. And every time theres a huge scene I have it in the front of my script so every time theres a big scene I try to read over it a couple of times.

EW: Just for the record I have big handwriting.

[Laughter]

DR: And mine is incredibly small! Mine would have been a huge book, but, it just wasnt.