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INTERVIEW: Emma Watson & Dan Radcliffe on "Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban"

Starring in one of the world's most beloved and recognized franchises does come with its perks, as it has made Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson two of the most recognized young teenagers out there.

Dan and Emma, the stars of the Harry Potter movie franchise, take their celebrity status with stride. For the past three years, they have been the associated faces to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, the world's most famous fantasy wizard and witch created by J.K. Rowling. They star in "Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban," the third film in the Harry Potter series. In their third year at Hogwarts, Harry, Hermione, and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) find themselves shrouded in terror, as news of Sirius Black's (Gary Oldman) escape from Azkaban prison runs through the school. Legend has it that Black betrayed Harry's parents and ultimately, led the feared Lord Voldemort to the Potters, ending with their demise and baby Harry's survival. The teachers fear that Black is on his way to finish what he started years ago, and it is up to the fearless three to discover what really happened that tragic evening.

The two bright stars of the film talked to reporters last week about their new film. Rupert Grint would've joined them but he had to fly back to England for - surprise, surprise - those pesky semester exams.

Q: How have the two of you and changed and developed during the course of these movies?

EMMA: We've just been getting older and maturing.

DANIEL: I think we probably have changed as actors as well but I'm not conscious of myself changing. I haven't watched the first film for about three years so I cannot compare it to the third. It's not fresh in my mind. But we have more experience now with different directors.

Q: Do you notice more attention from the opposite sex now that you are maturing?

DANIEL: I don't have a girlfriend, no. I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm sure both of us have noticed members of the opposite sex because we're now fourteen. We're just going through what every person goes through [at that age.] I'm not complaining about the extra attention. At the MTV studios, there was a girl outside who was wearing just a Harry Potter towel with a sign, saying "Nothing comes between me and Harry Potter!"

Q: How are you dealing with teenage angst?

DANIEL: Hormones are interesting things. I listen to a lot of rock music which I think does help to let off a lot of steam, definitely.

EMMA: Daniel and I both have very supportive families. I'm trying to do exactly what I do before I even started the film. Between films I always go back to school, I see all my friends, I play sport and I go to normal teenage parties. All of my money is locked away in a bank until I'm twenty-five and I'm never going to see it until then! I have good friends and family who keep my feet on the ground and keep it real.



Q: Is it tough growing up in the public eye?

DANIEL: I'm kind of just going through what every other teenager goes through except with posters. It's not as different as people would expect I don't think, for me anyway.

Q: How hard was it adjusting from Chris Columbus’ directing style to Alfonso Cuaron’s style?

DANIEL: Basically, I think everything we learned with Chris, we were now able to put into practice with a different director. I think the reason Alfonso was able to do longer takes and more complicated shots was because with Chris, we didn’t have the experience or the focus to do that kind of stuff. It is harder, it is more challenging, because we’re getting older and if we’re getting older and we’re not being challenged there’s no point in doing it really. We learn more with each director. And now with fourth one, with Mike Newell as the director, we’ll learn more there as well.

Q: Were you able to teach Alfonso anything about your characters?

EMMA: One of the first things he did when we first met him was he asked us to write an essay about our characters. Not just to help us, but to help him see the character through our eyes. He gave us a lot of freedom with that as well.

DANIEL: I think it’s quite important to mention that when we did the essay, we did exactly what our characters would have done in that same situation. I wrote a page and it was fine, it wasn’t great – which is what Harry does. Rupert didn’t do it, Rupert forgot to do it. And Emma how many pages did you write?

EMMA: It gets more every single time. (Laughs)

DANIEL: About eleven?

EMMA: I have big handwriting, I use big spaces.

Q: Daniel, your character is exploring some intense darker moments. How did you tap into those feelings?

DANIEL: Harry being a teenager has the same feelings as every other teenager basically, but because of his past I think he feels feelings of anger or loneliness stronger. I obviously am feeling the same things as him so I basically just exaggerated what I was feeling and listened to music to get me in the right state of mind for filming. One of the scenes was with the Dementors and me and Sirius (Gary Oldman) by the lake. I have my soul sucked out and I did this stupid thing where I forgot to breathe properly and I hyper-ventilated and almost fainted.

Q: How did you handle Richard Harris' death and the replacement of Michael Gambon as Dumbledore?

DANIEL: It was awful. I have what I think is the kind of supreme, amazing honor of being able to say that I was in the last scene that he ever shot. I don't think Richard is the kind of guy who would've wanted us to mourn over him. He would've wanted us to be happy and just remember him for all the times he made us smile and just laugh.

EMMA: Obviously it's very hard to follow on for Richard Harris. He was a perfect Dumbledore. Michael (Gambon) did a really great job instead of trying to make himself look exactly like Richard Harris or try and copy him, he did his own thing with it and he's put a different spin on it. He's a more mischievous Dumbledore.

Q: What was it like working with Gary Oldman?

DANIEL: I watched ninety percent of Gary Oldman's films and I just have so much respect for him as an actor. He's one of the greatest of his generation. It was a complete inspiration to work with him. He's actually the nicest guy as well. He gave me a bass lesson and he's a really great bass player. It was so amazing for us to be working in the same room.

EMMA: Dan almost bit my head off when I said at the beginning when he said, "Gary Oldman has been cast as Sirius Black." I said, "Who?" Now I know that is the most terrible thing that I could possible say ever! Even though I didn't know him, he's great.

Q: Emma, in the film your character Hermoine Granger gets to teach Malfoy a lesson by punching him in the nose. How much fun was that?

EMMA: (Laughs) I loved it. I loved every single second of it. Girl power - it was great! I would've done it for a whole week but we got in a couple of takes. I wanted to do it again! It was fantastic. It is a great moment. It was cool. I hope I've done justice to her character because it's my favorite book and it's such a great part for her in the third book.

Q: Since you are committed to the next film what will you do as you get older than Harry in real life?

We are getting older than the characters because there was a longer gap between the third and fourth. I'm now fourteen and go to fifteen in a couple of months. I am getting older than Harry but we are taking it one film at a time. If they don't want me to do it after five, we'll have to see then I suppose.

Q: Did you fulfill any fantasies of meeting somebody famous?

DANIEL: I got to meet some of my favorite actors like Gary Oldman, I actually got to work with him, who I've always loved since I've started acting.

EMMA: Someone I was dying to work with was Emma Thompson who got cast as the part of Professor Trelawney because I love her. She did a really great job. She is hilarious. I had really good fun with her because she was very creative and very involving with me. It was really flattering for her to involve me like that.

Q: Are you two interested in sticking with the series for all seven movies?

DANIEL: We already started on four so we're definitely doing the fourth. But after that, each one takes a year to do, so...

EMMA: One film at a time.

Q: Do you find that you are missing out on your normal lives now that you are committed to the next Harry Potter film?

DANIEL: I do better at school when I'm on set, quite a lot better. I still see all my friends all the time so for me I don't think I've lost anything.

Source: Cinema Confidential