The following are snipets from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince production notes. They are quotes from or about Rupert Grint or Ron Weasley

Rupert Grint, who plays the role of Harry’s best friend, Ron Weasley, adds, “We all got on really well with David, so we were pleased he was coming back. Going through the script, he really listened to what we had to say about our characters, but he also offered a lot of help and guidance.”

David Barron illustrates, “For the first time we learn that Harry has feelings for Ginny Weasley, who is going out with Dean Thomas, much to the concern of her brother Ron, who has fallen head-over-heels for Lavender Brown, leaving Hermione, who is secretly in love with Ron, watching jealously from the sidelines, so she goes out with Cormac McLaggen, even though she can’t stand him, to make Ron jealous. Welcome to the normal life of a teenager,” he deadpans.

Returning in the role of Hermione Granger, Emma Watson notes, “These characters are usually facing such huge issues, like fighting evil, so it’s easy to forget that they’re just teenagers. For me, this film feels more like a romantic comedy than the others, in the sense that we get to see them coping with first love, jealousy and insecurity and all the usual things involved in dating.”

In “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Harry famously had his first kiss with Cho Chang. In this film, we see him begin a new relationship with an old friend, as he discovers that Ron’s “baby” sister, Ginny, is now a lovely young woman. Bonnie Wright, who likewise has grown up in the role of Ginny, says her character’s attraction to Harry is not news to her. “As a little girl, Ginny fancied her big brother’s best friend, but she never believed anything would come of it because he is her brother’s best friend. Over the years, they developed a connection; she understands the responsibility Harry has to the rest of the wizarding world and that he is seen as the ‘Chosen One.’ But what she doesn’t realize is that he has begun to like her, too. That does come as a surprise to her and I guess to him, as well,” she smiles.

Standing in the way of Harry and Ginny’s budding romance, there is the matter of her current boyfriend, Dean Thomas (Alfred Enoch). Ron has been glaring at Dean while keeping a protective eye on his sister, and Harry would prefer not to see that glare turned towards him. Radcliffe offers, “Harry is starting to feel incredibly strongly about Ginny, but her brother is his best mate and he doesn’t want to jeopardize that. At the same time, he really does want to kiss Ginny so it’s a bit of a dilemma. I think it’s good fun and quite sweet.”

However, Ginny’s big brother is about to be distracted by his own romantic triangle. Ron Weasley gets his first official love interest, although fans have long suspected that he and Hermione have feelings for each other, while never actually admitting them. But pretty Lavender Brown makes no secret of her affection for Ron and never misses an opportunity to demonstrate her adoration.

“Ron finally gets a girlfriend in this film,” Rupert Grint says. “At the start, he thinks he’s quite the man. But after a while he finds her a bit overwhelming because Lavender is sort of over the top; she’s starting to scare him. She calls him ‘Won-Won’ and gives him jewelry, and Ron doesn’t know how to handle it. She’s driving him crazy.”

Heyman comments, “Lavender is a force of nature. She’s a lovely girl but not at all reserved. She is all over Ron, who is not used to such a predatory female. But initially, he is rather enjoying it, and who can blame him? Their romance is a great source of humor and it really lets Rupert flex his comedic muscles, which is a treat.”

“Rupert is such a natural comedian,” Yates affirms. “He was always coming up with surprising little things that made us all laugh. So it was a real thrill to direct him in the comedy scenes, which is something I didn’t really have an opportunity to do on ‘Order of the Phoenix.’”

For the role of the coquettish Lavender Brown, the filmmakers cast newcomer Jessie Cave, who describes her character as “bubbly and very physical, which is quite liberating. Her way of getting Ron is leaping on him and kissing him and practically strangling him with her hugs, but it leaves other people incredulous. It’s a bold thing to do; not many girls would be brazen enough to act that way, but she uses it to get what she wants and she usually does. I also think that she is hiding a lot of insecurities underneath. She definitely has layers, and that’s what makes her such a great character.”

“Jessie Cave is fantastic,” Heyman states. “We saw a lot of girls for the part, but when we saw Jessie, there was no question she was our Lavender Brown. There was also so much chemistry between her and Rupert.”

Lavender also gives Ron his first kiss, but it is a far cry from the chaste and very private kiss shared by Harry and Cho in the last film. Rather, Ron and Lavender are in the middle of a cheering crowd when Lavender wraps her arms around Ron’s neck and plants a long kiss on his lips. “It was sort of embarrassing because our first kiss was in a room full of people, not like Dan’s. We were both nervous,” Grint confesses, “but once we got through a few takes, it was cool.”

As the kissing scene approached, Radcliffe was planning on taking a little revenge on his castmate. “I was very much looking forward to Rupert kissing Jessie. I took a fair bit of ribbing when I kissed Katie in the last film, so it was my turn this time around,” he laughs.

One person, however, is not amused by Lavender’s overt displays of affection for Ron: Hermione, who has been holding a torch for Ron, while he remains oblivious. Yates acknowledges, “They may not seem to be a natural couple in many ways, because she is so bright and organized and serious and he appears to be none of those things. But there is something else going on that draws them together.”

Hermione hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about her feelings, and now she is heartbroken, afraid she has lost her chance and, worse yet, to a girl she can’t abide.

“Hermione hates Lavender so much,” says Watson candidly. “The fact that she is with Ron would be reason enough, but I think Hermione mostly hates her because Lavender is the complete opposite of her in every way. She sees Lavender as a giggly, air-headed, attention-seeking girly-girl and she can’t stand that. Hermione is strong and smart, which can be intimidating to guys. I don’t think she knows how to put on makeup or do her hair, so she finds it hard to compete on those terms with a girl like Lavender.”

The differences between Hermione and Lavender are also evident in their clothing choices. Jany Temime says she designed Lavender’s costumes to be as feminine and colorful as her name. “We gave her very flirty, pretty things to wear, and she has a different outfit for every scene to show she’s a girl who loves clothes. Even when she wears her uniform, she’s added personal little touches, like the scarf in her hair.”

By contrast, Temime says, “Hermione is still very down to earth in what she wears, very casual, very practical. She looks lovely because Emma is a beautiful girl, but Hermione is the sort of girl who believes her brain is her best asset, so she is not trying to impress with her clothes.”

But neither Lavender nor Hermione counted on a love potion-laced box of chocolates, combined with Ron’s unending appetite, to steal his affections. “They were just laying out for the taking, and Ron does enjoy his sweets,” Grint teases.

The romantic rivalries spill over to the Quidditch pitch, where Ron and Cormac McLaggen are both trying out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Hoping to catch Hermione’s eye, the handsome and athletic Cormac has decided to compete against Ron for the position of Keeper. “He’s an arrogant show-off, who thinks he is the best at everything,” states Freddie Stroma, who plays Cormac. “He wants to give Ron a hard time by going after the position of Keeper, and Hermione.”

“Ron is understandably intimidated by him because Cormac is in a physical class that Ron will never be,” says Heyman. “But with some help from his friends, Ron puts Cormac in his place.”

Second unit director Stephen Woolfenden reveals, “One thing David Yates really wanted to do was get Rupert up there on a rig and catch him off guard, so we filmed him from a variety of angles where we would just fire 20 Quaffles at a time at him. The real responses to everything flying at him at once made for some very funny viewing and the improvised nature of it also made it easier for him to look as though he is not as in control.”

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RUPERT GRINT (Ron Weasley) Q&A

QUESTION: Word is that in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince there is plenty of Quidditch for Ron this time round?

RUPERT GRINT: Yeah, I’ve never done Quidditch in the films before so this is my first Quidditch experience. Dan says it’s really painful and I know where he’s coming from because it’s quite uncomfortable, with the harness and stuff, and you’re getting slung about. There are two stages. One is the try-outs where Ron is not very good and keeps getting hit in the face. Another stage is where Ron takes the potion and thinks he is really, really good. It’s quite tricky but I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m always on a wire because the broom is quite high up, about 18 feet.

QUESTION: You are in great shape but are you naturally athletic?

RUPERT GRINT: Not really. The only sport I do is a bit of golf, really. Apart from that, I’m lazy so I’ve had to do a bit of training.

QUESTION: Was getting into the flow of things for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince almost like coming back to school?

RUPERT GRINT: Each film is a little bit different, but it is a lot like coming back to school. It’s the same people you’ve worked with and we’re never away that long anyway. It’s easy to get back into the routine.

QUESTION: Do you keep in touch with rest of the cast between films?

RUPERT GRINT: I usually try to, but we’re always quite busy, to be honest. I see the twins quite a bit, because I play golf with them. I usually win. I’m not bad and I have a handicap of 12.

QUESTION: Word is that there is going to be a lot of kissing in this movie?

RUPERT GRINT: Yeah, and Ron gets a girlfriend in this one. When we did the kissing sequence, it wasn’t easy because I’m standing on a plinth and the whole room is watching. It was quite embarrassing and I was actually dreading it. It was weird and the girl who plays my girlfriend is really cool. It was fine after the first 10 takes. [Laughs.]

QUESTION: Did you get the last book sent to you?

RUPERT GRINT: I didn’t get it any earlier than anyone else. I got it the day it came out and was quite keen to see what happened, especially since there was so much hype about it. I was quite happy with the ending.

QUESTION: Since the Harry Potter films have been such a huge part of your life it must seem strange that it’s all going to come to an end soon?

RUPERT GRINT: Sure. It’s quite sad because it’s been a massive part of my life. It’s hard to get my head around something that will have taken up 10 years of my life when it’s finished.

QUESTION: How do you feel when for instance you catch the early Harry Potter films on TV?

RUPERT GRINT: I haven’t watched the films all the way through for ages but I’ve seen bits and pieces on Sky. It feels like a different person, to be honest; it feels like it all happened ages ago. It brings back a lot of good memories because it was all a good life and it brings back all those exciting times to me. I had barely done a school play before I started so it was very scary in those early films. I never thought of it as a serious thing. It was all just fun for me back then.

QUESTION: Do you think that you ever get used to all the attention that comes with the phenomenal success of the films?

RUPERT GRINT: I’ve gradually got used to it over the years. It’s more apparent when the films come out. It’s strange when people come up to you. People are always really nice though. It’s never really gangs of people; it’s usually one or two who come over. I don’t mind that at all. Once, I was in TGI Friday and a guy with a camera happened to be there. That was the only time I had any paparazzi, as such.

QUESTION: Do you ever get called Ron?

RUPERT GRINT: People always call me Ron, especially the younger kids. My little cousins actually think I’m magic.

QUESTION: What’s the one thing you’ve most enjoyed that the Harry Potter films have brought you?

RUPERT GRINT: The chance to travel, especially that trip we made to Japan. It was a really different, a really cool experience.

QUESTION: Aren’t there loads of Harry Potter fans in Japan?

RUPERT GRINT: Yeah. I get a lot of gifts from Japan, especially pyjamas, but they’re very cool. We had to learn a few words in Japanese but I can’t remember them. I’m not very good at languages. It was embarrassing when we went to Paris because Emma is very good at French and I was stumbling over my few words.

QUESTION: Does being a movie star help overcome shyness?

RUPERT GRINT: I’ve always been a bit shy, but I do feel more confident now, yeah.

QUESTION: After the eighth Harry Potter film is done, do you want to carry on acting?

RUPERT GRINT: I’d like to because I really enjoy it. When this is over I’ll see what happens. I enjoyed working on small movies like Driving Lessons, so maybe more stuff like that would be nice.

QUESTION: When you are not on camera, how do you guys unwind?

RUPERT GRINT: Table tennis is a big thing; me and Dan are getting very good at it. I have a table in my dressing room and we play every day. It’s quite even because Dan has improved a lot. He has a really good serve. We’re at a professional level now. [Laughs.]

QUESTION: And what about Emma?

RUPERT GRINT: She’s at a different level to us so there’s no point in playing with her. She just embarrasses us.

QUESTION: Was there ever any remote chance that you wouldn’t come back for this sixth Harry Potter film?

RUPERT GRINT: For me, there was no doubt. So long as they wanted me, I was coming back to do it. I really enjoy doing this and it’s really cool.

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This week’s Hot Seat: Rupert Grint is king of the gingers

There are plenty of good-looking redheaded female celebrities out there—you know, Nicole Kidman, Lindsay Lohan, Scarlett from G.I. Joe (that one is for my seven-year-old self). There is less competition, however, when it comes to famous ginger dudes, and Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint appears to have distanced himself from the pack—dusting the likes of Ron Howard and Ronald McDonald—when he was this year voted Rolling Stone’s “Hottest Sidekick.” We spoke with Grint about this great honor, as well as the eBayability of various Harry Potter set pieces.

Still filming the last Potter?
Yeah, we’re nearly halfway there. We’re sort of filming in the forest at the moment. It’s going really well. It’s a lot to include, because it’s two films. We’re doing part one and part two. I’m enjoying it.

Excited to be just plain old Rupe again, as opposed to Ron Weasley?
Yeah, I mean, I think it’s going to be quite weird when it’s all over, because it has been such a massive part of my life. I think I’ll miss it, in a way, but I am looking forward to freedom, really, when it’s all over.

What will you do to celebrate?
I don’t know, really. I haven’t thought about it too much, but I’m expecting Warner Bros. might have some kind of celebration. It’s gonna be good.

Oh really? I pictured all of you Hogwarts grads smoking cigars and setting money on fire.
[Laughs] Yeah.

Getting any good souvenirs from the set?
I got a few things over the years. I have a tie. The Gryffindor tie. I’ve never really been given anything, but maybe at the end of this one we’ll get to keep a wand or something.

I guess all the best swag is CGI.
Oh, yeah, yeah. But there’s some really good props. But they don’t really like giving stuff away, because there’s been a few cases where people have stolen stuff and sold it on eBay. They don’t really like that.

Hagrid’s beard?
That could be quite good. Yeah. I don’t know what I’d do with it.

That’d be awesome, though, walking around like you were Moses.
Well, it’s kind of made for Robbie [Coltrane]’s face; unless you have that size head, it really wouldn’t look right.

How much do you want for it?
[Laughs nervously] Really? I don’t know, those beards are worth a lot, because they’re real hair and all handmade and stuff. So I expect they’re quite a lot.

You know, you could slay women here with your accent and soft-spoken ways.
Yeah, you say that, but people tend to think I’m Australian over there. But I guess the English accent is quite popular there as well.

Australian or no, you’re Rolling Stone’s hottest sidekick. You could rule this city!
Well, we’ll be going there in a couple of weeks, in July, for the Half-Blood Prince promotional tour.

Would you rather be the hero or the sidekick, generally speaking?
I’ve always liked the character of Ron. He was my favorite when I was reading the books. I’ve always felt a kind of connection to him, because I’ve found certain similarities between us. Just little things, like us both being ginger, and I have a few brothers and sisters as well. I thought he was funny in the books as well. So, yeah, it doesn’t bother me.

What’s the best way to duck a mob of screaming young girls?
I don’t know, really. It doesn’t happen much here. It’s mainly when we’re in America when they’re much more crazy and forward. Mainly it’s just people staring. It took me a while to adjust to that, because it is sort of a strange experience, being known when you go out.

There’s an online quiz that sorts you into Harry Potter houses, and my brother’s friend—a big, burly dude—became distraught after he was put in Hufflepuff. Didn’t come out of his room all weekend. Overreaction?
No way! [Laughs] That really affected him? That is so weird. I probably wouldn’t mind.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens Wednesday, July 15.

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Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a short interview I conducted with Rupert Grint.

Now, this was probably the strangest interview I’ve ever done. It went well… he wasn’t a chatty Cathy, but he was definitely engaged in the conversation. It wasn’t that at all. The interview doesn’t even go into weird areas.

But Rupert Grint looks like my little brother’s twin. I look nothing like Grint myself, but my little brother looked exactly like Grint when the first movie came out and has somehow oddly grown in time with Grint’s appearances in the movie.

So, the crazy thing was that when I was talking to Grint I kept thinking I was talking to my brother. Not literally, of course. I’m not that insane yet, but I it was kind of distracting me a bit.

I didn’t have a photographer with me, but I asked if I could get a quick photo to include in the article, so here it is. Enjoy the interview!

Quint: I don’t know how you do it. If I were in your shoes these junkets would kill me.

Rupert Grint: It’s alright once you get into it. Yeah.

Quint: What’s the worst part? The repetitive questions or just the grind of doing these all day?

Rupert Grint: Mainly it’s just the junkets, the TV junkets, where you’re just sitting in a room and they come one after another. It gets a little bit boring.

Quint: I also imagine with TV it’s a bit different than this. I mean, here you could just be lounging, it’s just your voice.

Rupert Grint: Yeah, yeah.

Quint: But with TV you also have to worry about how you look, how you’re coming across.

Rupert Grint: Yeah, exactly. It’s alright, though.

Quint: One thing that I really liked about what David Yates did with this, what really struck me when I saw the movie, was that he made a real effort to keep the friendship natural. Previous directors did a great job, of course, but here there’s an extra bit where you really do come off as mates hanging out.

Rupert Grint: Yeah.

Quint: Was there a difference in how you were directed by Yates to achieve that?

Rupert Grint: I dunno, really. Probably sort of subtle little things. I think, just on the whole, ‘cause we’ve been doing it so long, got to know each other more we’re probably more relaxed with each other.

I think, also, that he used contemporary music he used (during filming) of some of the Common Room scenes. Like a band called The Ordinary Boys, he’d play that in the Common Room and that gives it a sort of more casual feel.

It’s a really good atmosphere as well because he’s a really nice guy, really laid back and calm.

Quint: So, there wasn’t as much pressure for you…

Rupert Grint: Definitely. Well, there’s always a little bit of pressure, but it was just a really good atmosphere, yeah.

Quint: I noticed that in the film they took a lot of the big Ron Weasely scenes out, so you’re left with being the driving force of Harry’s story…. Was there any difference in how you approached this film?

Rupert Grint: Not really. I read the book before we do it, just to get it fresh in my head, then the script usually comes out and I got a few light rehearsals with the director. That does sort of help. I don’t know. Because we’ve been doin’ it so long, it’s quite easy to slip back into it, really, because we know the characters pretty well.

Quint: When a new Potter book comes out, I know in my case I can’t help envisioning the movie world when reading it. So, when you read it is it like reading a rough draft of a script?

Rupert Grint: (laughs) Yeah. It is sorta like that, yeah. It’s weird… just finding out what you’re doing as well. It’s quite strange. I know the 7th book is gonna be quite interesting. A lot of things are going to happen, we’re going to know who’s gonna die…

Quint: Well, everything’s at stake now. I think HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is one of the best books of the series…

Rupert Grint: Yeah.

Quint: … and I was really happy with it, but there’s just something about this being the final book that means all bets are off. There’s a different kind of feeling, especially coming off of HALF-BLOOD PRINCE.

Rupert Grint: Yeah, it’s gonna be massive. It’s gonna be really cool.

Quint: Now, when you read the scripts and you find, like in this movie, a lot of the juicier stuff didn’t make it through is there any level of disappointment you feel?

Rupert Grint: I was a bit disappointed when Quidditch didn’t make it, but I mean… it’s such a big book, there’s so much to fit in I can understand why they pared it down.

But I’m kinda hoping it’ll be in the next one.

Quint: I think it’s kinda fascinating what they do with your character in the next one. I mean, I’m sure all the focus right now is on the Lavender Brown relationship…

[Grint laughs]

Quint: … And that is good stuff and I’m sure you’re going to have a lot of fun, but the interesting stuff to me is how your relationship with Hermione develops. That kind of true budding romance versus the more lustful thing with Lavender. I think I like it so much because it’s really kind of been set up for a while now…

Rupert Grint: Yeah, gradually. And in this one you see him being a bit more protective as well when she gets picked up by Grawp. He wants to sort of be the hero. But, yeah. In these films there’s always been a sort of hint of that and maybe that’ll kind of feature in the 7th book as well. We’ll see.

Quint: In ORDER OF THE PHOENIX we get to meet Luna and Umbridge. I met Evanna Lynch on my set visit and she was so Luna Lovegood.

Rupert Grint: She’s like that in real life. It’s great.

Quint: It translated so well into the movie, too. She’s great in it. How was she to work with, being that she’s such a huge geek for the books? I heard she was kind of going around and correcting everybody.

Rupert Grint: She knew everything! She knew the book inside out. Everyone would go to her and ask her (when they had questions). And she’s got her own theories. She’s really into it.

Quint: When a new cast member shows up, is there an automatic “welcome to the family” feel?

Rupert Grint: Yeah, definitely. In each film has new people coming in. It’s very exciting really, seeing new people. They always feel quite welcome. It’s such a sort of cozy atmosphere because it’s been the same crew and the same cast for long.

This has got a few new ones. Tonks as well, Nat Tena… who else?

Quint: And Katanga from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK as Kingsley…

Rupert Grint: Yeah!

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RUPERT GRINT DISCUSSES ‘HALF-BLOOD PRINCE’
Ron Weasley actor Grint talks about the upcoming ‘Potter’ flick

How would you say that Ron has evolved over the course of these films? And how would you say you yourself have you changed as an actor?
GRINT: It just sort of happens. The first three films really do feel like a different person. I think Ron is more grown up throughout the films. The next one we see him grow up a lot more because the wizard world is becoming quite a scary place. And we see him protect his sister, and we see brotherly stuff that he does in the sixth one.

When everything started the book was this cute story with these cute kids, and obviously the maturity level has changed. What, for you, have been the biggest developments over the course of the books?
GRINT: I suppose it was the last film when Dumbledore’s army starts to form and we have to stand up to Voldemort. That’s when things turned a bit nasty. This sixth one is quite intense and they definitely get darker.

Ron receives quite a bit of attention from girls in this film. I know you’ve mentioned in the past that shooting some of the more romantic scenes can get a bit uncomfortable. What’s it like to watch those on the big screen?
GRINT: It’s worse actually. This one was actually okay because my relationship with Jessie [Cave, who plays Ron's love interest] was quite fun and she was really over the top and quite intense. But it was an awkward scene to do because we’d only met each other two days before. One of the first scenes we did was the kissing one.

In the future when you look back on the making of this film, what are some funny or strange moments that you’ll remember about the making of it?
GRINT: Getting my bum cast. They were making a chair for the broomstick to make it more comfortable and have my shape. I was wearing these skinny trousers and I had to sit on this chair and they managed the exact shape of my bum. They turned it into a really comfortable chair.

Also The Weasley house when we burned that down. That was an exciting part. We were standing quite close to it, a burning building, and it was quite scary and I think it got a bit out of control. That was a lot of fun.

How does it feel being so close to the end of Harry Potter, a thing that’s been such a part of your life for so long?
GRINT: It’s going to be weird, I think. It hasn’t sunk in yet that this is the last one and that we’ll never come back to do this. It’ll be ten years by the time we finish. It’s going to be quite sad I think. I’ll miss it because I have really enjoyed it and the people I’ve met and it’s just been great. But I think seven’s enough, really.

After the film’s finished, what are you plans for the future?
GRINT: I guess I’ll pursue doing films for camera because I do really enjoy doing them, and I want to do something different. I did a couple of things after doing six and it was really fun doing a different character and seeing how other films are made.

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/050109rupertgrint.html

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Talk about symbolic. It’s the end of a long day’s location shoot on the Harry Potter franchise. Total Film is sat yakking with the series’ now-signature director, David Yates, in a dressing tent. Suddenly, it all goes inky-black.

Just one of the crew powering down the lights for the day. Fitting metaphor, though, for a saga that gets darker with every episode, right?

“For me, this is a warmer, lighter film than Order Of The Phoenix,” says Yates.“I loved the intensity of the fifth one, but it had all this bloody earnest teenage-angst stuff, whereas this is a little bit more of a romantic comedy – until things turn dark in the third act…”

We’ll get back to that. In the meantime, hormones are off the hook at Hogwarts: “There’s a lot to do with Ron and Hermione’s relationship in this one,” says Emma Watson.

“Which is great, because it gave us the chance to do comedy. Hermione got very serious in the last couple, so it was nice to do some funny bits with Rupert [Grint], who’s great at that sort of thing.”

But slightly awkward when it comes to love scenes, mind. “There’s a bit of a kiss with Jessie [Cave, who plays Lavender], which was quite embarrassing,” confesses Rupert Grint.

“That particular scene, I hadn’t known Jessie that long and there were loads of people around; it’s after the Quidditch match and I was standing on a little plinth, so it wasn’t really that romantic!”

Quidditch match? Yes – it’s back. “The technology has moved on so we’ve made some refinements,” grins Yates. “I was always intrigued by how violent Quidditch could be. You’ve got these players moving at enormous speed and crashing into each other… It’s a bit like American football, which got me excited.”

But it’s not all fun and games. Or loveydovey. At heart, Half-Blood Prince is all about getting prepped for the final showdown between wizards good and bad.

“Number six is kind of the hardest book to film,” reflects Harry’s alter ego Daniel Radcliffe, looking distinctly un-wizardly in chunky winter casuals and without specs.

“It’s a great book, really exciting, but also very much a lead-up to the seventh one. There’s a lot of exposition that has to go on, but they’ve done a really good job.”

As usual, the movie hews closely to JK Rowling’s source novel while exercising some cinematic licence. In the book, events in the outside world are often relayed via Potter-verse newspaper The Daily Prophet.

On screen, there’s less reporting, more action. Rowling’s passing reference to the fall of a ‘Muggle’ bridge, for example, has turned into an opening set-piece salvo: large, loud and London-based. “Let’s just say the Millennium Bridge doesn’t get well treated,” quips producer David Barron.

ut one book-to-script tweak had to be unwritten when Rowling unexpectedly outed one of her creations. “There was a line of dialogue where Dumbledore refers to the opposite sex in a romantic way,” says Heyman.

“But after the first read-through, Jo told us that this wasn’t in keeping with his character! So we made the change…” The Hogwarts headmaster’s sexuality isn’t made an issue of in the film. “Although there is his obsession with knitting patterns,” smiles Yates.

Dumbledore is very much to the fore in Prince, training Harry for battle while heading towards his own date with destiny. “It’s a big movie for him,” says Heyman, lauding Michael Gambon’s commitment to the role. Yet, as with the character, there are revelations to be had about the veteran thesp…

“The secret about Michael Gambon is that, as much as he’s revered, he’s also the most unprofessional actor in the word,” joshes Radcliffe. “He never takes anything seriously, which is why he’s great fun to work with.”

The actor spins anecdotes of Gambon playfully bombarding him with rubber rocks – and real ones – on set. “So I threw bits of stuff back at him. It was really infantile. And he’s a ‘Sir’, isn’t he? ‘Sir’ Michael Gambon, my arse!”

Much as he enjoyed mucking about with Gambon, Radcliffe missed another of the series’ father figures – Gary Oldman.

“It was sad to do the first film without Gary,” he sighs. “He was a bit of a mentor who let me know when I was crap and when I was good. Actors aren’t always the most generous, so when someone like him said ‘That was really good,’ to a young actor like me, it was amazing. So I kind of missed that.”

Still, the pair keep in text contact; and besides, there are other mates around – like fellow mainstay Tom Felton.

As bad boy Draco Malfoy, Felton has skulked on the sidelines for the last eight years but in Half-Blood Prince, Harry’s classroom arch-rival finally slopes into the spotlight.

“This is my favourite of the films,” says Felton, as cheery as Draco is sneery. “The first one I’ve worked on from beginning to end, not just a month here and there.”

Felton’s big moment comes when he and Radcliffe square up for a scrap that plays like something out of Bond or Bourne. “It was great,” raves Felton.

“We spent a week in this misty bathroom set, rolling around in the water having all sorts of fights. It’s a longer sequence than it is in the book.” There’s blood – but also some fleshing-out.

“This film develops the character further than before,” he says.“We take the chance to explain why he’s such a complete cretin, that he’s not just doing it for the sake of it.”

More character shading comes in the shape of flashbacks to Voldemort’s youth, magically conjured by Dumbledore as part of Harry’s training. Not easy, casting evil incarnate as a kid.

Luckily, it doesn’t sound like they have another Jake Lloyd on their hands… “It took a while,” recalls Heyman. “There was a lot of discussion
over how similar they should be to [adult Voldemort] Ralph Fiennes.”

In the end, they decided on Fiennes’ own nephew, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, as the 10-year-old future dark lord; while Frank Dillane (son of Brit-actor Stephen) takes over for the teenage years.

“Both of them have this disquieting sense of darkness about them,” Heyman praises. “Frank projects a kind of superciliousness – he’s
very superior, very in control of the situation. And with Hero, as with Ralph, it’s all about the stillness… He evokes Voldemort so successfully, so creepily.”

The film’s visuals also play their part in establishing eeriness. “The choice of angles, the extreme close-ups, the pacing of the scenes,” recites Heyman, going on to laud director of photography Bruno Delbonnel, the French lenser responsible for Amelie’s lavish palette.

Half-Blood Prince goes for an equally heightened look, U-turning from the stark, dark timbre of Phoenix. “It’s very layered, incredibly rich,”
says Yates, before revealing that number seven – Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – will be more naturalistic “with loads of hand-held cameras”.

“I want to shake things up every time I go into this world. I like experimenting as we go along,” says the director, best known pre-Phoenix for the original BBC version of State Of Play.

Now, his rep rests on Harry Potter, which he’ll preside over until 2011, when Part 2 of Deathly Hallows hits cinemas (with Part 1 due late 2010).
Three previous directors have graduated from Hogwarts (Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell), so why did Yates decide to sign up for the long haul?

“It was around the end of Pheonix,” says the fortysomething, looking out over a forest set covered in imitation frost. “I got a taste for it. It’s a big, wonderful world to play in.

“You get all the resources you need to tell the stories, the people are terrific and the studio keep off your back. I was smitten with all those things combined and I wanted to be the one to see it through to its completion.”

There’s still a way to go, but thoughts are beginning to turn to the journey’s end. “It’s going to be weird when it’s all over,” muses Grint. “I’ve really enjoyed it and part of me will miss it. But it’ll also be good to be free.”

While he and Radcliffe express a desire to carry on thesping post-Potter, the third member of the trio isn’t quite so sure…

“I really don’t know,” says Watson, her face flecked with fake nicks and cuts. “I think I need to find some real belief in myself away from this. I know that I can play Hermione, but… we’ll see.”

Despite the chilled atmosphere on set, no doubt facilitated by Yates’ mild manner, Watson feels anxious. “I feel pressured, because this my last go, my last shot. I don’t want to have any regrets – I want to know that I’ve done the best I can possibly do.”

At least she’s earned the admiration of Heyman, who speaks of his young actors with quasi-parental pride. “Emma got the highest marks in the country on her English A-level, Dan got three As in his AS-Levels… they’ve all experienced other things that feed back into Harry Potter.”

Having worked on the series since the very beginning, the producer’s as big an attachment as anyone to the series – and he’s approaching the end with mixed feelings.

“I feel excitement and sadness. Firstly because there’s a real sense of family, but also because it’s very rare, in these times especially, to be in production for such a long, continuous period.”

And when it’s finally over? “I’m going to take a six-month holiday,” states Yates, raising his usually quiet voice over the hubbub of production packing up for the day.

“Then I’m going to do what I’ve always wanted to do: big movies followed by tiny ones. I’ve literally been overlapping postand pre-production so there hasn’t been time to squeeze anything else in.”

Radcliffe, on the other hand, has found windows for a number of ventures, notably his stage stint in Equus and self-mocking turn in Extras. “Doing stuff like that was tough,” he reflects, “but you were learning new disciplines, so you couldn’t help but come away with a new confidence.”

And has that confidence translated into more input on Potter? “Totally. I always used to feel my ideas were going to sound crap, but over the last two films I’ve felt a lot more comfortable about that kind of stuff. David can’t shut me up!”

Though he’s keeping mum on potential future projects (“I’m not going to jinx them!”), it’s not hard to get him gabbling about what’s in store for wizard-watchers. “This one’s more epic than the fifth film,” he enthuses.

“There’s a scene near the end that’s like something out of Paradise Lost, with Michael Gambon standing on this little island with flames swirling around him… It’s pretty cool, I have to say!”

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Rupert Grint interview with Edith Bowman

Transcribed by Morgan (Cookimonstress)

July 2009

Part 1

Edith: You can listen back—watch back, or just you know, ogle at the beautiful at the beautifulness of Kings of Leon online bbc.co.uk/teainthepot. If you go to bbc.com/radio, you can you can see a picture of moi Muggle-less and now totally in the zone. In the HP zone here and we’re actually walking around the set. This is quite incredible! James King, we see lots of lights—enormous lights! We can see—.

James: I think what’s so great about being out here is the—obviously, when you’re in Dumbledore’s office and just come out of there, you know, it’s full-on Harry Potter world! The moment you step out of the office you’re in building sites. There are lots of people. Kind of laborers, you know, that are looking at doing stuff, People sawing people…Chain sawing stuff, building things—.

Edith: Sawing people, or just—.

James: And it’s just, uh, they saw them in half! They’re magicians, you see. It’s Harry Potter!

Edith: [laughs]

James: No, it’s completely like building site mode. You can be anywhere, but as soon as you go through a certain door or a certain alleyway you’re back in Harry Potter world. It messes with your head a little bit.

Edith: It really does! It’s almost like you’re walking through seasons and you’re walking through different parts of the world and the country, and stuff. The height of the ceiling alone just makes you feel tiny!

James: You know you’re in somewhere exciting as well when people tell you that you can’t mention certain things.

Edith: Yeah!

James: “Don’t mention what’s over there because it’s top secret!” We like being in places like that where it’s top secret places.
Edith: Oh! Golf carts, for example, who hand-deliver people like

Rupert Grint.

James: Hello, sir!

Edith: Hello, mate! How are you? Fancy seeing you here!

Rupert: [laughs] How you doing?

Edith: Alright. How are you?

Rupert: Yeah, no. I’m good, yeah.

Edith: Thanks so much for, you know, letting us come into your world on this set.

Rupert: It’s cool, yeah.

Edith: What do you think of my outfit?

Rupert: Oh. Wow! [Laughs] Yeah, I like it. Yeah.

Edith: It’s good, isn’t it! I didn’t know if it goes that way, or what.

All: [Laugh]

Rupert: It looks really good!

Edith: It’s good isn’t it? I wish you were here in the makeup department—.

Rupert: Oh, looking closely—

Edith: Yeah. You can see the joints.

Rupert: Yeah, yeah.

Edith: [Laughs]

Rupert: But, no. It’s cool, yeah.

Edith: Did you get an early start today?

Rupert: Uh, yeah. It was quite early, yeah. Because a lot of

characters got a lot of prosthetics on and stuff. So—

Edith: Early endorse for makeup.

Rupert: Yeah.

Edith: That was me, too. It took them five hours to do this.

Rupert: Five hours?—

Edith: No, I’m joking.

All: [Laugh]

Edith: We just can’t believe—I mean this is the first time we’ve

obviously been here. You’ve been here all for the last ten years, or what?

Rupert: Yeah. Yeah, it’s kind of like a second home really. Yeah. So
it’s…

Edith: Being driven around in golf buggies. That’s “the know” of it. You’ve still got your name on the front, actually!

Rupert: I do have a bike, though. A BMX with my name on it.

Edith: Really?

Rupert: A pink one, yeah.

Edith: You can just keep the fitness level up watching you.

Rupert: Yeah. No, it’s good!

Edith: But, we can’t believe, like, the enormity of the Harry—how massive everything is! And also, there’s obviously, you know, a little bit of “You can’t go there. Don’t look at that. Don’t mention that.” So, they want secrecy around the final two films which—.

Rupert: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Edith: Which is what you’re filming at the minute.

Rupert: Yeah, we’re in Malfoy Manor at the moment. And, yeah, it’s just—it’s amazing kind of walking around there because there’s so many sets and it’s just…Yeah, it’s like, uh…Yeah, it’s incredible. Yeah.

Edith: [Laughs] And, how many times have you seen the new film that’s just out?—Half-Blood Prince.

Rupert: Uh, about four times I’ve seen it. Yeah!

Edith: Does it still kind of amaze you when you watch what it looks like in the final thing, you know, from being in it and just being—you know, we were just saying when you step out of Dumbledore’s office you’re in a building site. But, as soon as you step in a bit it’s quite magical and you feel like you are in it. But, when you see the final thing, is it still quite amazing for you after all this time?

Rupert: It is, yeah. I mean, um, especially with, like–because all the special effects stuff we just don’t see when we’re filming. Like the Quidditch stuff. I had no idea what was going on when I was doing that.

Edith: Well done on that, this new film, by the way.

Rupert: Oh, cheers!

Edith: [?]

Rupert: Oh, cool, yeah.

Edith: It’s like a new skill!

All: [Laugh]

Edith: And we spoke to Jessie early on today. She’s brilliant!

Rupert: She’s great, yeah.

Edith: She said she was kind of a little bit in awe when she turned up to do the screen takes with you because it was all quite ad-lib, and stuff. And that she was pretty much like her character, so…

Rupert: Yeah, because I was kind of involved with, like, the kind of the casting and that. It was—yeah, it was quite—

Edith: Did you get a say there?

Rupert: Yeah, David was quite interested to see kind of my opinion on it I guess.

Edith: She’s fit! [Laughs]

Rupert: Yeah, it was like that because there was kind of about..eight different girls.

Edith: Wow!

Rupert: Yeah, it was quite great, yeah.

Edith: That’s brilliant!

Rupert: [Laughs]

Edith: So, you get to choose your own girlfriend for the film.

Rupert: Yeah, Jessie’s great, though. She kind of didn’t sit it out.
She was quite scary, yeah.

Edith: “Quite scary”. You know, what you want in a real-life girlfriend.

Part 2

Edith: We are back in Dumbledore’s office. And when we arrived this morning and we weren’t allowed to come in—All the rest of the crew here with us came in and set up, and stuff. I mean, when you go to stare it’s like leave until the last minute and come in and they want to see your initial reaction. James and I were properly like [dramatic gasp]. And you can see a video of that online right now; bbc.co.uk/radio1. On the homepage there’s a picture of me in my witch’s outfit although Rupert didn’t see much difference from anyway.

Rupert: [Laughs]

Edith: Click on that and it will take you to the video! And, I’ve got to say congratulations first of all on the new film because you’ve come through as a comedy genius for this film. It’s nice how your character’s developed. Have you been kind of intricate of how Ron’s developed as a character?

Rupert: Um, I don’t know. I mean, every year there’s kind of a different side you see in Ron. And in this one it was—I had a really good time doing this one. It was just nice to have someone to really kind of get stuck in to. Because in the previous one Ron’s been kind of a wimp, really, and not really kind of done much. But, um, yeah, it was nice to kind of see Ron get a bit of glory, really.

Edith: Yeah, you know. He’s loving the Quidditch. He’s also loving the ladies—

James: Let’s be honest. It’s Jessie who mainly you’ll get stuck into in the film.

All: [Laugh]

James: We should explain Jessie is Lavendar, right? Your girlfriend.

Edith: Yeah.

Rupert: Uh, yeah. Jessie’s Ron’s girlfriend and, um, she’s very kind of unstable and kind of obsessed with Ron and it kind of makes Ron feel really uncomfortable.

James: He at first loves her, though, doesn’t he? Because the thing is she’s into him.

Rupert: Oh, yeah. I mean, he’s kind of the Quidditch hero and he kind of gets carried away with the whole kind of attention he’s getting. It kind of slowly becomes slightly annoying.

James: Rupert, we’ve all been there.

Edith and Rupert: [Laugh]

Rupert: Yeah!

Edith: I heard as well that you’re the person on the set that kind of has fits of laughter a lot of the time. You have giggles a lot.

Rupert: Yeah.

Edith: Is that just because you all get on really well, and it just so relaxed on the set for you all?

Rupert: I guess so. But, I mean, uh…I kind of—

Edith: Or, are you just kind of a joker?

Rupert: I don’t know. I mean, this laughing thing has been going on for a long time. It’s kind of a problem I’ve had for a while now. It’s not even real laughter, to be honest [Edith laughs]. It’s just noise. It’s just kind of really annoying. Yeah, you can see it in the crew’s faces because every scene is, like, thirty takes.

Edith: [Laughs] Really?

Rupert: Yeah.

Edith: I heard Emma’s [nickname] was One-Take Watson. Is that right?

Rupert: Yeah. Um, I’m Go-Again Grint!

Edith: [Laughs] [?] Can we reveal some of your dark secrets if possible, please? We got a couple of questions that might reveal a few things.

Rupert: Oh really? [Laughs]

Edith: Yeah. Have you ever taken a little souvenir from the set?
Rupert: Um…Yes.

Edith and Rupert: [Laugh]

Rupert: Uh, yeah…It’s not really—I mean…um [Laughs]

Edith: Come on, tell us! You can’t say yes and not tell us what it is!

James: [Joking] [?] from behind us over there is Kevin, one of the props guards. Hi, Kevin!

Edith and Rupert: [Laugh]

Rupert: Well, um…Yeah, okay. I took something once from the, uh…Let’s see. It was, um…I took one of the Golden Egg. It was, like, one of the dragon’s Egg. And, uh, yeah, I took that. But I didn’t hang on to it.—

Edith: [Laughing] You lost it!—

Rupert: It was quite a valuable prop. And they traced it down and took off with it.

James and Edith: [Laugh]

Edith: You returned it!

Rupert: But, um…Yeah, I’ve got a tie from the last film; a Gryffindor tie.

Edith: A tie? Brilliant.

Rupert: Yeah, you could probably get [?].

All: [Laugh]

Edith: I wanted to just kind of quietly take one of the forks from the…the big table [in the Great Hall] which is at the end.

Rupert: Oh, yeah!

Edith: Dipped in real gold, [?] they had. Uh, have you ever fancied one of the extras?

All: [Laugh]

Rupert: Um… [Laughs]

Edith: There’s that laugh and then you start—

James: The laugh is basically saying, “Yes, I have”.

Edith: Yeah, it is!

Rupert: Well, um…yeah, I mean, there’s a lot of extras. Some scenes have, like three hundred and fifty.

Edith: There’s got to be at least one, isn’t there?

Rupert: Yeah. Yeah, of course. Haha!

Edith: [Laughs] So, the next thing I need to ask you is Go-Again Grint, is that generally your nickname?

Rupert: Sometimes. At the moment it’s Heart-Attack-Pig-Boy.
James and Edith: [Laugh]

Edith: What? …Why?

Rupert: Um, I suppose I should explain that. It’s, um, probably the swine flu.

Edith: Aww! Mate.

Rupert: It does get a lot of pig stuff on that.

James: [Sarcastic] That’s very caring of your co-workers!

Rupert: [Sarcastic] I know it is, yeah.

Edith: [Laughing] Heart-Attack-Pig-Boy! That’s so evil!

James: So, if you see Rupert in the street—And we all know what he looks like—just shout out to him, everybody! He’ll love it.

Edith: [Laugh] Yeah! Have you ever had a bit of a divas drop on the set?

Rupert: Um, no, I haven’t. I honestly haven’t. Uh, no, we get kind of everything—I’ve got a great dressing room—

Edith: I was going to ask because you had schoolrooms linked to your dressing rooms, obviously, previously. What have you replaced that with now?

Rupert: Oh yeah, um…Well, my now is basically just a games room. I’ve got, uh, table tennis, darts, uh—Air hockey, now, is a new thing I’ve got.

Edith: Wow.

Rupert: So, yeah. No, it’s the place to be, yeah.

Edith: [Laughs] You’re like, “Extras, come this way!”

Both: [Laugh]

Edith: Listen, we’ve got some tracks. We’ve done a little bit of research into musical tastes. And we’ve got three tracks that we hope reflect the broad spectra of music that you’re into. Have a listen to this and we’re going to have you to pick one of these tracks. Okay, here we go. This is Green Day. [Plays part of Time of Your Life by Green Day, and then plays Save the World, Get the Girl by The King Blues] [Have you heard] The King Blues—Save the World, Get the Girl?

Rupert: [Voice drowned out by music]

Edith: You’ve not heard that one? Okay.

James: [Makes a honking noise over music]

Rupert: [Laughs]

Edith: That was Save the World, Rupert. [Plays part of Rock the Casbah by The Clash] And The Clash—Rock the Casabah.

Rupert: Oh yeah.

Edith: Yes, we did two out of three [?] What do you want to go for, then?

Rupert: What’s that middle one? I haven’t heard that one.

Edith: King Blues!

Rupert: l’d like [to know] what that one is, yeah.

Edith: He’s open to new music! I like it!

Rupert: [Laughs]

Edith: This is Save the World, Get the Girl; a choice by Rupert.

[This next part doesn’t have Rupert in it. But, James and Edith talk about Rupert in this last little segment.]

Gushing Session!

Edith: You have just joined us. It’s just after [a] quarter [until] two on Radio 1 and we’re coming to you live from the set of Harry Potter. The brand new film is out today. James is with us. Hey!

James: Happy Harry Potter Day to you!

Edith: Happy Harry Potter Day to you! How lovely is Rupert?

James: Well, I think he’s renowned in the Harry Potter franchise, but also in the film industry. [He] has just been the most chilled-out guy—

Edith: He’s so laid back!

James: I cannot imagine anything fazing him. He’s so laid back. So chilled. So friendly.

Edith: And, you know, you can get the total opposite with the fact that they’ve been in this for, what, ten years now?

James: Since he was, like, eleven years old.

Edith: He could be a right little spoiled brat (You know what I mean.) after being involved in all this and the attention and the money and all that. But, [he’s] so, so grounded!

James: God help him, as well, because he’s so recognizable, you know. And if you’re chilled out about it all, people recognize you in the streets and clubs—whatever. It’s going to take a new stride.

Edith: I think what also helps him chill out is the fact that he owns an ice cream van—which I absolutely love that fact. That’s amazing!

James: It’s a true fact, ladies and gentlemen!—

Edith: It’s a true fact! He told us. He’s been doing some work on it. He’s been repainting it. So, you know, I like to see the fact that he’s getting dirty as well.

James: I’ll have two 99’s please, Rupert!

Edith: Yeah, and don’t be shy on the flakes!

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Something like this was bound to happen. They started off as innocent little kids but, as they got older, certain urges were always going to bubble to the surface. Now everyone’s at it, as Hogwarts has turned into a veritable snogfest.

Kiss-a-thon: Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe

All of the main characters are playing tonsil quiddich – Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron. But, in real life, we’re told it was more like hard work than unbridled passion.

At last night’s premiere of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince in Leicester Square – which was wetter than the most slobbering of smooches – the stars revealed there was a lot more going on behind those on-screen smackers. Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe told us about his on-screen snog with Ginny Weasley, played by young actress Bonnie Wright. He said: “My kiss with Ginny was a lot more gentle but still passionate, it took two days to film.

There is no way you can practise these things so we spent two days rehearsing and then just went for it, it was an amazing experience.”

Bonnie seemed to think the experience was just as “amazing”, saying: “It was tender and romantic. Dan’s a good kisser – he’s the hero of the film.” But when pushed to comment on the experience with Daniel, rather than his on-screen character Harry, Bonnie would only say: “I can’t judge it in that way, it was just acting.”

At least Daniel and Bonnie sounded like they had a better time than Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – the long-anticipated kiss between Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley sounded like a positively awful experience.

Emma told us she had recently shot the scene with Rupert for the final Deathly Hallows film.

Speaking about their on-screen chemistry, Emma said: “On screen kisses are never nice and you sort of dread them. We know each other so well we are like brother and sister, and everyone on set was teasing us about the day we would have to kiss. But actually Rupert’s a real gentleman and if I had to kiss anyone I’m glad it was him. There were no tongues involved.”

Rupert added: “I filmed the kiss with Emma on the next movie a couple of weeks ago, it was weird. We’ve known each other so long and neither of us really wanted to do it but we just had get on with it, get into the character and then is was quite nice, but we were in a scary place to begin with.”

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Original article found here: ThisIsLondon.co.uk | July 8, 2009

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By Adam B. Vary

Finally! After a teaser trailer that focused solely on a chilling glimpse of the young Tom Riddle, and an international trailer that featured some Ron Weasley snogging and a lot of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it action, the first full trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is upon us. It’s embedded below; take a look and then make like Harry and Dumbledore and apparate past the jump to discuss. (For non Potter-heads — all 16 of you — that translates to “click on the jump link and then we’ll talk about trailer.”)

We open with this totally brills exchange between Harry and the Hogwarts Headmaster:

Dumbledore: [Closing in with Harry on a mysterious house] You are, of course, wondering why I brought you here tonight.
Harry: Actually, sir, after all these years, I just sort of go with it.

Well played, Daniel Radcliffe, well played.

Then we meet professor Horace Slughorn (played by Jim Broadbent, a pretty great piece of casting even if I personally was pulling for Bob Hoskins in the role), the new potions master who introduces Harry’s class to a love potion that seems to make its way into Ron’s bloodstream. Coupled with the moment (also featured in the internat’l trailer) when Hermione whacks Harry in the head for calling himself “the chosen one,” it’s super great to see Harry’s two bestest friends (and the actors who play them) getting some meaty screen time after spending so much of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the sidelines. Quickly, though, the fun comes to a halt, with Hermione in tears, the Dark Mark ominously hovering over Hogwarts, and Voldemort’s Death Eaters terrorizing central London. Fans of the books know Half-Blood Prince contains some of the series’ most lighthearted and harrowing moments, and this first robust look at the film makes it seem like returning director David Yates is walking that line quite nicely.

What do you think, Popwatchers? Does the extra time the filmmakers have had for the visual effects — like the “memory fog” inside Dumbledore’s Pensieve or quick glimpse we got of Quiddich — look like it’s paying off? Are you as slightly unnerved by how buff Rupert Grint looks in that green tank top as I am? And most importantly, how will Twilighters react (deafening squeals? rapt slience? rioting?) when this trailer plays in front of Twilight this weekend?

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth film in the hugely popular franchise, is wrapped and nearly ready for its July 17, 2009, debut. It shot last winter at Leavesden Studios outside London (it was originally slated to come out in Thanksgiving 2008), and SCI FI Wire was among a handful of reporters on set to watch the filming and speak with the cast and crew.

“I think this one certainly has got a greater sense of comedy than any of the other ones have, and I suppose you could say that it’s more adult humor, but you know, it’s not all a light sort of romp in the park,” Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) said during a break in filming last January. He added: “In this film, when it’s light, it’s much more comic than it has been before, but when it’s dark, it’s as dark if not darker than we were in, say, five or three.”

We toured the movie’s sets. One of the key sets we viewed is the hallway of the orphanage where Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) first meets the young Tom Riddle (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), a scene that takes place in flashback. The walls are paved with brown “tile,” and Riddle’s narrow cell is bare and bleak.

We also visited a new set representing the interior of the Weasley house. It’s a ramshackle farmhouse interior without a single right angle: The low ceiling, timbered walls and floors are all canted in weird ways, as if the house hasn’t quite settled. But it’s very cozy, with its overstuffed, ratty furniture, a grandfather clock and a big fireplace in the center of the room.

We learn that the house is central to a scene in the movie that is not in J.K. Rowling’s book (spoilers ahead!): It burns, and Harry, Lupin, Tonks and Mr. Weasley narrowly escape. The scene was added to the movie only with Rowling’s approval.

We also observed the filming of a scene in the Great Hall, which is filled with Hogwarts students at breakfast (big platters of sausages, racks of toast). It’s the day of Ron’s (Rupert Grint) big Quidditch match, and he’s nervous as heck. Ron enters the hall, kitted out in full Quidditch gear.

Students call out encouragement: “Good luck, eh, Ron?” “Countin’ on you, Ron!” “I’ve got two galleons on Gryffindor!”

The camera, on a crane, tracks Ron as he walks into the hall and down the central aisle. He encounters a towering student; they stop, do that left-right dance. Ron edges around him, then emits a big sigh. Not happy.

Radcliffe adds that romance blooms between Harry and Ginny Weasley, played by Bonnie Wright. “Yes, I’ve got everything with Ginny, which … has been fun. It’s good, fun scenes, and hopefully that’ll come across on screen,” he says. He adds: “It’s slightly odd, though, with Bonnie, because when Katie [Leung] came in to play Cho on the fourth film, it was very much the case when she came in, we always knew she was going to be as a love interest. Whereas, of course, when I first met Bonnie, she was just another character; she was, I think, 9-10 years old when I first met her, and so it’s very strange. I’ve sort of grown up with Bonnie, and now suddenly having to play love interest scenes is very–it’s kind of odd.”

SCI FI Wire will post more from its set report closer to the movie’s July release, –Patrick Lee, News Editor

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