The Harry Potter films have been not needed much press to support their releases. With one of the most successful book franchises of all time, in an age where nobody reads anymore, they're pretty much a lock. Now that the actors are nearing adulthood (Daniel Radcliffe is about to turn 18), they've hit the road a little bit more to support the latest film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Still an inseparable trio, Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint joined forces to cast a PR spell for their latest wizard movie.
CraveOnline: Was it fun shooting those intense wand battles?
Emma Watson: Yeah, definitely. Ron and Hermione kind of took a bit of a backseat on the last one, watching Harry do all the tasks and stuff so it felt really nice to kind of be back in the action again. I mean, nothing major. We had a couple of stunts to do, a couple of harnesses and that sort of thing which was really fun. We actually had a dance choreographer in. All the different spells had different choreographed specific movements that went with them. So we had a couple of classes like that which was really good fun. I think this is the first one that you really see the craft behind magic and you get to see the craftsmanship. I know, it looked really impressive. I think especially that scene at the end between Dumbledore and Voldemort.
Daniel Radcliffe: I found the dance lessons quite tricky actually. I found I was getting really frustrated with myself when I couldn't get the moves right. But yeah, no, it was. It was good. I think that was a brilliant idea that David had was to actually make it so that whereas before, it's just been point at something, say the word. Now he was starting to build the sort of art just to show a distinction because when it came to the film, we didn't really do a lot of the stuff that we learned in the [class] but all the adults were. And it just made it so that there was actually a distinction between the adults and the young kids in terms of the skill. But no, it was good. It was fun. One of my favorite lines in the film is when Gary says, "Get away from my godson" and then punches Jason Isaacs in the head. And with me and Gary, we were Butch and Sundance on that day. It was just fantastic. So no, I had a lot of fun, definitely.
Rupert Grint: In the last one, Ron's been a bit of a wimp and sort of stayed away from the action side. This time it was quite cool that he got to be a bit tougher and got to fight so it was kinda neat.
CraveOnline: The films keep getting darker. Where did you go to derive such dark moments in this?
Daniel Radcliffe: I don't know, I think everybody's got that side of them which they can draw upon when they have to if they're trying to act it.
CraveOnline: Daniel, was doing your first movie kiss a piece of cake after being naked in Equus?
Daniel Radcliffe: Well, I did the kiss first and I think the reason that it wasn't a problem or a sort of worry in the slightest was that in the back of my mind, I was thinking I'll be naked on stage in six months, I've got to get over this. Because if that's a worry, then the whole nude dancing horses would be a greater worry. But really, the kiss, everyone sort of assumed it was a really big sort of moment but it's sort of just like doing any other scene really, which is very disappointing for people to hear I know but that's unfortunately how it was.
CraveOnline: In book six, Ron gets a girlfriend. In preparation for the next film, Rupert, did you learn anything from Daniel's scene?
Rupert Grint: Yeah, Ron does get a girlfriend in the next one. I think it's a little bit intense so I don't know. I did a little kiss, I did another film called Driving Lessons and there's a little kiss in that. It was quite an uncomfortable experience, on this tiny set with all the crew watching. I didn't really enjoy it too much but we have to wait and see. It's going to be interesting.
CraveOnline: Emma, your character finally starts to break the rules. Are you a rebel?
Emma Watson: I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm deeply uncool really. I really never break the rules. I don't know, I just never really have a problem with [authority]. I mean, I'm not scared to say what I think or if I really disagree with something then I'll say it, but I'm not kind of like a born rebel. That wouldn't be a description of me. I guess it was fun to play her like that, definitely. I mean, the film's quite dark and I think that kind of element added a light read. It's just kind of like what is up with Hermione? What is going on?
Daniel Radcliffe: It got a fantastic reaction yesterday.
Emma Watson: Yeah, it was really nice. In the film, that kind of got a good laugh so I'm quite jazzed at that. No, it was fun playing her. I guess just I was able to do things from such a young age that I never would have been able to do. Always traveling and being given all this responsibility and freedom, so I've never really had any barrier to break I guess. I don't really have anything to rebel against. I'm quite lucky really.
CraveOnline: Daniel, we hear you're a punk rock fan. Did you relate to the issue of revolution in this film through music?
Daniel Radcliffe: I love doing all that stuff to do with Harry in this film because David [Yates] kept referring to it as Dumbledore's army as being like the French resistance, which was a metaphor that really appealed to me. And also, Harry as a leader and a teacher was able to show off his wizarding skills. That showing off stuff was really, really fun to do. So I don't think I brought a tremendous amount of punk music into those scenes. It didn't seem to require it. I was mainly listening to Radiohead for Harry in this film. Somebody did ask me yesterday if there was one album that could be Harry's soundtrack during this movie. I think it would be Okay Computer by Radiohead which I think tells you all you need to know about his character.
CraveOnline: Beckham's coming to LA. Are you excited for that?
Daniel Radcliffe: Oh right, is he starting? Oh, great, then yes.
Emma Watson: I've been watching David Beckham for years and the Galaxy, yeah, definitely I think, poor guy. He's got the pressure on, doesn’t he?
Daniel Radcliffe: To save football.
CraveOnline: Could you each talk about growing up over the course of these five films?
Emma Watson: I remember, especially with the earlier films, Dan and Rupert had grown like a couple of inches by the end of shooting because it was so long, or by the time the film was released. That was kind of crazy. I know on the second one I was still losing teeth, so that was interesting. One scene I kind of like a full set to a couple out.
Daniel Radcliffe: Not a full false set of teeth. It was one tooth. It wasn't like the whole mouth.
Emma Watson: No, I was saying I had a full set of teeth and then I'd lose one.
Daniel Radcliffe: Oh, right, okay, I thought you said, "I had a false set of teeth."
Emma Watson: Oh my God, no. So it was kind of a weird experience, to make the whole growing up process rather smoothly. We kind of had to do it without anyone realizing. But I don't know, I think we don't really think about it. Everyone always asks this question. "Is it really hard growing up on screen?" I've never grown up any other way so I don't know. That's the way it's always been and you just kind of deal with that. I mean, We've been doing it since we were so young so I can't really remember what life was like before, so I don't know.
Rupert Grint: Yeah, for me it's just been one long experience really because it doesn't really feel like that long ago. It's only when you look back on the first ones you sort of realize how much we've grown up I guess. It's been really fun. I've enjoyed sort of every moment of it so it's been really cool.
Daniel Radcliffe: I don't think you realize when you're growing up. I think it's just one of those things that sort of just happens to you and somebody shows you a photograph of yourself when you were 10 and you recoil in horror. To us, as Emma was saying, we've just grown up. We don't think of ourselves as having grown up on screen. But yeah, it's been great. It's been really good fun. We've met some of the people who we're really, really good friends with through these films who we probably wouldn't have had the chance to meet had we not done them, so it's been fantastic.
CraveOnline: How does it feel to have your prints at Grauman's Chinese theater?
Emma Watson: I was amazed they asked us. I was like, "Wow." I couldn't believe it. That's such a big deal. I was really, really, really flattered. It's just amazing to be doing it.
Daniel Radcliffe: Yeah, but when you see those other names, I think we all were like…
Emma Watson: Really? Us? You sure?
Daniel Radcliffe: Yeah, I don't know. It's amazing. It's absolutely just fantastic. I think we're all just a little bit in shock that we've been asked. It's amazing.
CraveOnline: Whose other handprints do you admire at the Chinese theater?
Daniel Radcliffe: I think John Wayne's there so that's pretty cool. My favorite John Wayne line, it's a really early John Wayne movie and it was obviously improvised because nobody could have scripted this. As he walks out, he walks out of a saloon I suppose, because they were saloons then, not bars. And he walks out and he's walking through the square and he's quite young, and there's all these birds in the square and he walks in and they all fluster away and he goes, "Get outta my way, pigeon." Which is just fantastic. So if I can have my handprints next to that man then that would be awesome.
CraveOnline: Do the much-hyped releases of the books affect you guys?
Rupert Grint: Yeah, it's quite exciting, particularly this one because there's so much hype about it and everyone's got their own little theory of who's going to die. That's the big question. I don't know really. I'm really looking forward to it.
Daniel Radcliffe: Who do you think's going to die?
Rupert Grint: I think it could be you actually.
Daniel Radcliffe: Oh, man. I mean, I do think absolutely there's always going to be that hype around it but the thing is, with the books and the films, it's not just hype. It's deserved because they do get better and better and more exciting. My favorite book is the fifth and my favorite film is the fifth as well. To be able to say that five movies into a franchise is I suppose quite rare. But also, I don't know how the book releases affect us. I think you're very, very anxious about what's going to happen. I don't think we get totally distressed by it, do we really?
Rupert Grint: No.
Emma Watson: I get a bit distressed.
Daniel Radcliffe: Do you?
Emma Watson: I get really stressed. I remember us doing this interview and I've always just been convinced that Hermione's going to make it. Apparently this hacker has been claiming that she's going to die. This interviewer sat down and she was like, "Well, this hacker is claiming what's going to happen and she's not going to make it and she's the one." I was just like, "No, no, no. You don't understand. She's meant to be with Ron." I just have all these ideas in my head about what was going to happen. It was just all weird and horrible but I guess from an acting point of view it would be good to have a death scene or to die. I mean, we obviously have like hugely invested interests but I think mostly we're really big fans ourselves.
Daniel Radcliffe: Yeah, exactly, so we are looking forward to finding out with the rest of the world as well. We certainly don't get any inside information.
Emma Watson: Yeah, no sort.