5 July, 2007
BY OUR CELEBRITY REPORTER
Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the role
of Harry Potter in the hugely popular
Harry Potter films, says he relishes
his status as heartthrob.
Radcliffe, 17, said this after many
young girls braved the rain outside
the European premiere of Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix.
Hundreds of fans, mainly young girls,
crowded London’s Leicester Square in
torrential rain to chant “Harry,
Harry, Harry.” Some of them waved
home-made banners. One read: “Show us
your wand, Harry baby.”
On the enormous female attention he
attracts, Daniel Radcliffe remarked:
“I can’t complain. It’s rather
wonderful, really.”
The film features his first on-screen
kiss with Katie Leung, who plays Cho
Chang. Radcliffe said: “She’s a very
good kisser.”
Responding to the rumour that the
on-screen kiss took 30 takes, Rupert
Grint, who plays Harry’s close friend
Ron Weasley, said with a smile:
“That’s what I heard.”
Rupert Grint said Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix was darker than
previous films, adding: “I think
everyone’s grown up in this one.”
Daniel Radcliffe was barely 10 years
old when producer David Heyman spotted
him with his parents in the audience
of a play in London. Heyman saw
something distinctive in the
dark-haired, blue-eyed schoolboy that
convinced him he could play the boy
wizard in the movie adaptation.
Radcliffe initially worked with Chris
Columbus, who had directed Macaulay
Culkin to stardom in Home Alone.
Columbus stayed on for a second Harry
Potter, but passed on the third
installment, which was directed by
Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron.
Cuaron delivered a darker, grittier
adventure than the previous two films.
British director Mike Newell directed
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,
in which Harry experienced the first
pangs of adolescence.
With Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix, Harry undergoes an emotional
journey as he is beset by nightmares
that seem to foretell sinister events.
His mental connection with the evil
Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) grows
ever more intense.
Returning to school after witnessing
the death of his friend, he feels
ostracized by the notoriety he has
gained in the wizard community.
J K Rowling, the author of Harry
Potter books, made a rare public
appearance at the premiere and spoke
of writing the final book in the
series. Said she: “Finishing it was
very, very emotional. It was a
combination of relief and sadness
really.”
The publicity-shy writer said seeing
the crowd in Leicester Square was
“fantastic” but she was shocked to
hear that some fans had camped
overnight.
Rowling said that fans in the crowd
had asked her a lot of questions about
the final book but she refused to
answer. “They’ve only got two weeks to
wait now so I’m not being too mean,”
she said.
The seventh and last book in the
series, Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows, is to be released on July 21.
The author said the final book would
be the last Harry Potter story and
that she was not tempted to change her
mind.
J K Rowling, who is a supporter of
Gordon Brown, Britain’s new Prime
Minister, was asked if she would ever
consider going into government. Her
reply was: “Absolutely not.”
Also at the premiere of Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix were
Leung, Emma Watson (who plays Harry’s
friend Hermione Granger), Imelda
Staunton (who plays Defence Against
the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge)
and Helena Bonham Carter (who plays
Lord Voldemort devotee Bellatrix
Lestrange).
According to internet retailer
Amazon.com, nearly 1.6 million people
worldwide have pre-ordered the Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That
beats the 1.5-million advance orders
which the website took for the sixth
book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince.
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