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Potter star 'terrified' on set
06/12/2005 08:46 - (SA)
Daniel Radcliffe who plays the leading role in the Harry Potter series, has spoken about filming the Goblet of Fire and the physical challenges of performing his own stunts.
Obviously new books are coming out ahead of the films, is that a daunting thing? All these books are published and you can read them and you think, "In a year's time I've got to do that"?
Daniel: The thing is, when the sixth book came out, if it had not been good I would have thought, "Oh, that's a bit disappointing, am I going to do this? I don't know." But because it is, because I have read the book and I really enjoyed it, I thought it was absolutely fantastic, it is not daunting, it's exciting. If it happens, which I am sure it probably will, but it's something to look forward to. It's not like a 'to do' list.
Do you find with each film that the challenge gets greater? Not only do you have to make the film, you've also got to better what you have done before.
Daniel: Oh, you've got to better it, definitely. I just want to keep improving because if I didn't I would maybe get complacent. When you are complacent you start giving poor performances.
Given the nature of the fourth book, did this film present more physical challenges; you had to act underwater for starters?
Daniel: Yeah, those were tough, physically. The one that I found hardest was the dragon task because there's a bit in the dragon task that isn't actually in the book, where I fall off the broom and start sliding down a roof.
So, I was doing lots of sliding-down-the-roof acting and for part of that I had to be suspended from the ceiling on a wire and then they let me go and I fall and then land. It was very scary because it was a freefall of 60 feet and I fell in about 2.5 seconds, maybe less and I was terrified. I'm not even going to pretend I was being brave. I was very scared.
But it's very good because even though there will probably be people in the cinema going, "I wonder if that was a stunt-double and they just put his face on in special effects." I will know that it was me. At the very beginning I was really quite frightened, but after about the first five takes I started enjoying it.
That was probably the toughest, physically. Those were the physical challenges, but the mental challenges were things like the confrontation with Voldemort at the end. While it is physical it's also incredibly emotional for Harry because he's meeting the person who killed his parents and whom he wants to kill.
Was that the hardest acting scene you've had to do in the whole series so far?
Daniel: Absolutely, yeah. Hopefully, I haven't seen the scene cut together. I don't watch the playback or anything - so I haven't seen how it looks, but hopefully it will be okay. I'm slightly worried about it just because I know, in a way, that's what the last four films have been building up to. But Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort is fantastic, and in the event that I'm not great, he'll distract them. That's my plan.
There was the horrendous challenge of having to learn to ballroom dance for this one?
Daniel: Oh, that was tough, that scene. You'll notice in the scene you never see my legs; it's all from-the-waist-up dancing. And it's strange because I had a few disadvantages. All the other kids had about three weeks to learn it.
Because I was doing a big scene with Mad-Eye Moody, and they were learning and rehearsing, I only had about three hours rehearsal time in total. So, as soon as I got past the first six or seven steps it would fall apart slightly. The girl I was dancing with is a girl called Shefali, who plays Parvati Patil in the film, and she was fantastic. The girl who plays her sister Afshan is actually one of my best friends.
Shefali was brilliant, but she had a really tough time with the dancing as well because she and Afshan are supposed to be sisters, but Afshan's a lot taller than she is, and Shefali had to wear massive platforms. So, you have someone with very bad co-ordination, me, dancing with someone in massive platform shoes, neither of whom are blessed in dance.
It wasn't easy, but in the end we just had a really good time, and it was a real laugh. Technically, I should be a fantastic dancer because both my parents were champion dancers in their youth, but those genes have definitely skipped a generation.
Obviously there's a whole new set of characters, who have come into this one a lot new fellow pupils and Katie who plays Cho Chang. Was there a sense of you playing the old hand and bringing them into the fold and showing them the ropes and all that kind of thing?
Daniel: (laughing) I've never thought of myself as an old veteran actor! But Mike was absolutely brilliant in giving us workshops. I say workshops - there wasn't actual carpentry involved. We all got together in a room and did acting, improvisation and stuff.
What was great about it was that it was new to all of us, really, because none of us had ever really done improvisation before or anything like that. There was Clémence Poésy and Katie Leung; Stan Ianevski came in, along with all the people who were in the other films, and we just did all the stuff with a drama teacher, Ben, who was really, really cool.
It was for about three weeks before we started filming. It was just great because not only did it give us a chance to get to know each other, but we were all in the same position.
What would you say marks this film out, as unique from the others, that makes it distinct and of itself?
Daniel: One of the things is, it's the first one in which you see Harry having a crush on girls or anything like that. But also, I know we say with every film that comes out that they get darker, but it is true and I think that's shown in the fact that it's been given a PG-13 rating in America because it is a lot darker and a lot scarier.
Did you realise that that when you were doing it, "wow, this seems a lot stronger than anything I've done before"?
Daniel: I did feel that, but I was thinking, "With filming like this, who knows if this will end up in the final film, because they might not want a film that not everyone can see?" But I'm really pleased that they haven't veered away from that darkness.
The other day I was doing a bit of dubbing and I saw a bit of the end scene and I was thinking, "No, they really haven't pulled away from the darkness in it." It's just looking really good.
The other thing that's occurred to me is the relationship between Harry, Ron and Hermione because in this one Harry and Ron have a big falling out and there's even more tension between Ron and Hermione. At this point we all know that they fancy each other and they know that they do, but no one wants to tell anyone. It's like that stand-off scene you get in all the Western films. I think the main thing is Harry and Ron do have a massive falling out in the film.
Do you ever sit down and rationalise the scale of it (fame)?
Daniel: (laughing) No, not really, but I will now. I've never really thought about it. The premieres for me aren't my favourite part of the process at all. I love the filming and that. But I think it's different.
If I went to loads of premieres, other than Harry Potter, it might be different and I may get used to it, but I don't want to get used to that feeling of stepping out and having that, because it's an amazing feeling.
I imagine it's what bands feel when they walk on stage or huge festivals and everyone applauds them before they've even done anything. They haven't seen the film, but they come out to clap.
It's a really gratifying feeling. Especially when you're doing a Harry Potter film, you're there for at least ten months, probably eleven, maybe even twelve. It's great that people come out and clap and cheer because it makes it feel even more worthwhile than it already does. It's never something I hope I get used to.
- News24
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South Africa
