Official HP site updated
posted by Jas, 08/30/06
HarryPotter.com has been updated with new section called Harry Potter Pensive, there are movie trailers, cast interviews, movie clips and dvd extras.

Kipling TV drama for Potter star
posted by Jas, 08/27/06
Dan will star in an ITV1 drama about Rudyard Kipling's family during World World I next year

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is to star next year in an ITV1 drama about Rudyard Kipling's family during World World I. He said he was "thrilled" to be playing the author's son in My Boy Jack, "a moving and powerful story". "Young men are still going off to fight in wars from which many will never return," Radcliffe said. ITV is hoping dramas starring Robbie Coltrane, Helen Mirren and Victoria Wood will help its ratings this autumn.

More reports from The Stage
It looks like ITV is raiding the Harry Potter trough with fervour. After snapping up Rupert Grint to star in forthcoming autumn drama Driving Lessons, comes the news that the network have signed Daniel Radcliffe for a new production called My Boy Jack. The production, which is being made by Ecosse Films, will follow the relationship between Rudyard Kipling and his son Jack - with Radcliffe in the title role. Kipling spent the last twenty years of his life searching to find out what happened to his son John (Jack), who had gone missing during the Battle of Loos in 1915. He had only got into the army because of his father's influence - poor eyesight rendered him medically unfit. David Hay will play Kipling.

From Times Online
Daniel Radcliffe will bring the horror of the trenches to young viewers by starring in a television film that tells the tragic story of Rudyard Kipling's son. My Boy Jack, a feature-length ITV film, is a personal project for the Harry Potter star, 17, who yesterday urged his generation to remember the thousands of young men who sacrificed their lives in the First World War.

Kipling spent the last 20 years of his life in an obsessive, fruitless search for his only son John (Jack), who had gone missing during the Battle of Loos in 1915. John, barely 18, suffered from poor sight and had got into the Army only through the influence of his father, a keen supporter of the venture. Jack was last seen struggling through the carnage, shot in the mouth and weeping. His body was never found. The film is based on a play written by David Haig, who takes the role of Rudyard Kipling.

The film, which will be screened next autumn, is designed to have contemporary resonances. Radcliffe said: "For many people my age, the First World War is just a topic in a history book. But I've always been fascinated by the subject and think it's as relevant today as it ever was, with young men still sacrificing their lives in the name of war. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like in the trenches, living among the stench of death."

Through his father's urging, Jack Kipling secured a commission in the Irish Guards. But the writer was forced into a bitter re-evaluation of his beliefs after his son's death, writing: "If any question why we died/ Tell them, because our fathers lied."

Outstanding exams for Dan and Emma
posted by Jas, 08/24/06
Both Dan and Emma did well in their exams. Emma grabbed an outstanding eight A*s and two As in her GCSE exams and Dan exceeded expectations when he got top results too, with three As in his AS-levels. Congratulations!

Dan interview in Guinness World Book
posted by Jas, 08/24/06
Mugglenet has a scan of Dan interview from the 2007 Guinness World Book of Records

Video Download: Dan on "Getaway" and Today Tuesday News
posted by Jas, 08/22/06
Staff member MarissaE reports that Dan was mention on Austalian TV in the last two weeks. TTN on Ch 10 today has a feature on Christian Byers and his new film "Footy Legends". In the interview Christian also talked about working with Dan on the December Boys. Download clip here

On Aug 10, Ch 9's "Getaway" travel program did a feature on the Daintree National Park - Bill from Deluxe Safaris spoke of Dan and there's a clip of Dan talking about Port Douglas, download clip. Update: If you want to download the full clip of the shows and some caps, Marissa has them up for download here.

GOF won Teen Choice Awards
posted by Jas, 08/21/06
Goblet of fire won the Choice Drama award at last night's 2006 Teen Choice Awards.

Interview with David Yates, Katie and Dan
posted by Jas, 08/21/06
Mid-day talked to David Yates, Katie Leung and Dan about OOTP

The drive from the Dorchester Hotel in London to the Leavesden Studios is usually scenic, filled with green parks and lawns. But this year global warming has taken its toll and there are expanses of dried brown grass everywhere.

Leavesden Studios is where they manufactured war planes during the Second World War. The Harry Potter series of films was looking for a permanent place to build its sets and shoot the films. Leavesden seemed ideal. They didn't change much about the structure either, leaving the low ceilings in place, forcing directors to be inventive.

I was dropped off at a tent structure for breakfast; the walls of the tent were lined with story-board drawings of the current Harry Potter film — The Order of The Phoenix — being directed by David Yates, the first English director to direct a Potter film.

Magic at the movies with Yates

What qualities do you have that would enable you to direct the film?
The core of J K's book is emotional: we see the death of Sirius; Harry Potter has no mum or dad and the only thing he clings to obviously is friends and his relationship with Sirius Black. I think what the producers were looking for when they asked me to do this was to make sure we had a story that felt emotionally rich and that's what I'm trying to bring to it.

Were you shocked when you were approached?
I was surprised. It was a great honour to be asked. I hadn't read the books. I was walking in Cornwall, south England. I was on a coastal walk when I got the phone call from my agent and they said they'd like me to look at Harry Potter and they sent me the book. I read it in a week and I loved it; I fell in love with it. And I suddenly caught up with everybody else. Then I went to see David Heyman the producer who's a delightful man, and I thought the experience would be fun. And it has proved to be, so far, just incredible fun.

What specifically are you doing to make this film uniquely yours?
It's probably a little more emotional than the others; it's a little more grown up, inevitably because of the story.

And in terms of the reality of magic it'll feel a bit more raw and edgier, darker and tougher than the others. In terms of my contribution, I'd say it would be to kind of grow the films up as the books are growing up.

Harry gets his first kiss in the film; how did you approach the scene?
Most of the crew working on these films has been working with Daniel (Harry Potter) since he was little and the day we shot the kiss, they gathered around the monitor.

They needed to see this moment, experience it, because for them, Daniel was really as much a son, because they've seen him go through all these changes as he's growing up.

And they got quite emotional watching his first kiss, it was a very interesting experience and I wanted make it feel as real and truthful as possible. We did many, many, many takes and it's very tender and loving, as the first kiss should be.

Playing Cho!

Wandering around the sets, I discover that the entire production occupies eight stages with three sets on each stage and it takes 1,500 people to work on these sets.

Fifteen people work in the prop department and 90 per cent of the props for the Potter films are made specifically for the film. Coming upon Grimmauld's Place, I notice a tapestry with the design of Sirius Black's family tree; this, I am told, is designed by J K Rowling herself.

The Room of Requirements at Hogwarts is of particular significance in this film, for it is here that Harry has his first kiss with Katie Leung, a young 18-year-old Asian actress who was discovered in Scotland; she's been playing Cho Chang from the last film. Katie is very soft spoken and unassuming.

Was it easy to act opposite Daniel?
Yeah, definitely. He's energetic and makes you feel relaxed. He talks to you all the time and tells you not to be nervous; it's great working with him.

What happens to her character in this film versus the last; does she get to do magic?
Yeah, Cho Chang actually has a wand in this one, which is great. In the last film Harry had a crush on her but she had a boyfriend so nothing happened. But after her boyfriend died in Goblet of Fire, her relationship with Harry developed in this one. Although, she's bitter through the whole film because she can't get over her boyfriend's death. And that kind of complicates their friendship with each other and it ends in disaster.

Is Daniel a good kisser?
Yes, Daniel is a good kisser, I really enjoyed it.

Harry's first time

One of the new and unfinished sets is the atrium, a copy of the London Underground, and will be used in the last fight scene between Harry and Voldemort. An English flag left over from the World Cup hangs over this set.

The dining room is the oldest of the sets – it's been standing for the last eight years, it seats 350 people, is 40 feet wide and 120 feet long; the floors are made of York stone which was laid for the very first film. This set is impressive. The second longest standing set is Gryffindor's common room; the portraits that hang on the walls are of the cast and some of the crew members. Dumbledore's office has portraits of former headmasters sleeping, adorning its walls.

The scene being shot is outdoors on a bridge with a blue screen behind; it involves Dan, Rupert, Emma and Matthew and Evanna. The director calls for the 15th take before dismissing the actors. Daniel is the first to walk off the set. He explains the scene.

"It's all slightly hysterical today because I've been back for sort of a month and a half filming but it's Emma's first day. And Rupert had about a month or so off, so everyone's sort of a little bit hysterical that is why we were laughing. I also tripped over Rupert.

We're doing a scene that leads into the final act of the film where Umbridge has been taken off into the forbidden forest and we reconvene with Ron, Neville, Luna and Jenny.

Then we all go off to fight Bellatrix LeStrange and Voldemort. So it's trying to carry over the intensity from the last scene into this one, but we'll get there."

How different is this Potter?
Very different so far — this role's more challenging than the ones I done before. Not physically challenging but in terms of acting, it's harder to do this one. And then it is different working with David, he's sort of got a very high quiet voice and he's soft spoken.

This movie is also different because there was a big gap in the middle because we stopped for a month and a half to do school exams and stuff. So the production shut down in the middle, which was very odd because that hasn't happened before.

Where is he in terms of his academic career?
I've just finished my penultimate year at school. So I've got a year left. But I'm taking a year out from school next year and then we're going to sort of look at it all again the year after that.

Is it easy to get back after the breaks?
It might take a couple of days to get back in the swing of things. But because I've been playing Harry for so long now, you just sort of get into it very easily now, it becomes less of a challenge to get back into it after time off.

He's 16. How does he compare his journey to Harry's?
It's the same; he has the same pits and troughs as any other kid his age. It's just that they're exaggerated in Harry's story. It's more than there would be for the average human being, because the average human being does not have magic.

And because of the nature of the story, he lives in quite an accentuated world, a sort of heightened reality. I think Harry's happiest moments are happier than anyone else could ever think of and his saddest moments are again probably more than people could consider.

Could he talk about the romantic aspect in the film?
Obviously it sort of had its beginnings in the fourth film. And this time I would say it comes to fruition. It was great, the kissing scene was great, it was good, and it was a lot of fun.

How does he respond to Katie saying he was a good kisser?
My God. It was fun; me and Katie – we were awkward and nervous at first but once we got it, it was fine.

On which take did he get it?
Probably on the thirtieth.

In Equus, his London stage debut as a psychologically disturbed stable boy, Daniel has a nude scene; how comfortable is he doing that?
It will be a bit of cop out if I don't, because all other actors who have played the part have done it, so for me not to do it wouldn't be really playing the part. It would be playing a watered down version of the part. It wouldn't be the same. I'll be incredibly nervous, but it's in the script so it's got to be done.

Is he looking forward to being on stage?
It's going to be nerve-wracking, but it's going to be incredibly exciting, it's a new challenge. It's something I've never done before. I've been voice training — learning to project my voice.

Most actors go from drama school to the stage and then into film. But I'm sort of doing it the other way around. I'm going from film to stage. And so it's an unorthodox way of doing it, but it's going to be quite exciting.

Has playing Harry Potter all these years changed him?
I really don't know if there has been a huge change in my character as a result of playing Harry. I think I've grown up in the way most 10 year olds grow up into 17 year olds; I might have grown up a little bit faster possibly than other people my age simply because I'm around so many adults all the time. Most kids, the only relationship with adults that they have is with their parents and teachers. I've been working with adults since I was about 11.

He's reportedly the sixth richest man in England.
I don't want to think about that; I try not to pay attention to it, because it's all speculation really, I think for the most part.

What does he think of Harry's world and life?
Harry's life is pretty unfair, because he didn't ask for any of this. He's been thrust into this nightmarish world by circumstances and through no fault of his own. I suppose Harry's situation is the most unfair simply because he doesn't actually deserve it in the first place; it's one on the greatest injustices

Carter & Hooper Confirmed for Harry Potter 5
posted by Jas, 08/02/06
Warner Bros. has confirmed that Helena Bonham Carter will play Bellatrix Lestrange in the Order of the Phoenix and composer Nicholas Hooper will do the film's score. More details

Dying to be Harry
posted by Jas, 08/14/06
Daily Record has a comment from Dan regarding Harry's fate in book seven

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe reckons he has a role to die for. Daniel, 17, says dying onscreen as Harry would be "exciting". The young star admits he is as much in the dark as anyone else except author JK Rowling over whether the boy wizard will die in the seventh and final book of the series. But he added: "It may be the only way the evil Voldemort could be killed is if Harry dies, because there is a strong connection between them."

Cop that, young Harry
posted by Jas, 08/14/06
Mugglenet has a scan of an interview with Dan from the Herald Sun where he talked about Equus, Harry and December Boys

'Harry Potter' villain praises young co-stars
posted by Jas, 08/10/06
Jason Isaacs has nothing but praises for Dan, Emma and Rupert

Jason Isaacs has applauded his young Harry Potter movie co-stars for remaining humble and polite despite the media madness around them. Isaacs, who plays villainous Lucius Malfoy in the fantasy saga, admits he could forgive Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint for being brats because they're often treated like "the second coming of Christ" by Potter fans. But, instead, the trio remain pleasant and accessible to their fans.

Isaacs says, "They are the same enthusiastic people that they were when I first started. I bring my friends' kids and my kids on set because they're all dying to visit Hogwarts (fictitious Potter school). "Obviously they're desperate for a minute with Daniel, Emma and Rupert, and they always find the time. You can only put it down to their nature. Initially, it was their parents' guidance."

Dan is highest paid teen star in UK
posted by Jas, 08/10/06
A short blurb on Dan from FOX News

Caught up with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who is now the highest paid teen star in the U.K. – if not the world. He might be only 16, but he is raking in 8 million for his next film and he told me: "I appear in the West End next year. That is really nerve-racking to be honest, but it's a challenge that I need as an actor, too." I can disclose that the star will only be picking up a mere £400.00 per week for his stint, as it's the union minimum.

Speaking of salary di-ve reports that Dan will earn 5 mill as Harry in OOTP

At the age of 17, Daniel Radcliffe has negotiated a deal that will earn him Lm5 million to star as Harry Potter for the fifth time in "Harry Potter And the Order of the Phoenix". Filming is taking place around England and Scotland. It is set to open in cinemas on July 13, 2007. All films proved financially successful in local cinemas. The Lm5 million paycheck that Radcliffe will be receiving shows an astonishing rise from the first film (which opened five years ago) where he was paid under Lm90,000.

Harry Potter 6 out on Nov 21, 2008
posted by Jas, 08/04/06
Box Office Mojo reports that the Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince film is set to be released on November 21st, 2008.

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