MyMovies.net:
Interview with Chris Columbus, Robbie Coltrane, and Jason Isaacs

Chris, did you take on board the reaction to "Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone" while making "Chamber of Secrets"?
Columbus: Not really, we didn‘t have time to even think of the reaction to being number one which was probably good for the kids as well as all of us making the film. "Philosopher's Stone" opened on Friday and on Monday we went back to shooting "Chamber of Secrets." We always knew "Chamber of Secrets" would be stylistically different from "Philosopher's Stone"; it's a darker picture with a little bit more magic, adventure, suspense and funnier. We were trying to make a picture that felt like it was in the same world but obviously a different film. The most important things...the first one had forty–five minutes of introduction — we immediately get into the story on this one.

Robbie, were you able to develop your character much in this film?
Coltrane: The way the books are written more and more is revealed about Hagrid because he has a dark side being half–giant as we know, so in this particular one he's in prison for most of the film so he was interested in going into his past and inadvertently we think he's the bad guy for a long time in the film, so I tried to play him a bit darker.

Jason, you play a new character. Was it tough coming into an established group?
Isaacs: No, it was like turning up to a party where all the people are slightly bored of each other and are fooled when the doorbell rings!

How did you find dealing with such special effects as the character of Dobby?
Isaacs: (Jokingly) I had scenes with Dobby, and I don't want to tell bad stories about people when they're not here to defend themselves but he was in his trailer all of the time and I think he's gone a bit Hollywood!

Having gone from being shaven headed in ‘Black Hawk Down‘ to wearing a long blonde wig in this film can you tell us if its true that do blondes have more fun?
Isaacs: I don't think I could have had more fun making "Black Hawk Down," but certainly having long blonde hair means you're treated a bit better. Of course when you‘re carrying an M–16, people treat you pretty nice as well!

Chris, can the children play the characters for the rest of the series, considering their age?
Columbus: It'll take longer to shoot the third than the first two films. We basically shot the first two films back to back so the third will take sometime and the books, as you well know, the kids get progressively older with each year at Hogwarts so presumably they can play the roles for the remaining films, so it‘s really up to them.

Did you have second thoughts on taking on such a huge directing task?
Columbus: I had the best experience of my filmmaking life making these two films, the English crew was the best crew I've ever worked with, the actors — completely professional, there's no starry nonsense you have to deal with. It's been great; it's been an amazing experience. I obviously can't do a third due to my family obligations. I think the kids need to save their energy for the third film, they deserve that. I'll be involved with producing the third film and so I'll have my anchors out...

What was working with the special effects like?
Columbus: One thing that I learnt in the first film and felt we could improve upon in the second film were the visual effects. I felt we could have done better. We had three months in the first film, and we shot all the digital effects scenes first in "Chamber of Secrets" so we had eight months to work on them. I realised in the first film the technology is there to do whatever you want, so it actually opens you up as a filmmaker; you can basically add a character wherever you like, so your imagination can run free.

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