Interview with the Gryffindors (Oliver & James Phelps, Devon Murray, and Matthew Lewis)

Oliver: We've read the books, haven't we?

James: Yeah. I'd just finished the first one when we heard there were auditions for the film.

Oliver: And obviously, I didn't realize how much of a big scale it was on. But I knew that there was definitely something about them.

Interviewer: Thought it was gonna be low-budget?

Oliver: Well, I---(starts laughing)

Interviewer: So, what about you?

Devon: Well, I'd just read the first one and then, as James and Oliver said, the auditions came up and then I had to keep on reading more and more to find out more about the film.

Shrunken Head: Is it true for your part in Harry Potter, you were cast by headhunters?

Interviewer: No, that was only you, wasn't it?

Shrunken Head: Well, how did you get your star parts?

Oliver: Well, we heard there was an open auditions in Leeds and we thought, "Why not go for it," you know.

Interviewer: What about you?

Matthew: Mine was the same. I'm from Leeds. Mine was at the open audition as well. And I remember all the people queuing up the stairs and everyone was there with the Harry Potter books and they put glasses on without lenses in. And I was just there with-I had a little, small CV and then I thought "Okay, I've got no chance of this at all."

Interviewer: What about you?

Devon: My manager was on the-

Interviewer: Oh, "my manager." (Group laughing)

Devon: Well, he was on to the casting directors and all that about it so I went for an audition over in Ireland. Then I was asked to come over here to do a screen test for either Seamus or Neville Longbottom. So I was there like, "I might get a part in it."

Shrunken Head: Great. And how did they actually break this wonderful news to you?

Devon: Well, I didn't know I had the part until the actual read-through. I was told then I was going to read for Seamus, and then they said, "Well, you've read it all really well so we'd like to take you on," and all that. So went on and on from there, again.

Interviewer: Ok, where did you hear?

Matthew: Mine was two or three days after the screen test. Suddenly my mum got a phone call, and I was just carrying on playing and I opened the door and said, "Who is it?" . She says, "It's Lynn from your agency." I said, "Oh, okay." And, well, she gave me the thumbs up. And I just ran in the room started jumping up and down on the sofa. It was really cool.

Interviewer: What about you fellas?

James: Well, we were just sitting in the front room…

Oliver: And the phone rang, so my mum answered it and apparently this lady said, "Hi, is the mum of the Weasley twins there?" I think she said, "No, I think you got the wrong number." (Group laughing)

Interviewer: Mum blew it for you. That was it.

Shrunken Head: Hey, Johnny, Johnny, do you want to know how I got the part?

Interviewer: No.

Shrunken Head: Oh, hang on, hang on. Hey, guys, you want to know how I got the part?

Group: No, not really.

Interviewer: Sorry about that, fellas. Now, if you could play any other characters in the Harry Potter films, who do you think you'd play?

Matthew: I guess a bad guy would be pretty cool, like Draco Malfoy. But I remember the first time I read The Philosopher's Stone. I put my dressing gown on as I pretend to be Harry running around the house. I can't believe I just told you that (Laughing)

Interviewer: I'm good, aren't I?

Matthew: Yeah.

Interviewer: What's the strangest thing fans have ever asked you?

Devon: Well, they all ask, can we get them a part in the film?

Interviewer: Do they ask you for employment?

Devon: Yeah. Will you get me a job on Harry Potter?

Interviewer: If it's a lady, I'll bet you say, "Well…"

Devon: Yeah (laughing) "Give me your number there and I'll get back to you."

Interviewer: Have you had any really bizarre things happen to you?

Matthew: Somebody gave me a pepper at the Collectormania that we did.

Interviewer: Kleptomania?

Matthew: Collectormania, it was a signing event-

Devon: Convention.

Matthew: Convention. Thanks you. And, yeah, somebody gave me a pepper. And you got something ever stranger (looks at Oliver)

Oliver: Yeah, we got a bra with potatoes in it. So I don't quite-

James: We're still trying to figure out what-

Interviewer: What kind of tribute is that?

Oliver: Isn't that weird?

Interviewer: What was going through someone's head? Something like, "I know what's gonna really impress the twins." (Group laughing)

Shrunken Head: I know what's going through my head.

Interviewer: How do we tell you apart?

James: Uhmmm

Interviewer: What would you say--? How does your mum do it?

Oliver: That one there (points) I've got a mole on my neck there. And James doesn't.

James: I haven't. So….

Interviewer: That's it. We have to look for the mole. You're not actually ginger, are you?

James: No.

Oliver: No, it's dyed hair. Out of a bottle. We're dark brown normally.

Interviewer: How do you feel being ginger?

James: I've gotten used to it now. It's almost three years. We told our close friends we were in Harry Potter and they go: "Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure you are." Then we walk into school with ginger hair, everyone's like: "What are they doing?"

Interviewer: No one would do that. Who would die their hair ginger (group laughing)

Shrunken Head: Johnny! I could play a Weasley in the next film.

Interviewer: No you couldn't.

Shrunken Head: What's the problem?

Interviewer: Ok, do you have a twin?

Shrunken Head: No

Interviewer: Do you have ginger hair?

Shrunken Head: No, but I have a bra full of potatoes (group laughing).

Interviewer: Matt, your character Neville. They've sort of clowned you up a bit. What have they done to you? You looked different when I was looking at some of the rushes there.

Matthew: Yeah, there's the false teeth, which are all yellow and crooked. We've got the two-sizes-too-big shoes.

Interviewer: They've gone for the big clown shoes.

Matthew: Yeah.

Interviewer: What about the ears?

Matthew: They put plastic behind the ears to make them stick out more. (Laughs)

Interviewer: Now, in Lupin's class, this time, we learn about the boggart which is the thing you fear the most, that's what the boggart turns into. What would be your own personal boggart?

Oliver: I'd say a big, hair rat.

Interviewer: Rats.

Oliver: Can't stand them. Or mice.

Interviewer: Do you ever come across rats in this? I know your brothers got-

Oliver: Only on King's Cross station last year, but it was an animatronic one until they did the real thing, where it was a real one. And, I still had thought it was animatronic until this thing jumps at me.

Interviewer: Did they make a real rat jump at you?

Oliver: It didn't do it because they told it to. It was just looking at me.

Interviewer: It was genuinely vicious.

Oliver: It didn't like me, yeah.

Interviewer: What magical power or spell would come in handy in everyday life?

Devon: Mine would probably be, just so all the girls-just so everyone-

Interviewer: (Laughing) He says it with an Irish twinkle in his eye. "All the girls, Johnny, all the girls." Okay. Well listen fellas, thank you for talking to me.

Shrunken Head: He doesn't have many friends. This means a lot to him. (Laughs)

Group: Thank you