How do you cope with the weight of expectation on the film?
I don't think about it. If you start worrying about approval, you're going to get it wrong. Dumbledore is possibly the easiest part in the entire book because it's so well written. It's all done for you, and I think I avoided the temptation of saying, "Well this is Richard Harris's Dumbledore." I didn't want to do that because the part was already created, all I wanted to do as an actor was to embody it, and let it speak for itself.

So have you read the books?
I haven't, even today I haven't read them. Not because they're not grand, I know they're great. I love the script, but I don't read fiction, it's as simple as that. There's more fiction in my life than in books, so I don't bother with them.

What attracted you to the script?
I thought the script was wonderful if they could pull it off, which they did. The thing that slightly worried me is: I hate commitment of any kind - that's why I have two ex-wives! If David [Heyman, producer] and Chris [Columbus, director] decide to do the seven novels, I have to do all seven - and that's what scared me. I'd have to get their permission to do something else. I'm a bit rebellious by nature, and I found that rather difficult to handle. While this was all floating around the family, my granddaughter called me and said: "If you don't do Dumbledore, I'll never speak to you again." I guess that was enough.