Jason:
Thanks very much. Yeahcant waitnot too far away Im sure.
JF: Youd
never read the Harry Potter books had you? You werent an aficionado?
Jason:
No I hadnt. I thought it was rather odd frankly that a lot of my grown up friends were suggesting
childrens books for me.
RM: Yes,
I did too.
Jason:
And then I got offered the part so I thought Id better see how many of these things I get
to appear in and bought all the books, and I started reading, and I looked up and it was three days later and I hadnt washed
and I hadnt eaten and I hadnt done any chores, and they are just fantastic. They are unbelievable!
RM: The
sequel to a good film in a series is the one where you know whether the rest of them are going to work or not and you just
said to us off camera Its a cracker. Well, really youre just saying that because youre in it arent you?
Jason:
Well, its just unbelievable. Ive just done four or five days of press for Japan, Korea, and
West Melbourne TV and stuff, and I was very professional and said how good it was, and how exciting, and I hadnt seen the
film. And they had a special screening for me yesterday and I dragged my relatives and friends in and godchildren, and it
was FANTASTIC! And what was great about it was that me and my six-year-old godson and my brother, who falls asleep in everything
Ive ever been in, we were all on the edge of our seats. We were screaming at the same time, we were laughing at the same time,
and you know, its not often that six year olds and I have a lot in common, but I just thought it was really exciting. And
it finished and I was covered in sweat (JF laughs) and its very, very. Its thrilling
to put it mildly.
RM: Is
it dark? I mean the books slowly get darker. Is it darker than the first film?
Jason:
Well its much scarier. The laughs are bigger and the thrills are bigger, you know, its a roller
coaster ride from start to finish. And I know thats the kind of thing actors normally say but I have to tell you I am rabidly
enthusiastic about this film. Im so excited to be in it and I cant wait to see it again.
RM: Well,
fair play.
JF: And
the kids, the boys especially, have really shot up. We had Rupert Grint on a few weeks ago and his voice has broken, and Daniels
voice has broken too I believe.
Jason:
Daniel has a full beard now, down to his knees.
(R and
J laugh)
Jason:
Theyre all growing up, I mean Emmas growing up as well. Thank God, because the characters
are growing up. Its quite weird because some of the journalists have been going Youre in trouble now, those children are growing.
Well, I tell you, theyd be in real trouble if they werent growing. It would be very strange. And as the books take place,
each book theyre a year older.
RM: Its
sequential. Thats right.
JF: Yes,
they will go up until the time theyre ready to leave school.
RM: Its
not like Dennis the Menace or Just William, where theyre frozen in time. The books progress in that way.
Jason:
Well thats one of the great things about the film because you see these characters, and not
only the actors are older but obviously the characters are a bit older, and their friendships stretch back further and theyre
having much bigger adventures.
RM: As
an actor it must be fantasticI mean its great being in a hit and its great being in a film thats big and thats publicised
big time around the world, but it must be fabulous to be part of something which everybody talks about and that we all like,
and a real phenomenon.
Jason:
All that is true, but actually Im still kind of aglow from yesterday. Its great being in a
film thats this good. I mean its not a hit yetno-ones seen it
JF: It
will be
Jason:
Its fabulousyou know what was also nice is you dont often get the chance to play a wizard,
and stick hair down to your bum on, and have a wand and a cape, and make things fly across the room by waving your hand. I
mean obviously you two do, but it doesnt happen to me in my profession.
(R and
J laugh)
JF: Its
awfully sad about Richard Harris. Incredibly sad.
Jason:
Yes, it was very odd for us because, you know, weve been publicising this film the last couple
of days, and Richard died in the middle of it. I mean its very hard to beits not hard to be sad, but memories of Richardwhen
I think about Richard he made everyone laugh so much. He was such a fantastic raconteur and just such a twinkly
mischievous presence. Im absolutely sure he wouldnt want people to be miserable. I mean he just relished every second of his
life.
JF: And
he was actually quite self-deprecatory wasnt he. He couldnt stand anyone saying acting is a terribly difficult, wonderful
profession, He was always saying no, it was a really good time.
Jason:
Whats interesting about Richard was that people want to talk about the fact that he drank
a lot or had adventures and was always in the newspapers, but I was lucky enough, privileged enough, to do some scenes with
him and of course all those things we know about him, we know because he was a brilliant actor. In the end he did his job
so superbly that we got to learn about his private life. But he was a sensational actor.
You know, I got to the set and was very intimidated, because here was this guyI went to drama school with
his son Jared and so I was already terrified of him, because he came to see us at Central (Central School of Speech and Drama,
London) and it was change your underwear day when he came.
And hed sit and tell these great stories and then theyd call action and suddenly I was looking at Dumbledore,
and here was this guy that, you know, wanted me out.
JF: When
I first heard that he was going to play Dumbledore, I thought oh hes not quite twinkly enough for it but he was fantastic.
Jason:
Ahhe was sensational
RM: But
also theres that dark side to Dumbledore and as you say when youre opposite him presumably the tension between the two characters
is enormous.
Jason:
Richard was a very tough guy, and Dumbledore was a very intimidating figure and it raises
the stakes slightly when you play a scene with a man like that.
RM: Was
it you who said that hed be up till four in the morning, having a great time, telling everybody jokes, keeping everybody laughing,
and then even if he wasnt on camera the next morning, if you had a scene, hed come down at eight oclock and read your lines
to you?
Jason: I didnt get to beI meanthere was
this one famous night when he held court all night long and Alan Rickman, and Ken Branagh and Maggie Smith sat there till
dawn listening to his stories, but I wasnt there unfortunately that day, but the ripples were still going on when I got there.
But I did get to sit there and had to be dragged across to the set, because his stories stretched back for decades and he
had perfect recall and cracking timing. Even in death he had perfect timing.
RM: (shakes
Jasons hand) Great to see you again
Jason:
Thanks very much
JF: I cant
wait to see the film
Jason:
Now, youre going on Sunday arent you?
JF: We
are
Jason:
Now Ill tell youyour kids are teenagers arent theyand I thought that maybe teenagers are too
old for the film but I took two teenagers yesterday, who reluctantly dragged their heels in and they loved it. They are going
to have such a good time.
JF: The
excitement in our house is palpable
RM: The
last time was Black Hawk Down wasnt it?
Jason:
It wasmuch less hair last time.
(R and
J laugh)
Jason:
Its all about the hair really.
(R and
J laugh again)
