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- ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre
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- Daniel
Radcliffe, actor
The
real heartthrob in this piece, though, is young Radcliffe as the
child Davey - who is real as rain. Those wonderful eyes and cherubic
face make us feel every thorn and every joy with equal truth.
-- The Christian Science Monitor
Londoner
Daniel Radcliffe earned glowing reviews for his performance in David
Copperfield; his natural poise and charm are readily apparent in
his performance as the resolute and good-natured David.
He followed his acting debut in Copperfield with John
Boorman's 2001 film, The Tailor of Panama, in which he played
the son of the tailor opposite Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush and
Jamie Lee Curtis. Boorman described him as "a lovely kid."
When Radcliffe landed the coveted title role in Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer's Stone, the eagerly anticipated film of the first
book in the popular series by J. K. Rowling, the world shook beneath
his feet. He is already in production on the second book in the
series and Warner Bros. has the rights to all four published so far.
The Harry Potter juggernaut has started rolling.
Recently, Masterpiece Theatre Online had the agreeable task of
chatting with the charming and soft-spoken Mr. Radcliffe about his
thoughts and experiences as a young actor -- and as an everyday kid.
Dan, you just recently had a birthday...
Yes, I turned 12 in July (of 2001). We were on holiday at the
time; we were in Spain. I opened all my cards and presents... well,
most of my presents, before I went on holiday, so I had a chance to
play with them a bit ... but I opened cards and things there and it
was really, really fun.
Did you have a birthday cake?
I'm not much of a cake person.
Have you always wanted to be an actor?
Well, I haven't really decided what I want to be yet... I'm
definitely very interested in it, but there are a number of other
things I'm very interested in as well -- music, writing... scripts
and things, but especially autism which I want to go to the
university maybe, and study.
Are you thinking you might want to work with
children with autism?
I'd definitely like to learn about it ... to understand more.
Do you play an instrument?
No, I don't play an instrument, but I really want to play the drums.
Were your parents enthusiastic about your
acting?
I think that that they were really quite happy for me to do it ...
as long as I kept in touch with all my friends and still led a
normal life. My mum is a casting director and my dad was a literary
agent and now he's my chaperone.
How many callbacks did you have for the role
of David Copperfield?
I think it might have been about 5.
Had you done any acting prior to that?
No. None.
Was the experience of making that film what
you expected?
There was a lot more detail than I expected. I didn't realize about
the lighting and the set design... and all of those things.
Had you read the Harry Potter books
before plans for a film were underway?
I had read the first two, I think starting when I was 8, but I
wasn't a big reader around that time. But as soon as I got the part,
I read all of the books. I was only planning to read number one
first but I got so into them I read one, two, three and four back to
back!
Do you have a favorite of the four?
Definitely number two...
How did you end up auditioning for Harry
Potter?
It was quite funny actually because apparently the director -- Chris
Columbus -- had asked if I could come audition. But I was doing Tailor
of Panama; I couldn't come. But then I met the producer, David
Heyman, in the theatre one night by complete coincidence. I was
introduced to him in the interval. He seemed really nice. He was
with the writer, Steve Kloves. Then we got a call from him. My mum
got a call from him sometime the next week asking if I'd just like
to meet... not for an audition, but just to meet. We went and he was
really nice, really funny. We were interested in a lot of the same
things. But then, quite soon after, I was asked if I'd like to come
in for an audition and... it was so fun.
What did you have to do in the audition?
It was really, really funny. First of all, we read one of the scenes
with Hagrid, and then Chris Columbus got me to improvise about that
scene... he kept fumbling the lines... to see what I would do. It
was funny.
Did you feel nervous or pressured?
I felt very nervous because I knew that I was about to step into a
room with a very famous director. But I didn't feel pressured
because I didn't expect to get the part.
Were other kids auditioning at the same time?
The producer, the casting director and Chris were all really good
because they would never have two boys auditioning for the same part
in at exactly the same time. So, when I went in there, it was me, a
boy auditioning for, I think, Dean Thomas, and a boy auditioning for
Neville. And that was it.
Do you have any theories or thoughts about why
you ended up getting the part?
I have no idea.
Really?
Yeah. Absolutely no idea.
When you found out that you got the part,
after your Mum and Dad knew, who was the first person that you told?
My granny... both my grannies.
Were they excited?
Yes!
How did your friends react when they heard?
Well, they all called up and immediately said,
"congratulations, congratulations!" They reacted so well
and none of them -- not one single person -- was jealous. It was
really good. I didn't actually tell any of my friends. I was going
to but they phoned me first because they had seen it on the news.
When you're filming, are you tutored or do you
go to school?
I'm tutored on set for a minimum of three hours a day and a maximum
of five and I have the most fantastic tutor. One-on-one tutoring
really, really works because I got the best exams ever in my life...
because of one-on-one.
Do you miss going to school?
Not really, because I see my friends so regularly. This year a
couple of my really close friends have gone into this other class so
I would hardly see them. But I'll actually see more of them when I'm
filming than I do in school because I see them on the weekend.
Have you become a celebrity at your school?
Not at all. They're all acting really normally.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like listening to music. I like keeping fit. I run, I run a lot. I
do pressups and things, I do football and I do all kinds of sports.
What else do I do... I play PlayStation a lot. A lot.
Do you like to read more now?
Yes, definitely, because that's what the Harry Potter books
really did; they introduced me to reading. At the moment I'm reading
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And watching films...
films is my biggest of all hobby.
Do you have a favorite movie?
Probably What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
And do you have a favorite book?
It's either Harry Potter number two or a book called Holes
by Louis Sachar. It's really good.
There are so many special effects in Harry
Potter. You sometimes needed to act or react to something that
wasn't really there... did you find that difficult?
It requires quite a lot of concentration. In the case of all the
ghosts for example, there's Chris Columbus and another man who are
doing the voices for the ghosts and they're doing them so well that
you kind of feel that they are there.
When you think back on shooting Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, do you have a best memory?
I think probably the Great Hall scenes. That's a very, very
difficult question but I think the Great Hall scenes. All the kids
were there, 360 or something extras, and it was really fun to film.
Hedwig comes in, carrying the broom...
Any bad experiences?
No. No, I really am trying hard, but I can't think of one.
Did you find it difficult to learn lines?
It's more the movement and the choreography and the facial
expressions you use with the line. The lines, you keep going over
them... you have to constantly learn them. After a while they really
sink in and you have to focus on the other aspects like when to move
and what facial expressions to make.
How many hours a day do you normally work?
Four hours probably, filming.
Is it work for you?
No. I really enjoy it. I don't consider it a job at all; it's so
fun.
Has your life changed since this all started
for you?
Not at all; its really been just the same as usual apart from I
don't go to school, and that's the only thing. But I still see my
friends just as much and, when I'm on location and I don't see them,
I email them.
Do you think that when the movie opens things
will change for you?
No, I can't see things changing; I don't want them to. I really
don't think they will.
Do you have a special plan for the premiere?
No, I just really want to enjoy it and hope it goes well.
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