David Yates talks HRH final scene, J.K. Rowling in new interview


Potter director David Yates recently spoke with Manila Bulletin about his experience making four of the HP movies, about Dan, Rupert and Emma's final scene together, J.K. Rowling, and his future plans. Here are some excerpts (he gives a bit of a spoiler about the end of Deathly Hallows Part 2):

You came into the series at sort of that middle point. When did you realize the magnitude of the fan base. And what did you think about it? It was probably a phase in the cycle around about this stage when you do your interviews and you meet the press and walk up the red carpet. Obviously, you notice the fact that it’s globally popular, but it’s just when the fans come from Mexico or Argentina and camp out all night, you realize what it means to them. And it’s a huge responsibility, actually. Also, there are massive expectations on every movie, and in a curious way, you do your very best with the film. And I’m very proud of this film.

On the last day with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, when they were on set together and filmed their final scene, what was that like? We shot the scene on the viaduct, outside Hogwarts, and it was really peaceful. It was a really sunny day. It was all backlit. And it’s a very tender scene where they sort of reflect on everything that’s happened, all the battles and everything, and they hold hands, and the camera falls away. It’s a really tender, lovely scene. I said to them, ‘Look, guys, this is the last scene we’re all going to do with you three together in front of the camera. So, it’s not just the last scene of these three characters in the movie, this is your last scene in this series of films. That’s what today is about.’ And it infused it with a kind of emotion which was really moving actually.

Did you ever talk to Jo Rowling about adapting these books and the choices you made, particularly in terms of its contemporary feel? We never had a big conversation about that because it was very present in the book. She read the script and she was totally cool about the way we’d adapted it. She was always just very enthusiastic about the whole first script, generally. But she’s been really helpful and we had a good chat about a couple of scenes in Part 2. I asked her, ‘What were you thinking when you wrote these scenes?’ And she was really helpful.

Jo was a producer on this film, so how was that? How was her expanded role on it? You know, it hasn’t really changed from the other movies, honestly. She’s just always our biggest supporter. And always very graceful and kind and I think, because she’s been there throughout, it was time her name was up there. She wants to be up there with us; it’s a real privilege.

Do you have another movie brewing after all this? I’ve got so many scripts coming in, I can’t tell you. In fact, I told them to stop sending them. [Laughs] Because I haven’t read any of them. They’re just all piled up. But I’m so ambitious, I can’t tell you. It’s a strange thing about Harry Potter because I don’t feel any sense of ownership, in a way. I don’t feel territorial about it. I feel it’s a bit of a national treasure that I’m curating. For everything I can enter, I try and do my very best. And I’m very proud of the work I’ve done. But post-Potter, my career sort of starts again really. And I won’t feel like I’ve made four of the biggest films in the world. I’ll feel like, ‘Well, that’s it. I’ve done Potter now.’ And I’ll have all these beautiful scripts and I can begin in a way. That’s my plan. And I’m going to do big things and tiny little things. And they won’t have wizards in them.

No wizards? No wizards.

You can read the whole interview here. Thanks to Snitchseeker for the tip.

Posted on 15 Jun 2011 by Tom
0 Comments

What do you think? Write your comments here...

Name:
Smilies: smile wink wassat tongue laughing sad angry crying 

| Forget Me


See some of the latest Harry Potter news below...
Content Management Powered by CuteNews
Feb 28 NO comments
HP cast projects, Into the White, Rupert Grint

New clip released of Rupert Grint’s ‘Into The White’

Zentropa Norway, the studio behind Rupert Grint’s upcoming film Into the White has released this new minute long clip, featuring the man himself. The movie is set for release in Norway in March, with international releases as yet unconfirmed. Read more about the plot over on IMDb.

Feb 27 NO comments
Pottermore

Harry Potter eBooks Finally Getting Started

This just in from MuggleNet.com, the Harry Potter eBooks are getting rolling. According to a radio update on MarketWatch, Pottermore has announced today that it has entered into an exclusive worldwide eBook and digital audiobook distribution agreement with OverDrive, which is a leading global distributor of eBooks and digital audiobooks for over 18,000 public and school libraries worldwide. The eBook series will be available in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish to start and will expand to different languages in the near future.

 

Pottermore CEO Charlie Redmayne had this to say:

We are keen to support public and school libraries, and OverDrive, as one of the leading suppliers in this market, provides us with a global network that helps us achieve this, as well as encouraging the discovery of these amazing books across the world..

When released, readers will have immediate access to the eBooks on such devices as PCs, MACs, eReaders, Kindle (US Only), Nook, iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Blackberry, and Windows Phone. Digital audiobooks will be available for borrowing in the MP3 file format on computers, smartphones, and iPods.

As more details and information, especially the release dates, become available we will inform you. Hearing this news has made me extremely happy, what about you? Are you super excited? Do you have an eReader or a smartphone to read the Harry Potter eBooks? If not, then be glad that you can go to a public library to read your favorite stories time and time again.

Feb 27 NO comments
Deathly Hallows Part 2, Film Awards

Oscars 2012: Harry Potter is snubbed with Deathly Hallows Part 2 winning no awards

The annual Academy Awards took place in Hollywood last night and, as was largely expected, it was a disappointing evening for Harry Potter. Despite ten years of cinematic brilliance and an acclaimed final film, it was only nominated in three technical categories and failed to win in any of them.

Hugo, a film by Martin Scorsese (who is a favourite of the Academy), was the night’s biggest winner along with The Artist, and it beat out Harry Potter to take home the Art Direction and Visual Effects awards. And The Iron Lady won ahead of Deathly Hallows Part 2 in the Makeup category for their work in making Meryl Streep look like Margaret Thatcher. (View a complete list of winners here)

That means that after eight films, the Harry Potter series has and now never will win a single Oscar. According to Eonline, that makes it the most snubbed series of all time.

But did they honour the series with a special tribute or contribution award like the Baftas did last year? Nope, they did not. In fact the series only very briefly got a mention in a joke about taxes.

We think it is a great shame that for whatever strange reason, Harry Potter has been completely ignored by The Academy, the most prestigious of awards shows and the one which the whole world listens to. But we can be pretty sure that this won’t affect Harry’s place in cinematic history. Star Wars, for example, only ever received a handful of Oscar statues, and yet to this day is a huge phenomenon looked backed on as one the greatest movie series ever produced. Harry Potter will certainly leave a similar, perhaps even greater legacy, while the big winners here will be mostly forgotten.