In new interviews with FilmClub, Harry Potter actors Tom Felton, (Draco Malfoy), James Phelps (Fred Weasley), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge), Toby Jones (Dobby the House Elf) and Jessica Hynes (voice of Mafalda Hopkirk) let us know what movies have inspired them.   (You can see Tom Felton in this video starting at 1:47 and Jessica at 0:20)

Proving that film can be both enjoyable and a source of inspiration, James Phelps, who plays Fred Weasely commented: “I would say the film that made me most interested in films and acting in films when I was growing up was ‘Forrest Gump’.  It has always been my favourite film for many reasons; there is no bad guy and the story went into real events in history. Plus Tom Hanks is a great actor, which makes it all so believable.”

Tom Felton spoke of his film journey to becoming bad-boy Draco Malfoy, revealing: “There are a few films that have definitely influenced me on my journey to becoming an actor. I remember as a kid loving ‘Robin Hood’ and all the James Bond movies were a big inspiration to me as a child.  Those were some of the films that I thought,  “That would be a very cool job to do”. So, I’m very lucky enough to be here.”

Jason Isaacs, who plays Draco’s father, Lucious Malfoy revealed an MGM classic to be his source of inspiration; “A film that changed my life and has throughout my life is ‘The Wizard of Oz’.  I first saw it when I was a little kid…on a giant screen and it was overwhelming – it was awash with colours and music and extraordinary looking people…One of the great things about the film is that it makes you think about films.”

Award-winning actress Imelda Staunton, who has appeared in several Harry Potter outings as well as a number of classic British films and TV programmes cited another actress as her influence; “When I was a kid, I watched a lot of black and white films, and I was very influenced by an actress called Bette Davis, who wasn’t particularly attractive, but really, really good.  A film I really liked was ‘All About Eve’.”

Bonnie Wright chose family drama A Little Princess; “The film that changed my life was ‘A Little Princess’, which I remember watching when I was a little girl and it made me really believe that inside every girl that there is a little princess.”

Actress Jessica Hynes, who voiced Mafalda Hopkirk in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix said: “I’m a big fan of ‘Bugsy Malone’. It’s a classic. Jodie Foster as Tallulah is jaw-droppingly brilliant.  That was one of the first moments when I thought I just want to do that so much.”

Toby Jones who plays Dobby the House elf in the hit series said, “Films that inspired my journey within the industry include ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ and ‘Dougal and The Blue Cat’ – I loved these as a child.  I particularly liked the original Willy Wonka with Gene Wilder. He was fantastically charismatic!”

FilmClub is a network of after-school clubs that offers children free weekly access to thousands of classic and popular films, as well as film industry news, events and talent. 4,650* schools across the UK are currently signed up to the initiative with over 125,000 members watching films each week.

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A bunch of Harry Potter stars have been nominated for BAFTA TV Awards!

ACTOR: Kenneth Branagh – Wallander (BBC One), Brendon Gleeson – Into The Storm (BBC Two), John Hurt – An Englishman in New York (ITV1), Other Non-Potter Actor

ACTRESS: Helena Bonham Carter – Enid (BBC One), Julie Walters – A Short Stay In Switzerland (BBC One), Julie Walters – Mo (Channel 4), Other Non-Potter Actress

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Imelda Staunton – Cranford (BBC One), Other Non-Potter Actresses

ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE: Stephen Fry – QI (BBC One), Others

According to The Liverpool Daily Times, Imelda Staunton will begin filming Deathly Hallows next week!

The actress, who played Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix, visited performers at the film and TV acting school in Duke Street last night. She spoke about her extensive career in television and movies, which included filming in the city for The Virgin Of Liverpool alongside Ricky Tomlinson and the drama David Copperfield.

The 54-year-old actress, who is well-known for playing Izzy in the comedy television series Up The Garden Path, arrived in Liverpool just a week before she begins work on the new Harry Potter film.

She said: “I hope the actors found it interesting to hear about the difference between theatre and film-making.”

The Daily Mail has a new interview with Imelda Staunton where she discusses Umbridge.

Another role that Staunton is to revive is that of the malicious Dolores Umbridge for the two-part film Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, which is due out next year. ‘Now, that is a great role,’ she says with relish. ‘It was wonderful playing this baddie dressed in pink, and to be able to play her again is a real treat.’

Her first Harry Potter was in 2007. Did it change her life? ‘No, not really. I don’t get chased down the street by hordes of kids. I still live a very normal life. The one good thing is that I get a lot more good scripts coming through my letterbox. Vera Drake raised my profile in one way, and then Harry Potter in another.’

I found a new article today that tells us three Potter stars will be in a new movie together! Director Mike Leigh has started his next untitled film with no plot details.  We do know that Imelda Staunton (Professor Umbridge), Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn) and David Bradley (Filch)  will be starring in this new movie!

I will post more details when they are available!

The bear Matthew Lewis has signed for charity sold for $142.50 today!  A very respectable number I must say!  Congratulations to whoever won the teddy!

Imelda Staunton’s (Umbridge) sold for $91 and Daniel Radcliffe’s is still up for bidding for a little over a day, his is at $350!

Thanks Lewis Lovers!