Today the Apple store in SoHo had a cast Q&A session with members of the Harry Potter cast. David Barron, David Heyman, Michael Gambon, Warwick Davis, Robbie Coltrane, Helen McCrory, David Thewlis, Natalia Tena, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Freddie Stroma and the Phelps twins were in attendance. I was at the event on behalf of the website but no flash photography or recording of the event were permitted so to hear all of the answers you will have to wait for Apple to release the vide, which should be later tonight. I did try to take some photos but they didn’t come out. Here is a small preview though.

The cast were asked what their favorite scene was, whether they filmed it or they just enjoyed it. Their answers are as follows (is is not exact wording, I was feverishly writing so I would remember what they said)

Michael Gambon – his scenes in the Great Hall making speeches
David Heyman – Less actiony scenes such as Harry flying Buckbeak, Harry and Hermione dancing in DH, and when the Gryffindor boys ate the animal candies
David Barron – the “no post on Sundays” scene from SS
Robbie Coltrane – Norbert hatching and subsequently catching his beard on fire
Warwick Davis – the Tale of the Three Brothers animation as well as his stage dive in GoF
Helen McCrory – Harry confronting Voldemort in Part 2
David Thewlis – Aunt Marge being blown up and turning into a werewolf
Natalia Tena – the Tale of the Three Brothers animation and flying on broomsticks
Bonnie Wright – filming in the Chamber of Secrets because it was a turning point for Ginny and the Epilogue
Oliver Phelps – Giving Harry the Mauraders Map and the twins fight in GoF
James Phelps – the joke shop scenes in HBP
Evanna Lynch – the Weasley wedding because it showed that wizards are normal, the people dancing in the background specifically
Freddie Stroma – Quidditch scenes; they just threw balls at him and he had to hit them away which made for some interesting moments; smashing a light, hitting a fan, and hitting a person

I will post the link to the video when it is available for download

WB have emailed this morning to let us know that fans in the London area will be able to meet some Potter stars at HMV Oxford St. You can read the full press release here, but the important information is below.

Starting at 4pm on April 10th, Warwick Davis, Matthe Lewis, Evanna Lynch and Natalia Tena will be meeting with fans To sign their copies of the Deathly Hallows Part 1 BluRay (which fans must purchase at the store).

Please note: Due to time constraints access to the queue at HMV Oxford St will be strictly limited. Wristbands will be issued from 10am on the day of the event from the store on a first come first served basis, no reservations, one wristband per person only.

For all you Harry Potter fans in the US who also enjoy the BBC show Merlin (starring Colin Morgan and Bradley James) a few Harry Potter stars will be guest starring on Season 3, which just finished airing in the UK a few weeks ago. If you haven’t seen the show, I suggest you catch up by watching the first two seasons on IMDB, its AWESOME, definitely one of my favorite shows! You can read an interview with Colin (Merlin) and Bradley (Arthur) here at collider.com. The guest appearances, in order of appearance, are as follows (I am assuming they aren’t skipping any weeks):

• John Hurt (Ollivander) has a recurring role as The Dragon, he is seen in most episodes, though I am not sure which ones he will be in this season.
• Mark Williams is the voice of a Goblin in episode 3, “Goblin’s Cold”, probably airing on January 21st.
• Warwick Davis playing Grettir in episode 8, “The Eye of the Phoenix”, probably airing February 25th.
• Miriam Margoyles will play Grunhilda in episode 6, “The Changeling” which should air on February 11th.
• As I posted back in November, Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley) guest starred on episode 11, “The Sorcerer’s Shadow” playing Gilli. That episode probably will air March 18th.

Who else is as excited as I am for the premiere on Friday (YAY!!!!). There is a marathon that day starting at 8:30 am for anyone who is able to watch (sadly I will be at work). You can also order Season 1 and pre-order Season 2 on Amazon.

As promised here is part 2 of Magical-Menagerie’s coverage of the World Premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I in London on November 11th!  Part I can be seen here. Before I post the video I would like to say thank you SO MUCH to my amazing friend Maura for stepping in to brave the press pit when I wasn’t able to get to London for the premiere. You are AMAZING and did a great job with the footage!

In case you don’t want to scroll down here’s the first video:

Today we have some news about the France and Taiwan premieres for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

James and Oliver Phelps will be in Taipei, Taiwan from November 15-18. They will be at the Taiwanese Premiere on the 16th November and will take a tour of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition on the 17th.

A number of Potter stars will be at the French premiere of “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” in Tours,  James and Oliver Phelps as well as Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley), Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacour), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Warwick Davis (Filius Flitwick) will be there. That premiere will be on November 22nd.

Thanks to HPFL.net, UniversHarryPotter and Leaky!!

Hero Complex has posted their newest Potter blog, this entry is an interview with Warwick Davis who plays Professor Flitwick and Griphook! Some pieces of the interview may be read below.

The first of those films arrives Nov. 19, and Davis says it’s a bittersweet sensation to leave Hogwarts for good. “It feels like we’ve all graduated, and we’re all going off to university or going on to get a proper job in the world,” Davis said. “It was so much like that, just leaving people. We’ve all grown together over the last 10 years, and it was a really sad day, the last day… There was this sort of stunned silence afterward, when we all sort of realized, that’s it. Tears were shed.”

“As an actor, especially working in sci-fi/fantasy films, you have to be able to tap into that childlike quality again and be able to picture the dragon that’s standing in front of you, even though it won’t be until you sit down and watch it in the cinema,” he said. “You have to be in touch with the child that’s within you and use your imagination. Kids do that all the time. They’re always imagining things.”

Davis said he tried to portray Flitwick and Griphook with the same care, seeking descriptions from the books he could use on screen. “There were just some very, very key words that described Flitwick that were very useful and stayed with me throughout the whole series of films: He’s a ‘gnome-like wizard,’” Davis said. “‘Gnome-like’ is kind of the sense that he’s not entirely human. … He’s slightly quirky and a little bit out of the ordinary. Eccentric, even. You kind of take an initial little bit like that, and you sort of embellish upon it.”

It was the “beautiful little details,” like the diminutive professor lecturing his charms class from atop a pile of books, that brought Flitwick to life, Davis said. “It’s probably what I would end up doing,” joked Davis. “Many of the students would be taller than I was, or certainly taller than Flitwick was. To get up on the books there would be exactly what he needed. Although, I’m slightly baffled why he didn’t just levitate.”

Davis said he relished his new role as the goblin Griphook, a Gringotts Wizarding Bank worker and “a devious, mischievous scoundrel.” “You don’t know where you are with a goblin,” he said. “That’s one of their character traits.”