The Telegraph has a new interview with Half-Blood Prince director, David Yates.
“It’s funny how things change,” he offers. “I felt really self-conscious making this last film. The first time, I didn’t realise how big it was until I got to the premiere and then got to America and saw how massive the release was, and how huge the reaction was. That was when the penny dropped, when I realised that this was such a big thing for so many people.
“Oddly, that meant that when I started this one, I was a little bit warier of everything rather than being more confident. The first time round you just do it; you just go for it. But I have settled in and this one’s quite different from the last one. It’s a little bit more grown up and a bit wittier. It’s a different vibe.” That vibe requires the main cast to look past the fact that they’ve grown up together (the first film arrived in 2001) and to embrace the changing nature of their relationships (there’s even some on-screen kissing). “I think the cast are getting better and better,” Yates says, “and Emma certainly seems much more confident this time. She really moved on in the last one, but now she’s even more at ease. And Dan, having done Equus, he’s just finding moments and beats that are really surprising and lovely.”
MTV has a new interview with Emma and Rupert where they talk about Quidditch.
“She definitely disagrees with Harry putting the Felix Felicis in Ron’s drink because it’s the equivalent of taking steroids before a match or for athletics,” Watson explained. “She really disagrees with it, but then she finds out that Harry’s actually been smarter than her and it’s all a psychological thing.” That’s because Harry doesn’t actually put the potion in his drink — Ron just assumes he’s been dosed and thus plays spectacularly. “It’s kind of like a placebo drink,” Watson said. “So it’s all OK in the end.”
For Grint, who plays Harry’s buddy Ron, “Half-Blood Prince” gave the actor his first opportunity to engage in some cinematic Quidditch. “I was actually really gutted last year because that is sort of Ron’s big Quidditch moment and I was really upset they didn’t have that in [‘Order of the Phoenix’],” he said. “I was really looking forward to doing it this time, but it’s actually sort of an anticlimax because it’s really hard work. You’re on a broom for a long time, like a few hours at a go,” Grint grinned. “You’re literally sitting on a broom and it gets a little bit sore down under a bit. It’s been fun, but it’s quite hard work.”
There is a new Jim Broadbent interview with the Daily Telegraph.
“When this story begins my character, Professor Slughorn, is retired from his teaching post but he is being pursued by The Death Eaters, so he is on the run,” said Broadbent. “They are after him quite seriously, which means that he has to change location and change identity on a weekly basis, even if this means disguising himself as a chair, which, given his magic powers, is not a difficult thing to do. In fact, we first meet him as a chair.”
“I did say to Imelda Staunton, who had just done one, that I had been offered this and she said it was lovely and go on and do it,” said Broadbent. “She said they treat you very well and it is a very easy, comfortable atmosphere. I also knew David Yates, who is a delight to work with. So it was not a decision that took much making.”
The full interview with Jim Broadbent will appear in the Daily Telegraph on July 3.
Thanks to CU we have THIRTY-NINE new high resolution photos from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! You can see all the amazing photos, here in the gallery! Enjoy!
We finally have an air date for ITV’s Behind the Magic Special on Harry Potter! This program is set to air Saturday, July 11 7:00pm – 8:00pm on ITV1. Thanks to TLC we now know that it will include include “exclusive clips of Harry’s first kiss with his new girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley’s sister, and Daniel Radcliffe talks about filming the scenes and how Harry handles going out with his best friend’s sister.”
E! News aired a few behind-the-scenes clips from Half-Blood Prince, including Lavender wishing Ron luck at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, and Quidditch tryouts outdoors with Harry and Ron. Thanks to SS for the video. If anyone gets a better quality one, send it in!
