‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ Hits Blu-Ray and Museumsby Max Evry
April 17, 2011
Sadly the “Harry Potter” film series will be coming to a close this summer when “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” hits theaters, but fans can take stock in the fact that they can revisit all of their favorite moments on home video with the release of “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” this week as well as the opening of the eye-opening “Harry Potter: The Exhibit” at Discovery Times Square in New York City.
Many key members of the illustrious cast and crew of the film series gathered at Discovery, where many authentic props and costumes from the world of Harry Potter will be on display, to wax philosophical about the end of the franchise and their memories of working on it for over a decade.
Producer David Heyman, who discovered the book and optioned it in 1997 just before it became a worldwide phenomenon, talked about that fateful moment when the young wizard came into his life, and the last day of shooting.
“Somebody in my office gave me the book,” said Heyman. “I had three shelves at work –priority, medium-priority, low-priority- and it was on the bottom low-priority shelf. My secretary, who read it, recommended I take it home, and I began reading it and fell in love. I had no idea it would become what it became. I just thought if I was lucky, at the very best, it would be ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.’
“For me the last day of shooting I knew was going to be strange, even though for me I still had another year for post-production which is a very intensive period. It was a really emotional day, a lot of tears shed. It was a greenscreen shot from the first film where Harry, Ron, and Hermione dive through into the fireplace. Afterwards we sat down and played the trailer for “Part 1” and then Jamie Christopher, our first assistant director, did this thing called a “Golden Board” where at the end of each day we filmed a different person with the clapperboard. Actors, crew, visitors. He put all that to Robbie Coltrane playing air guitar. The last bit of it was David Yates getting into his car and driving away out of Leavesden. By the end of that we were all bawling.”
Noted British thespian Michael Gambon, who took over the role of benevolent wizard Dumbledor on the third film, will make a return in the final chapter.
“I died two films ago,” said Gambon, “and I didn’t come in until the third film, so I haven’t really done much, you see. I’ve only been in a few films. I’m not a lifer, just a fill-in man. I am back as a ghost, am I allowed to say that?”
Oliver and James Phelps, who portrayed the Weasley twins in all 8 films, discussed how illuminating the exhibit will be for people to get an idea of how immersive their experience was on set.
Said Oliver, “I remember when we were filming “The Goblet of Fire” and it starts with the Quidditch World Cup, and you could read each page of the program. There were timetables of when the matches were, who was doing where and what, stuff you wouldn’t see on camera unless you held it up. To get into character it was really useful.”
“When we were in Toronto for the exhibit there,” said James, “everyone was so keen to see Fred and George’s tailored suits and wands. The wands especially, we just take them for granted ’cause we’ve got them all the time while we’re shooting. It’s amazing to see everyone’s fascination with these things we’ve been surrounded with for so long.”
Bonnie Wright, who plays Ginny Weasley, both the sister of Ron and the love interest of Harry, gave tantalizing tidbits for the final confrontation they shot for Part 2.
“The battle in the second part was a real moment to bring everyone back we’d had in all the films,” said Wright. “A reuniting of everyone. It was upsetting to see the whole of Hogwarts explode and crumble down, but there was a cathartic feeling because it was a celebration, since it was an amazing set but had to battle out to conquer evil. It was a very exciting and perfect way to go out with a bang at the end of our films.”
Stout character actor Robbie Coltrane, who played the delightful 8ft-tall groundskeeper Hagrid, was also sad to let Harry Potter out of his life by the end, and discussed what made him take the part in the first place.
“I was terribly upset, actually. It was very sad,” said Coltrane of his last day on set. “My children made the decision for me to take the part, I was told if I didn’t play Hagrid I wouldn’t be allowed home again. The wee fella had told all his pals, ‘Is it true you’re gonna play Hagrid?’ I said, ‘I haven’t read the script yet.’ The worst thing to be in would be a crap Harry Potter film. If it had all gone horribly wrong and the wrong people got hold of it. Once they established it was in the right hands it was an easy decision.”
David Thewlis, who plays the kindhearted Professor Lupin, was more witty about what his Harry Potter legacy will be.
“I’m rather glad this will be on my obituary,” said Thewlis, “because before that it might have been that I was sodomized by Leonardo DiCaprio… on film, I should say!”
David Heyman, who is already moving on to Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” after the series ends, was optimistic about his future without Potter.
“For me it’s both very sad,” Heyman stated, “because we have become over this period a family. New members come in and the family grows. So it’s really sad, we aren’t coming back and doing this again. At the same time after 14-years I’m really excited to be doing something else, and looking forward to new adventures.”
