Tom Felton tells AMC that David Yates is “infatuated with Harry & Draco”

This interview of Tom’s is too good to share space with any others. From AMCtv.com.

Q: Draco hasn’t been given that much to do until now, and consequently, neither have you. How did you adjust to the change?

A: I think Jo [Rowling] has quite purposely done that with Draco, made him a typical, slimy bully. But in this film, you get to see a different side of him. For me personally, it was quite daunting, coming to the set with a whole new approach to the character. [Director] David Yates really helped me get in the mindset. In Muggle terms: Draco’s been given a loaded gun, and he has to shoot one prime minister, otherwise, another prime minister is going to shoot him. For a 16-year-old boy, that’s terrifying.

Q: And consequently, we see him unravel. He’s isolated — no more Crabbe and Goyle.

A: That was quite key. He is alone. His friends can’t help him. And they’re not really his friends, they’re just scared of his dad. He’s well and truly by himself. He’s so troubled, and so deep in thought, he’s not paying attention to anything else going on around him. It might sound weird, but before we started shooting, I stared at the wall for about ten minutes, just to get that dazed look down. Just really zone out and not think about anything. There’s a shot of him and this feather, and he looks at it, looks through it…

Q: Like a cat at lint…

A: Yeah! It’s such an eerie moment. It’s completely unnecessary, but it completely defines what Draco’s going through. I kind of feel sorry for him. He’s a true victim of circumstances. And this film is the discovery of that for him. He realizes at the end, but it’s too late.

Q: Since you’ve started filming again, what are your thoughts on how they’re going to split Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two movie?

A: We’re not shooting chronologically, and we don’t get the script as two films, we get it as one. We’re shooting some of Film Eight now, and then we’ll go back to Seven, but we don’t call it Eight or Seven, just Seven. It’s just one thing. I think they know where they’re going to split it, but they’re just going to shoot it and see how it feels. Malfoy Manor seems one of the more obvious places to do it. We’re doing the Malfoy Manor scene the Monday we come back, actually. And it’s the first time that we’re going to get me, my mum Narcissa, my dad Lucius, and hopefully Ralph [Fiennes] there as well. And loads of other great, evil characters. I know David Yates is looking forward to furthering this idea of Draco just being a little boy among these horrible men.

Q: What’s your take on that scene?

A: I spoke to Jo [Rowling] literally two days ago about where she wanted to go with it, and she said she wanted to leave it open to interpretation. There’s so many bits that go unanswered, like why does he choose not to recognize Harry to the Death Eaters? And David has this vision: Draco wants to help Harry, and he even wants to befriend him…

Q: But he can’t…

A: And he almost doesn’t recognize that. He knows it, and he doesn’t. He’s a child, not like Harry, who has the foresight of someone more mature. Draco is still a little boy at heart.

Q: Will you play the older Draco for the epilogue scenes?

A: Yeah, Brad Pitt’s busy, so I’ll do it. Sorry, cheap joke. But that will be a great moment. And I think David Yates is a little bit infatuated with Harry and Draco. He loves their relationship. He finds it intriguing.

Q: He’s not the only one. Have you read the fan-fiction that pairs them up as a romance?

A: Oh, no! I heard something really about that a while ago, and I can only assume people have got too much time on their hands. Or not enough stuff to do. One or the other. I should just be grateful Jo didn’t think of that, so I don’t have to shoot those scenes.

But I’m glad we’re not going to rush it, or try to cram the last book into one two-and-a-half-hour film. We get to revel in the filmmaking. There was a time in my life where I took this for granted, but we all know now, this is it. This is our last year together on the set, so everyone wants to give their best and more importantly, enjoy it.

[Note: The pic at top is actually a screencap from one of the behind the scenes featurettes on HBP. Thanks to Elbenstein for capturing it at such a perfect moment.]

11 thoughts on “Tom Felton tells AMC that David Yates is “infatuated with Harry & Draco”

  1. Al I can say is, thank you! yes, Draco wants to help Harry, want to befriend him, but just doesn’t quite have the hand of it ( I know, I’ve read the chapter a few weeks ago!).

    With Love,

    Sam.

  2. Your’re welcome 😉
    This is one of the rarely moments, when you can make a screenshot. This picture looks like very good.
    The words of David Yates I can only degree.

    Lovely Greets,
    Annette (Elbenstein)

  3. Haha, oh Tom, someday you’ll realize how great Harry/Draco is.

    Anyway, very cute. I’m glad he’s playing older!Draco and not Brad Pitt!

  4. well..i guess he(draco) loved his dad,worshipd him like any son wud..wanted to make him proud and happy,for him he wud do any thing..but to get stuck with such a task..he was totaly lost..and thats where tom brought draco alive..purrrrfect… im ashemd to say i read a lot of thoes fanfics about harry and draco..like tom said i was home with lots of time on my hand and curious as hell..so i googled and got wat i was looking for…have to tell u some where relly good..makes ur mind go like “WTF wast hat??”..hehehehehehe

  5. So Yates is an H/D shipper? Does that mean we’ll get more H/D in the next film? Helluva excited I tell you.

  6. lord i cracked up when Tom said “oh no!” about the Harry/Draco pairings. lol poor baby. hope he doesn’t go reading them though. then he really will be in for a shock! XD

  7. I laughed when I read Tom’s response to the HP/DM question. “Oh no!” 😀 Now, though all fans will want to see more interaction between them, but heck I just want to see more Draco on screen ^_^’

  8. I agree with David Yates on Draco wanting to help Harry. He doesn’t like being a Death Eater anymore and he certainly doesn’t want to be responsible for identifying Harry (since Voldemort will kill him when he’s summoned). But he doesn’t really know what to do. He’s scared of Voldemort, not to mention Bellatrix and Lucius, who are more immediate threats.

    As far as the people saying that Harry/Draco will be in the movie now, don’t be ridiculous. It’s not canon. I’ve read and enjoyed a few Dramione fics, but Harry/Draco is taking it a bit too far. And by the way, David Yates just said that he was interested in Harry and Draco’s relationship. He didn’t say anything about romance. My interpretation is that he is just interested in their similar situations and changing relationship.

    They really are very similar. They’re both boys of the same age. Draco is a Slytherin, which was the Sorting Hat’s first choice for Harry. As pointed out in HBP interviews, Harry is the “chosen one” of the Prophecy, while Draco is the “chosen one” of the Death eaters with his HBP mission. They both have a similar status in their sides of the war: Harry is the Chosen one, but he’s not in the Order and learns about most things firsthand. Actually, the whole war with voldemort thing was sort of forced on him in a way by Voldemort, because he beleives the Prophecy, although Harry willingly chooses to accept his destiny. Similarly, Draco willingly accepts the mission to kill Dumbledore, but he doesn’t have a choice to refuse. You don’t say no to Voldemort. They’re both ridiculed by adults about their inability to kill. Draco is mocked by his Aunt Bellatrix in Malfoy Manor. “If you haven’t got the guts to finish them off youreslf, leave them in the cortyard for me.”, while Harry is reprimanded by Remus Lupin for disarming Stan Shunpike when it would have been more effective to stun him, which would have resulted in his death. Their relationship changes over the last few books, starting at the top of the tower. I think that by simply not killing Dumbedore, he partially redeems himself in Harry’s mind. As Malfoy Manor, Harry simply pulls the wands from Draco’s hand when he could have cursed him afterwards, and in the Room of Requirement, Harry risks his own life to save Draco from Fiendfyre.

  9. “It might sound weird, but before we started shooting, I stared at the wall for about ten minutes, just to get that dazed look down. Just really zone out and not think about anything”

    It’s not weird Tom, Its how talented actors think to work – Stage actors in particular do stuff like this… as my drama teach reminds us so often 😆

    ” Oh, no! I heard something really about that a while ago, and I can only assume people have got too much time on their hands. Or not enough stuff to do.”

    bahaha XD …. I’m sure he likes the ship secretly XD … I’m glad Jo didn’t come up with it too! Draco and hermione, I wish she did, but we can’t have every thing! 🙂

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