A slew of articles have come about concerning the upcoming release of Half-Blood Prince, and quite a few are saying some pretty nice things about our Tom. One of the most touching is a short blurb from the AFP, not about the film itself, but about the solidarity between members of the film. In honor of co-star Rob Knox who passed away earlier this year while defending his younger brother, the “cast and crew will wear white ribbons on their wrists at the movie’s world premiere as a mark of respect.” This is to show support not only for the family of their co-star but for all victims of traumatic crimes.

From a review of the film located in Variety, they state about Tom:

The biggest change since “Phoenix” two years ago has been registered by Tom Felton, who plays Malfoy; he’s now a tall stringbean in the Jimmy Stewart mold, with a face that’s come to resemble that of Jonathan Pryce, and he towers over Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry, who looks to be the shortest person in the cast (not true when Imelda Staunton was around).

The Arab Times, the Sydney Morning Herald, and Channel News Asia all share the short interview with Tom we previously reported as being given to the AFP where he discusses his fight scenes with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and his presence in the film franchise. You can read one re-write of that interview below.

“When the series does end, it will be a huge loss to the British film industry, both in terms of box office and jobs. They have employed a lot of people and they will leave a sizeable hole.”

Meanwhile, British actor Tom Felton said he was relishing two violent dust-ups with Harry Potter when he resumes his role as the evil Draco Malfoy in the sixth film of the boy wizard’s adventures.

Audiences will see Felton, so often in the shadow of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry in the previous films, occupy a central role in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”.

Having sparred with each other in the corridors of Hogwarts wizarding school for years, the clashes between Harry and Malfoy in the new film have a harder edge in keeping with the overall theme of impending adulthood.

“We have a few conflicts in the film so it was great fun to finally get physical.

“I break his nose and he rips me open, so it was good to release some of the tension that we’ve been building up over the years,” Felton said in an interview with journalists in Paris ahead of Tuesday’s world premiere in London.

Like Radcliffe and the other young Potter stars, Felton, now 21, has dedicated a substantial chunk of his childhood to the films and done his growing-up on the set.

Though still a pupil of Hogwarts, in the new film Felton’s white-blond character is suited and booted in head-to-toe black while our trio of heroes — Harry, Hermione and Ron — are still wearing the jumpers of teenagers.

Felton, who has grown tall and angular in the eight years since “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” kicked off the film series in 2001, said he originally tried to get the part of Harry himself. “I tried for Harry Potter and Ron, and finally Draco. My hair was dyed brown, ginger and then finally blond.”

He admits though that he quickly settled into the skin of the brooding, threatening Malfoy.

“I take great pleasure in being evil in the film so I’m very grateful for playing Draco.

“A lot of kids that came on to the set were very keen on the idea of meeting Draco, but they were never keen to shake my hand, so I take that as a compliment.”