From Hair Gel to Responsibility: MTV Discusses Tom Felton

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A recent article on MTV.com discusses Tom Felton in the Harry Potter films as they relate his growing up on camera as graduating from hair gel to responsibility. They discuss his first landing of the role, working with Jim Broadbent again on HBP, and how not only can we see his bleach blonde hair, we can follow along with the process via Tom’s Twitter account. The article also includes a slide show of pictures featuring Tom through the ages.

Five years after Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy first set foot in Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies, the gray-eyed villain of his class has come a long way. Though he may not be using nearly as much hair gel as he did in his first year, the son from a wealthy, traditionally Slytherin family comes back to school in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” with a harder heart and a burden mounted with destiny and anger following the events of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

When Draco first enrolled at Hogwart’s, he had already inherited father Lucius’ frighteningly blond hair and racist disregard for “Mudblood” children such as Hermione Granger, who was born to non-magical parents. The Sorting Hat unsurprisingly placed Draco in Slytherin House, where he would go on to cultivate his jealous rage toward Harry, whom he envied for snagging an early spot on Gryffindor’s Quidditch team. Still too young and inexperienced to join his house’s team or pose any threat as a full-fledged Death Eater, Draco didn’t waste any time earning the allegiance of his Slytherin henchmen Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle or establishing himself as an enemy of Harry, Hermione, and Ron Weasley.

Though Tom Felton has been quoted as saying he originally wanted the role of Harry Potter, he claimed Draco Malfoy as his own from the first time he bleached his hair for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The musically inclined actor already had a foothold in sizable parts from 1997’s “The Borrowers” and the 1999’s “Anna and the King.” When Felton eventually found out that he had been offered the part of Draco, he reportedly hadn’t read any of J.K. Rowling’s books.

If Draco’s dark destiny was faintly evident in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” the true weight of his evil responsibilities now appears to be a fully illuminated path in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Lucius Malfoy was defeated during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” implying that not only is Draco’s father now a prisoner in Azkaban; there is now a hole to be filled in the ranks of Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters. As Voldemort’s ultimate plan unfolds, Draco is charged with the duty of fulfilling his ominous potential in his sixth year at Hogwart’s.

Felton’s acting career comes full circle in a way as “The Half-Blood Prince” reunites him with his “Borrowers” co-star Jim Broadbent, who now joins the cast to play Slytherin Potions Master Horace Slughorn. Felton, now 21, has spent more of his acting career playing Draco Malfoy than not playing Draco Malfoy, and he’s still bleaching his hair for the part — the only difference is that now Harry Potter fans can read him Twittering about the process whenever he needs to get back into character.

Source: MTV.com

New Interview: Tom Felton Faces The Two Sides of Draco Malfoy

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Life Style: Movie Magic Magazine has just released it’s latest issue featuring dozens of pages on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Included are features on Tom, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Bonnie Wright.

The three page article on the life of Tom Felton includes information about his choir days, his music, his hopes to get out there and fish some more, and why he would love to continue acting.

Some notable quotes from Tom include:

On the comparison of filming and fishing…

“Patience is required heavily in fishing and much the same with the film set. Some days it doesn’t go as fast as you would have hoped or you would have expected. But it’s all about keeping the energy and not only being patient, but just enjoying every minute of it – because sometimes it can be quite easy to slump back if you have an hour or two to wait, and it’s important to make the most of the time with the cast and crew while you’re there.”

On fans confusing him with his character Draco…

“Very early on, some people took very seriously how I was making Harry’s life not pleasant at school and they would plead with me not to pick on him. They seem to associate me with something rather negative which I can only take as a compliment really, I suppose. … I tried to reasure them that nothing was real, and that me and Daniel [Harry] were quite good friends, but it didn’t work.”

And on his hopes for the future…

“I’d love to continue acting. … By the same token, I’m keeping all angles open, really. I’ve been intrigued to do other things. I mean, music has always been a passion of mine, and nature and so forth. I’m not really ruling anything out.”

Click on the scans for easier reading pleasure.

To see more scans from the magazine picturing Tom through the ages, click here.

Other articles feature the actors behind Tom Riddle (aka, Voldie-Mort), producer David Heyman, director David Yates, the designs behind the sets, and the fun and games the fans have at conventions. Also included is a sneak peek into the making of Deathly Hallows which features a lovely interview with Tom’s onscreen dad Jason Isaacs as he recounts begging author JK Rowling to “get me out of [Azkaban] prison.” Life Style: Movie Magic Magazine is available for purchase on news stands through the end of the summer.