Tag Archives: Harry Potter

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.

Tom Felton discusses friendship with Daniel Radcliffe in Cinemania

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Just last week we reported that Mexico’s Cinemanía magazine had a new feature on Tom and the rest of the HP crew, and that we would let you know if a translation became available. Well, that day has arrived.

Tom’s interview in this lengthy feature was given back during the filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In the interview, Tom discusses playing the baddie, working with director David Yates, and how he and Daniel share a love of music and cricket.

It must be more interesting to play the bad guy.
Thanks for agreeing with me. Definitely. In real life I’m not like Draco,
so it’s fun to be like someone who is completely different from me.

How hard did you work on going from Harry’s pain in the butt to an actual murderer?

The director and I talked a lot about it. Obviously Draco loses his father, he’s alone, he wants to show his independence and he’s the Chosen One. He’s been very jealous of Harry all his life, he’s been jealous of the attention he gets, and now it’s the opportunity to show what he’s really capable of. But at the same time he’s terrified and deep down he knows he can’t do what he’s been assigned to do. So there’s a very strong conflict of emotions. To me it’s a challenge because I have to think deeper about my performance. It’s not all about putting a mean face for Harry.

What’s the difference between the previous directors and this new director?

I don’t have any experience in directing, so I don’t know what makes them good. But each of them has had their strengths. David is humble, quiet, and personal. He’s not very lavish and he makes you feel comfortable and relaxed.

Did he ask for anything in particular when he directed you this time?

No, but I’m very thankful for the extra time he put into me and my character this time around. E spoke a lot about our character. David is trying to outline his complexity. This year Draco is not interested in bullying Harry. He’s got more serious stuff to pay attention to. For years he has been bullied by his father and that’s why he is the way he is. I wanted to show that side of him, not to make people feel sorry for him but to at least identify themselves with him. The best thing is that now I get to wear better clothes. Draco is very concerned about his style, and that’s part of his look as a villain.

Are you tired of playing the same character for such a long time?

No, on the contrary. I love coming back every year, seeing everyone again, how they’ve grown up, remembering how young we were in the first movie.

Really? And if you could go back in time and choose another character, what character would you choose?

Still my own. I feel so grateful. Draco has a very important part that is not boring at all, but I the same time I don’t get recognized as much as the others, so I can leave London without having any problems. Nobody has ever stopped me and asked for a picture with me. The blond hair is very telling, but with a hat it’s problem solved.

How is your relationship with Daniel Radcliffe?

We’re very good friends. Before I used to love saying we couldn’t stand each other, but in reality we get along great. We both love cricket and we talk about it a lot. We’re very passionate about music, although our taste in music is very different. He likes more underground and punk music.

To read additional interviews including one from director David Yates where he calls Tom “amazing,” click here. To see full scans of the magazine, visit Potterincantatem.

Thanks to HarryPotterla.com for the translation!

Source: Oh No They Didn’t

“I break his nose and he rips me open”~Tom Felton on Harry Potter

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A new interview of Tom’s has appeared today courtesy of the AFP. In it he discusses being a part of the Harry Potter franchise, releasing tension the good old-fashioned way, and making his mum proud.

PARIS (AFP) — 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”, which opens across the world from July 15.

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.

“If I can terrify a little child then I’m assuming I’m paid for something!”

Yet Felton admits that when Malfoy is given the opportunity to prove his true evil in the “The Half-Blood Prince”, he finds he might be out of his depth.

“I think he revels in this opportunity at first and loves the idea of being the bad boy, but he quickly crumbles and realises he quite doesn’t have a heart the size of his young friend Harry.”

Other roles are sure to follow for Felton when the series wraps up with a two-part adaptation of the final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, which is currently in production.

Yet the pride he derives from being part of the Potter phenomenon is clear.

When the author of the Potter books, J.K. Rowling, wrote to say how much she liked the latest film, the Felton household was bursting with pride.

“That’s the ultimate compliment from her. I was amazed at receiving it. I had my mum crying within five minutes of receiving it so she was very proud,” he recalls.

Source: AFP