6. Scrapping Scrimgeour
Of course, not every scene, detail or even character can make the cut when adapting a 652-page book into a two-hour movie. A casualty of the page-to-screen condensation in part 6 is Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour, who famously visits the Muggle Prime Minister in the book. "We struggled to keep him in," says Yates. "It's a great scene in the book ... We loved that, and it was in and it was out and it was in and it was out again." It was just announced that Bill Nighy has signed on to 'Deathly Hallows,' and though the actor is tight-lipped on who he'll play, the presumption is he will indeed be Scrimgeour.
7. Love Triangle No. 1Despite threats of terrorism (via the Death Eaters) and suspected turncoats roaming the halls of Hogwarts, there's always time for a little romance, especially with a box of love potion-laced chocolates thrown into the mix with the raging teenage hormones. Yates says the story "deals with the politics of romance." Ron must balance the affections of Lavender Brown ("Lavender's completely crazy," says Grint) with his long-gestating liaison with Hermione (Emma Watson). "I think Hermione's beginning to acknowledge the fact that she has feelings for him, which she's never done," says Watson. "She's always been in denial." Adds Grint, "All the stuff with Lavender makes her go a bit crazy." Poor guy, this Ron, surrounded by all these crazies.
8. New Kid on the Block
Jessie Cave, who makes her 'Potter' debut as Ron's aforementioned love interest Lavender Brown, insists there are no initiation rites for new cast members (good news for you, 'Deathly Hallows' star Rhys Ifans). But while Lavender is spunky and brisk, Cave admits to being the opposite. "I'm quite shy and I'm not a loud character," she says. "But it's quite fun to play somebody who is because everyone has a loud character inside of them wanting to jump out."
9. Love Triangle No. 2
Meanwhile, Harry woos Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) away from her boyfriend, Dean Thomas (Alfie Enoch), and seeks her brother Ron's approval. "The whole thing with Harry and Ginny is quite confusing for Ron, because he's quite protective," Grint says. But one scene featuring the three, where Ron obliviously plonks himself down between the two lovebirds, should be good for DVD bloopers: "I have this real problem with laughing through a take and that scene was quite hard," Grint says. As for the hanky panky between Harry and Ginny, "It's very odd because I've known Bonnie since she was about 9," Radcliffe says. Wright agrees, sort of. "It is strange, but also it's more comfortable with someone you know rather than just a random person."
10. Introducing Your New Potions InstructorWith each 'Potter' movie comes at least one new teacher, played by some of the UK's most venerated actors. New to the party in 'Prince' is Jim Broadbent, who plays Potions teacher Horace Slughorn. Says Radcliffe when asked if the relationship between Harry and Slughorn will be as strained on screen as in the books: "I think Harry ultimately likes Slughorn. I think he thinks he's a very good person and his heart is in the right place, but he's just very opportunistic and totally self-obsessed." Fun fact: Broadbent played Tom Felton's father in the young actor's first film, 'The Borrowers.'
Reader Comments (8)
Judith Thrapp at 2:57PM on Jul 3rd 2009
I was sorry to hear that the scenes with Scrimgeour and the Prime Minister would be scrapped. I would not have minded a longer movie.
kickbacktop at 10:11AM on Jul 5th 2009
That's the problem....they don't seem to CARE that NO ONE would have minded, nor will mind a longer movie. We've been telling them that since at least COH!
David Osborne { English Name Lol } at 8:47AM on Jul 5th 2009
This is interesting too me from a number of perspectives, mainly however I have long since had a read of the book { Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince }, The book almost a year old resides on a bookshelf head board in our bedroom gathering dust and only just now the movie is making its self known, Interesting as too why it has taken so long, the book was great.
P,S,Even now as it gathers a year of dust, hope the show is as accurate to the book.
charlotte strasheim at 9:27AM on Jul 5th 2009
I am TOTALLY OBSESSSED with Harry Potter. Every book that had come out, I read within weeks. I do wish the books never end. It would be fascinating to contihue the lives of the children of Harry and Ron, to see if they will follow in their parents footsteps. I do not think it would be boring to all "Harry Potter" fans..........................
Katrina at 7:28PM on Jul 5th 2009
I really LOVE Harry Potter and the books even though they get long! I am so mad that they didn't say in the 5th movie that Ron made Quidditch and that Ron and Hermonie were prefects! I am almost done with the 5th book and I can't wait to read the 6th! Hopefully I finished before the movie comes out! Whoo HOO!!!!!!
Guillermo at 3:33AM on Jul 6th 2009
I am a big fan of the books too. Of course I would loved to read more books of the Harry Potter world, for example, Rowlings should write a couple of books on Albus Dumbledore. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I was intrigued about Dumbledore's life, all those things Harry never asked him, about his years at Hogwarts and his relationship with Grindelwald, for all we know they could have been a couple. Or maybe some books about Harry Potter's future, the rise of another dark wizard (Malfoy, perhaps), a witch or wizard in the Dursleys family, Harry's relationship with his cousin Dudley. There are a lot of possibilities, I know I would definetely read them. Lets hope J. K. Rowling goes back to the wizarding world. My fingers are crossed.
JE at 7:52PM on Jul 18th 2009
Better yet, they could go back and tell the story of Harry's parents and voldemort or dumbledore.
Raphaella at 7:35PM on Jul 20th 2009
Everyone gets upset because there are some real departures from the book, but, let's face it, there are usually departures from books, all of the Potter books included. I always feel that I'm really viewing not-very-accurate clips from these, but it still makes a good story. I'd really love to have seen the books made into very accurate, if considerably longer, movies, or even a series. Of course, I also think that Chris Columbus did the best job as director, and think that Harris was a much better Dumbledore. Too bad he died before the filming was complete. The actors who play Snape and Voldemort are simply super, and along with Tom Felton, who has gotten so much less attention than he has deserved in his well done role as Malfoy, have all been comparatively neglected in the press. It's too bad that Ginny didn't come into her own until nearly the end of the last book. Her character could have been so much more exciting. Hoping the movies will liven her up a bit. Her obvious nature was certainly not to sit and be the good little girlfriend at home or school, and, though she and Hermione are good friends, it is quite unbelievable that Ginny would tamely accept her boyfriend living for months with Hermione under any circumstances at all. It was good to see how active she had been, though we didn't get much of a glimpse of that until the last book. Hopefully the last movie will at least round that out? And, having read all the books more than once, I still don't see that Dumbledore was necessarily gay. Did JKR just throw that in to attract the homosexual crowd? In fact, if you think about it, he and Professor McG. could have had a little thing going on the quiet...
Well, looking forward to the final movies! When all is said and done, I think they're great fun and have been totally fascinated with the moprhing of the wonderful symbolism.