Pre-XMAS Potter

Ralph Fiennes returning for Movie 5
The Lord Voldemort actor recently did an interview with USA Today where he said he will reprise the role of Harry's foe in Order of the Phoenix. EDITOR'S NOTE: AN EARLY XMAS GIFT!

He also talked a little about how his slimy Voldemort, complete with a reptilian nose and gleaming skull, turned out.

"When I saw it all put together, I thought it was great. It's a long scene and was cut down a bit, and I wondered if it could have had a little more air in it."

He wasn't sure how his nose would look "because it's quite difficult technically to make that work." As for his head, "It's not a bald cap. It's all me."

For Emma Watson, the holidays mean time for serious studying
Emilie Le Beau, Special to the Tribune

Forget memorizing lines for the next Harry Potter movie, English actress Emma Watson has some serious homework to finish.

Watson, 15, plays Hermione in the "Harry Potter" movies and will start making the fifth film in February. EDITOR'S NOTE: WOOHOO! CHUGGIN RIGHT ALONG!

Until then, she'll be in school, cramming for exams like everyone else. And while Hermione adores studying, Watson isn't so thrilled about her exams.

At school, Watson also plays field hockey. And to keep in touch with Potter pals such as Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung during breaks, she sends text messages.

KidNews talked to Watson recently about homework, the holidays and Hermione.Q.

How will you spend the holidays?
Unfortunately, my exams are in January. For Christmas, I will be doing revising. Ugh. But still . . . [I will enjoy] just celebrating Christmas, having a bit of time off. Seeing friends and family.

Q. Which exams are you worried about?
My worst subject is chemistry. It's a killer--I hate it. My favorite subject is probably art, maybe English. But yeah, chemistry is the one that is a killer, and geography coursework is pretty painful at the moment as well.

Q. What did you think of the new Harry Potter video game?
I thought it was good. Kind of creepy though, 'cause for the first time they actually look like us. Which is kind of weird for me. . . . I was shown [the game] when I was on the set.

Q. Have you brought home any of the new "Goblet of Fire" toys?
No. I wouldn't want to because it's really creepy having dolls of myself. That's weird. EDITOR'S NOTE: BUT IT'S NOT WEIRD FOR ALL THE REST OF US TO HAVE DOLLS OF YOU, RIGHT?

Q. What do you do when someone buys you a Harry Potter-themed gift?
I've had some things like Harry Potter T-shirts, and I just can't get away with wearing [them]. Among my friends at school, I'd get teased. I can't really wear them. I try not to; you can't rub it in people's faces too much.

Q. When the sixth Potter book came out, how did you get it?
I went and queued up like everyone else. I read it in two days flat. I loved it. I got it at an airport . . . a couple days after it came out so the queues [lines] weren't too big. So I got away with it. . . . I didn't really have the chance to get recognized.

Daniel Radcliffe in K-Zone Magazine, December 2005
You can't avoid Harry Potter right now! He's the most famous wizard on Earth and the 16-year-old who plays him is also a superstar.

Daniel Radcliffe talks to K-Zone about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!

K-Zone: You're in between films at the moment. What kind of stuff do you get up to when you're not filming and not at school?
Daniel Radcliffe: That doesn't leave a lot of time! A couple of weeks ago I started my A/S-Levels (like the HSC) so I'm quite busy at the moment. During the holidays I went to the Reading Music Festival which was really cool.

KZ: Did you camp?
DR: I wasn't quite that hardcore. My friends went the year before and got all their stuff stolen. Also, people might have found out whose tent it was and then I'd have been in trouble. I stayed in this local hotel where I was told all the bands stayed, but none of them turned up!

KZ: Mike Newell's the first British director of a Harry film. Was it different working with him on Goblet of Fire?
DR: Yes. He understands the world of boarding schools, because he went to one. That's how he grew up.

KZ: Did he make the flick funnier?
DR: It needed lighter bits to contrast the very dark bits. There are parts in the film - although I find it hard to find anything that I personally do remotely funny - where I've watched a scene I'm in and found myself laughing at it.In the Homework Club scene, Rupert [Grint who plays Ron Weasley] and I are talking about how to get dates for the Yule Ball. We're not supposed to be talking in there, so Snape keeps coming up behind us and smacking us on the back of our heads with books, which is incredibly simple but very funny.

KZ: 'Cos of the nature of the book did the film require more physical challenges, like acting underwater?
DR: Yeah, that was physically tough, but the thing I found hardest was the dragon task. There's a bit in the dragon task that isn't actually in the book - I fall off my broom and start sliding down a roof. I had to be suspended from the ceiling on a wire and then they let me go. It was very scary because I free-fell 18m in about 2.5 seconds. I'm not even going to pretend I was being brave! The mental challenges were things like the confrontation with Voldemort. While it is physical it's also incredibly emotional for Harry because he's meeting the person who killed his parents and whom he wants to kill. Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort is fantastic and in the event that I'm not great he'll distract the audience. That's my plan.

KZ: You had the horrendous challenge of learning to ballroom dance for this one...
DR: That was tough! You'll notice in that scene you never see my legs - the dancing's all from the waist up! All the other kids had about three weeks to learn the routine, but I was doing a big scene with Mad-Eye Moody while they were learning and rehearsing and only had about three hours rehearsal time in total. As soon as I got past the first six or seven steps it would fall apart!

KZ: Do you and Rupert still get up to fun stuff or have you matured?.
DR: It isn't so much that we've matured, but we've been forced to grow up 'cos of school! I never saw this, but I was told Rupert was making a film out of LEGO people. I really wanted to see it and would have been involved if I wasn't doing exams. EDITOR'S NOTE: NICE TO KNOW THAT THE KIDS HAVE NORMAL ENOUGH LIVES THAT EXAMS STILL MATTER TO THEM.

KZ: What was the film about?
DR: I have no idea. It might be a Harry Potter film in LEGO 'cos they make Harry Potter LEGO! I remember during the third film we were building a mini-golf course out of cardboard boxes, but that was a while ago. I can't remember anything funny we really did during Goblet of Fire.

KZ: They're working you too hard obviously...
DR: Seriously, that's what it is! You should call the producer David Heyman's office and say, "you didn't allow Dan to participate in the LEGO film. How dare you?"

KZ: New Harry books are coming out ahead of the films. Is it daunting? Do you feel locked in?DR: If, when the sixth book came out, it wasn't good I would have thought, "oh, that's a bit disappointing. Am I going to do this? I don't know". But because I really enjoyed it, I thought it was absolutely fantastic. It's not daunting, it's exciting. If the sixth film happens, which it probably will, it's something to look forward to. It's not like a 'to do' list. EDITOR'S NOTE: WOOHOO! HOPEFUL SIGNS. (STICK WITH US FOR JUST A FEW MORE, MR. R. YOU CAN HAVE A LIFE IN A COUPLE MORE YEARS, OK?)