The Making of the Potterverse (22 page)

While speaking to the
Washington Post
, Alfonso Cuaron discussed, among other things, how obligated he was to stick to the novel of
Prisoner of Azkaban
. Said the director, “I was very happy that very early on I had great advice from J.K. Rowling: ‘Be faithful to the spirit of the book, don’t be literal.’ There are a lot of things we lose because we do not have the time. So we decide to stick to this theme of this rite of passage. Whatever sticks into that theme we keep it in, and leave out whatever does not.” In the pages of
Premiere
magazine, screenwriter Steve Kloves addressed the same issue of what to keep and what to cut. “Kids have often said we cut too many things out; adults think they’re way too long,” he explained. “So we find ourselves in this weird place. I made some big cuts in
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
. Alfonso wanted to talk about the inner terrain of the characters, and we addressed each scene with the idea of their taking a step into adolescence.
It may only be a couple of years’ difference, but it’s an absolute Grand Canyon in terms of the emotional distance. . . . Jo is tremendously supportive and she understands the differences between the books and the movies.”

Daniel Radcliffe was stunned by the sheer fervor of the fans who greeted him and others at the New York premiere of
Prisoner of Azkaban
. Enthused Radcliffe, “It’s astonishing — it’s really, really, really scary, but it’s brilliant. We have worked on the film for 11 months and it’s really gratifying that everyone came out to support it. It’s amazing. And they should support it, because it’s a great film.”

Brendan Gleeson, whose credits include
Gangs of New York
,
Cold Mountain
and
The Village
, joined the cast of
Goblet of Fire
as Mad-Eye Moody. Also added to the cast was Frances de la Tour as the half-giant Madame Maxine.

In an interview with
The Scotsman
, Gary Oldman explained not only that he was grateful for the work of
Prisoner of Azkaban
, but also that he considered playing Sirius Black something of an honor. “It’s prestigious,” he said. “You’re not just making a movie — it’s joining a family of some kind of cinematic dynasty, I suppose. It’s interesting to be part of that. The material was good and the director was interesting. I’ve got three kids who like
Harry Potter
, so it’s nice to actually be in a movie that they can see, as opposed to a job that takes me away for twelve hours a day.”

J.K. Rowling announced that she was “well under way” on book number six. “I am really enjoying this book,” she said, “though for the first time I am conscious that I am approaching the end of the series. So much of what happens in book six relates to book seven that I feel almost as though they are two halves of the same novel.”

Alfonso Cuaron expressed to Reuters his hope that the core cast for the Harry Potter films would stay the same for all seven chapters. “Right now they’re doing number four,” he pointed out. “There’s only three more to go. I just hope they keep the same cast for the whole thing. So far, they’re holding up very good, the way they are aging. I don’t think Dan is going to get way much taller or suddenly grow another eye. Same with Emma, and Rupert is okay. Let’s hope. My dream is that the cast would remain intact.”

Some interesting musings from Daniel Radcliffe regarding the ultimate fate of Harry Potter. “I’m going to be really unpopular for saying this,” he told the BBC, “but I’ve always had the suspicion that Harry might die. Harry and Voldemort have the same core in them, and the only way he could die is if Harry dies as well.” If J.K. Rowling is following patterns of epic fantasy story structure à la King Arthur or
Lord of the Rings
, that could indeed be a possibility.

J.K. Rowling’s representatives let it be known that she was flattered by all of the fan fiction that is devoted to her creation. “Her concern,” said the spokesperson, “would be to make sure that it remains a non-commercial activity to ensure fans are not exploited and it is not being published in the strict sense of traditional print publishing.”

J.K. Rowling updated her Web site (www.jkrowling.com) by including more hints and trivia about the Harry Potter universe.

According to the BBC, Vue Cinemas in Britain came up with a new way to seek out those who illegally videotape films: employees don night-vision goggles. The idea was that anyone caught with a cam-corder would be reported to the police.

Speaking with AP, Daniel Radcliffe admitted that he was interested in an entertainment career beyond acting: “I’d like to be in a band — a really good band. Guitar music — but like good, intelligent guitar music. Hopefully, I’ve just got to work hard and prove to people that I can do other things.”

Interesting tidbit, according to www.zap2it.com, Ron’s rat Scabbers is actually a West African rodent that was imported from a Berlin zoo. Possibly one of the few non-British cast members to appear in a Harry Potter film.

Some people always look for ways to ruin things for others: a computer virus known as the “P worm” was spread disguised as a Harry Potter game.

A survey for the Prince of Wales Arts and Kids Foundation concluded that Harry Potter was more popular among children than such classics as the
Lord of the Rings
trilogy,
The Jungle Book
and
Winnie the Pooh
.

Emma Watson was genuinely scared when a reporter for the British prank series
Ministry of Mayhem
asked her to recreate the moment from
Prisoner of Azkaban
where she punches out Draco Malfoy. What poor Emma didn’t suspect is that prankmeister Stephen Mulhern had placed fake blood capsules in his mouth, which made it look like she had done some serious damage to his face. Don’t worry, though, it wasn’t long before Emma caught on.
Robbie Coltrane admitted that he didn’t necessarily enjoy the rigors of Hagrid’s makeup and costume. “It’s revolting having your face covered in glue,” he said. “It’s a horrible, horrible, thing and the only downside of these wonderful films for me. It also means that kids never recognize me. They just know Hagrid — and I am buried under tons of makeup, beard and costume.”

In an interview with
USA Today
, Gary Oldman commented on the importance of Harry Potter to British pride: “When one thinks of Britain,” he said, “it’s the royal family, Buckingham Palace, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Harry Potter. It’s as English as strawberry jam and scones.”

French actress Clémence Poésy was announced in the role of Fleur Delacour in
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
.

An interesting article in
USA Today
noted the following: “Despite the movie’s dark premise, some experts say the film’s overarching theme of confronting and overcoming fears — a common thread through much of the series about the young wizard — sends a positive message to young viewers.” In the same article, Bethesda, Maryland, clinical psychologist Syd Brown said, “Superficially, it’s about witches and wizards and magic and all that other stuff. In fact, it’s a tribute to perseverance and resilience.”

Proving itself to be a continuing fount of information on the world of Harry Potter,
USA Today
reviewed the
Prisoner of Azkaban
video game, offering, “The spectacular graphics make the world come alive. Water flows, fabrics billow, and the Hogwarts castle is presented in amazing detail as kids turn the camera 360 degrees to view vaulted ceilings or mosaic floors. The two previous Harry Potter games were great, and this one is even better.”

Bloomsbury made no secret of the fact that it was placing a lot of
hope on the paperback edition of
Order of the Phoenix
.

Toward the end of the month filming began on
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
.

The Internet went crazy with the rumor that book number six was going to be called
Harry Potter and the Pillar of Storge
. “I nearly fell off my chair giggling when I read that,” admitted J.K. Rowling, who announced that the book would actually be called
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
, an alternate title for book number two,
The Chamber of Secrets
. “Certain crucial pieces of information in book six were originally planned for
Chamber of Secrets
, but very early on I realized that this information’s proper home was book six. I have said before now that
Chamber
holds some very important clues to the ultimate end of the series.”

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
was released on June 4, 2004. It scored an opening weekend gross of $93,687,367. Domestically it went on to gross $249,541,069, its international take was $540,263,485, for a global total of $789,804,554.

As was the case with its predecessors, at the time of
Prisoner of Azkaban
’s release, cast and crew met with the press. What follows are edited transcripts of some of those sessions.

(Director)

QUESTION:
Were you surprised to get this job?

Alfonso Cuaron at the New York premiere of
Prisoner of Azkaban.
(Shannon Stapleton/Reuters/Corbis)

ALFONSO CUARON:
First, I was kind of amused when they proposed the whole thing. I was so ignorant of the Harry Potter universe that I actually received the script and I just put it in a pile.

QUESTION:
You didn’t even read it?

CUARON:
No. But David Heyman who’s a fine producer called me and said, “What do you think?” I said, “I don’t know.” He said, “Please read it, because I really want you to do it, but I really need to give an answer.” I read the script and I was like, “Whoa, okay.” Then I read the book and after I read the book, I said, “Okay, I have to do this film.”

QUESTION:
Did you see the first two films?

CUARON:
I saw the first two and then I read the rest of the books.