Harry Potter Interviews
PIC: James Phelps as Fred Weasley, second from left & Oliver Phelps as George Weasley, second from right
Cassie Delaney caught up with James (Fred Weasley) and Oliver Phelps (George Weasley) to chat about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which is released in cinemas this Friday, 15th July.
So you guys have been part of the Harry Potter cast since the very beginning. What was the mood like on set when it all wrapped up?
Oliver: It’s kinda like your last day of school when all your lessons are finished but you know you still have your prom. It’s like you know you still have something big left to do.
James, you play Fred. What was your reaction like when you read the final book?
James: Without giving away any spoilers? It was surprising in two ways. Firstly because of what happened and secondly because of how I felt. It was like it happened to a best friend; it was someone I really got attached to. It was strange because I never thought like that before that but I suppose, when playing the part for so long you form a bond with them and they have a little soft spot in your heart. I used to hear actors say that before and I used to think ‘what are they talking about?’ but now I understand.
You’ve played these characters for so long now, have any of their characteristics rubbed off on you?
Oliver: Yeah! Yeah, it would be silly to say they haven’t. I think because we were playing jokers and cheeky chaps really at an age when we were learning who we were as people it has entered a bit into ourselves.
James: Also I think I was so shy when I started, that playing Fred really helped get my confidence out there.
I’ve heard you were practical jokers on set. Did you do anything during the filming of the last movie?
Oliver: Yeah but for legal reasons we shouldn’t say.
Do you have a highlight from the last ten years?
James: The premier [of The Deathly Hallows pt 2] was a definite highlight. Just to bring the whole of London to a standstill was amazing. I had a message last night from someone on twitter calling me a rude word saying it took me 3 hours to get across London and get home because of your premier. I think they predicted 18,000 people in and around the area so that was an incredible highlight. It was like of you were gonna go out go out with a bang.
Did you ever think Pottermania would get to this level?
Oliver: Not really. I mean we always knew it would be quite a big thing because there were people queuing for the books when we first started making the movies. But I think being so close to something you don’t realise the size of it, so it was just one of those things where we were kinda like ‘oh right okay, this is awesome’.
Were you fans of the books before?
James: Yeah we weren’t on Evanna’s level though; she can name just about anything, but we did enjoy reading them. I think the fourth book had just come out when we went for our first audition and that was one of the first times they did the midnight opening.
Did you queue for the book?
Oliver: No we used to get the internet deliveries so we’d go on Amazon and get it eight hours later!
What’s next?
Oliver: Well we’ve got three more stops on the promotional tour which keeps us busy and then I, touch wood, should be doing a film later in the year, but I don’t want to talk about it too much in case I jinx it.
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