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Exclusive: Helen McCrory Updates on Harry Potter 7
The Narcissa Malfoy actress on Deathly Hallows
by RT Staff | October 05, 2009
Discuss Article

Poor Narcissa Malfoy. If it wasn't bad enough that she had to stand by as her son, Draco, was charged with the task of murdering Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, during the course of Deathly Hallows she'll see her home used as Voldemort's headquarters and her family placed under house arrest by his Death Eaters. For Helen McCrory, the actress charged with bringing her to life on the big screen, though, the seventh and final part of the franchise -- split into two movies -- will be as exciting as anything that has come before.

Talking exclusively to Rotten Tomatoes from the set of her new film, Noel Clarke's 4.3.2.1, she said that her work on Deathly Hallows was going well and promised an epic finale for Potter fans. "It's got a full stop," she told us. "I think up to now, every director who has done a Harry Potter has had to do a dot-dot-dot. They know it's a sequel, they know there's another film coming out. But with this one, we can actually make everything have an epic ending. It's going to be final. And it's going to be huge. There doesn't have to be any more pauses or dot-dot-dots. So they're letting out all the stops with this one."

Narcissa Malfoy

For McCrory, this change in tone is evident on set, where many of the cast and crew are getting ready to say goodbye to decade-long era. "We finish in April and it does feel different on set actually," she explained. "Some people have been doing it for 10, 11 years. It's part of their lives. So although I've just joined them at the end, a lot of people have a huge emotional commitment to it. There are children that have grown up with the people on the set, like the directors and the costume designers backstage. It's a very big occasion for those people."

Despite the magical challenges faced by Harry and co. as Voldemort continues to gain power, McCrory thinks that what makes director David Yates' time on the series so special is his attention to the more human aspects of the franchise. "[Half-Blood Prince] was definitely filled with teenage angst, and you remember how violent teenage angst is. There's nothing romantic about it. You're thinking, Oh my God, what am I going to do for the rest of my life? You're starting to make decisions about the rest of your life. I think [David Yates] really summed that up in a very real way, and a very serious way.

"I think with these next two films, he's looking at this character becoming a man. And that again, is quite an epic story. That's Ulysses. Rites of passage. It's exactly what Noel Clarke did, in a way, with Kidulthood. We still watch those stories, whether they're set in Hogwarts or New Cross."

McCrory told us she was due for a table read of the script for the second part of the film today. "You don't know what to expect until you get there," she said. "Something written down on paper could be completely different on the screen. On Monday we're just going to sit down with various people around a table."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I arrives in cinemas in November of next year, while Part II is set for a July 2011 release.


Related Items
Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
Kidulthood
Celeb: Helen McCrory
David Yates
Noel Clarke
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Comments (1-20 of 41 posts) | Reply
SuckitBaby
SuckitBaby writes:
on Oct 05 2009 05:07 AM

Harry Potter Sucks!

(Reply to this)
martinscorsese25
martinscorsese25 writes:
on Oct 05 2009 05:57 AM

i really looking forward on seeing DH part 1. Yates already said that they are shooting the film with alot of hand held shots. hmmm... this reminds me of Children Of Men, another big budget film shot on hand held. it would also be nice if we could get some very good long takes that doesnt draw too much attention onto itself(kind of like CoM). it gives great tension in a movie that's filled with tension(the first part of the book is INTENSE).

this is one of the most interesting films comung out next year. will it work? who knows? will the mainstream audience accept this kind of filmaking? again who knows. it's nice that Yates is trying to make it fresh everytime he makes a Potter film. HBP is a very solid entry in the Potter film franchise. it makes you forget the disaster that is 'Order of the Phoenix'. if Yates makes another very good film like HBP, it will make me stop wondering "What if Cuaron made another Potter film?"


(Reply to this)
Shatter24
Shatter24 writes:
on Oct 05 2009 06:34 AM

I don't think director's need to be so artsy with their choices of camera shots. A little to spice up a traditional film is one thing but too much hand-held filmmaking will be distracting. Cuaron's Azkaban feels the least like a Harry Potter film of the series and is not as enjoyable on re-watching. I'm glad he only did one film. I appreciate some of the risks he took but traditional filmmaking techniques often work best in these epic films. Goblet of Fire was the proof that an emotional, personal story can still be told with traditional camera angles and techniques. I hope Yates does not go over board with his trying to be stylistic, to the detriment of the ultimate story. Let it be a Harry Potter film, not a kid-friendly Children of Men.

(Reply to this)
Hamboner
Hamboner writes:
on Oct 05 2009 07:58 AM

Well, it may be a Harry Potter Film but it will be filled with war and death.

To me, it sounds very appropriate to introduce new camerawork in order to capture just how dangerous these final books are supposed to feel.


(Reply to this)
martinscorsese25
martinscorsese25 writes:
on Oct 05 2009 08:02 AM

@Shatter24

i disagree with you completely. Cuaron is the "fulcrum" of this movie franchise. without him, i don't know what the series would be. PoA is the best(tied with HBP) Potter film out of them all. i mean, the film gets better everytime you watch it. in all honesty, i didn't like it the first time i saw it when it was released. i thought it was boring and too "silent". on the other hand, i really like Goblet of Fire the first time i saw it. it was much like the first two films but "darker" which are more "hollywood". once i grew older(i am jus 18 today), i started to realize how wrong i am. Goblet of Fire is all spectacle and nothing more. it's just a forgetful entry. Newell didn't really do anything "fresh". it was made like any other studio film out there. once you get over the effects, the film isnt really anything good. i think that's a difference with a film with depth and a normal film. the films with depth gets better everytime you watch it while other movies becomes forgetful because they don't really show anything more than special effects. also, Cuaron set the tone for the movies that came after PoA. his look of Hogwarts is the blueprint that Newell and Yates is copying. it would be kick-*** if he returned. his Hogwarts look great even without his collaborator Chivo Lubezksi. If he returned with Chivo, they might have captured some truly beautiful images in the Wizarding World. All the WHAT IFs continues unless someone makes the definite BEST POTTER FILM.


still, i respect your opinion. i think it depends on what kind of audience you are with thes Potter films.
it's basically like this, which Kill Bill film did you prefer? Vol. 1 or Vol 2? it's easy to identify what kind of audience you are just by answering that question.

lastly, it's okay to be stylistic. as long as it does not draw too much attention. and i support Yates and his "different" style of filmaking for part 1


(Reply to this)
Sean S.
Sean S. writes:
on Oct 05 2009 08:18 AM

cant wait

(Reply to this)
dj Mark
dj Mark writes:
on Oct 05 2009 08:26 AM

In reply to this comment (#2550924)
I have to agree. Cuaron's POA takes its time and let's the story breathe. The cutesy elements of the first two films are gone and there is a maturity creeping into the series by this point, and it was instrumental in setting the tone for all the movies that followed.

I'm sure Yates will not over use the hand held technique, so let's all give him the benefit of the doubt, ok?

Hand held shots are great at communicating a feeling of unrest, a bit of chaos and uncertainty. With the three main characters out of Hogwarts and fugitives through most of the first half of Deathly Hallows, this seems like a very wise creative decision.


(Reply to this)
Cutler to the rescue
Cutler to the rescue writes:
on Oct 05 2009 08:29 AM

POA is by far the worst Harry Potter movie. I tried to watch it more than once but it is so bad. Goblet of fire is much much better than POA.

(Reply to this)
Not L.
Not L. writes:
on Oct 05 2009 09:26 AM

So you don't sound like a complete tool, how about adding 'in my opinion' to the end of your sentences?

(Reply to this)
Krypto The Super Dog
Krypto The Super Dog writes:
on Oct 05 2009 09:54 AM

In reply to this comment (#2550942)
Ha

(Reply to this)
Kyle G.
Kyle G. writes:
on Oct 05 2009 10:21 AM

Funny, POA was my favorite book and my least favorite of the films so far. Maybe i just couldn't get over the important things left out of the film like who created the marauder's map or the scant time spent in honeydukes to name a few. Or maybe it was how awful the werewolf looked. I dunno, i certainly did appreciate the the overall dark tone of the film and thought the time shifting finale played nicely.

I believe my favorite film so far is either HBP or OOTP. Both managed the dark tone and look very nicely but with more and more color being drained from the pallet with each film i wonder if deathly hollows will simply be in black and white.

Anyway, i cannot wait for the final films. I can't remember a franchise ever to retain a 10th of the quality this series has over multiple installments. It truly is a thing to behold.


(Reply to this)
THECOWBELLHASSPOKEN
THECOWBELLHASSPOKEN writes:
on Oct 05 2009 10:24 AM

poa is still my favorite but hbp had some beautiful shots and good moments i just think they shouldve stuck with the orignal ending.

(Reply to this)
THECOWBELLHASSPOKEN
THECOWBELLHASSPOKEN writes:
on Oct 05 2009 10:27 AM

also i meant to say gamebon finally gave a great performance as dumbledore in hbp. no more of the yelling at students all the time bull**** he pulled in gof.

(Reply to this)
Gordon Franklin Terry Sr
Gordon Franklin Terry Sr writes:
on Oct 05 2009 10:36 AM

looks like its almost time for . . .
HARRY POTTER-LAND
a send-ip of all the great HARRY POTTER Movies . . .
sooner or later HARRY POTTER will MEET a VAMPIRE, a MAN-MADE MONSTER, a WEREWOLF, a MUMMY . . .
eventually A GHOULASH will stumble into the HARRY POTTER Universe . . .

how about HARRY POTTER VS. GODZILLA . . .

I remember with FRANKENASTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD, TOHO Studios made a 50 FT FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER fight a 50 Foot DRAGON.

HARRY POTTER can cast a Spell and turn hilmself into a 50 foot HARRY POTTER.

or BETTER YET

HARRY POTTER slips into a WORM HOLE and lands in the middle of MGM's THE HOBBIT to steal THE RING from Bilbo and SCHMEGOL.


(Reply to this)
Cutler to the rescue
Cutler to the rescue writes:
on Oct 05 2009 11:17 AM

Not L. my statement is a fact not and opinion, tool.

(Reply to this)
Sinister Minister
Sinister Minister writes:
on Oct 05 2009 11:29 AM

POA is my favorite of the HP films. I've enjoyed all of them so far but I have to say, POA is a cut above, imo. And gordon, this will be my last post in response to you. Your posts are truly painful to read. From now on, when I see your name, i will scroll down and completely ignore you. Just like you shouldn't yell "Fire!" in a crowded movie theatre, you should not post in a public forum. I understand that you have a right to form and share your opinion. but just cause you go the right, don't mean you should do it.

(Reply to this)
nbrush
nbrush writes:
on Oct 05 2009 11:32 AM

In reply to this comment (#2550935)
I don't know that I agree with you "Cutler To The Rescue". Goblet of Fire was the best one of the bunch, in my opinion, but I loved how Prisoner of Azkaban turned out. I liked the rat being the sneak- it was a much darker movie than the first two. I think that the last movie, Half-Blood Prince, was much worse. It did not have its own ending and storyline it seemed. The other movies could pretty much stand on their own. They are obviously part of the overall book collection, but they had their own main things happening. In the first one, someone was trying to get the stone, the second one, the snake was let out of the Chamber of secrets, even the Goblet of Fire had the tournament... Order of the Phoenix, which was much better than Half Blood Prince, was another movie that felt like a "chapter" instead of its own movie, but it had a better defined storyline than this last one.

The half blood prince topic was almost an afterthought- Snape said- oh ya I'm the Half Blood Prince- walk away.... The Death Eaters appeared much more menacing and tough in the Order of the Phoenix than they did in this rushed ending. I liked the interaction of the kids in this one, but the evil story was very lacking. I'd put Half Blood Prince at the worst of the series.


(Reply to this)
Matt M.
Matt M. writes:
on Oct 05 2009 11:46 AM

I am unsure how someone could dislike PoA because it was missing things from the novel and then go ahead and praise HBP? HBP was totally screwed up, in my opinion.

(Reply to this)
JettaJameson
JettaJameson writes:
on Oct 05 2009 12:15 PM

Why does every Harry Potter topic turn into a "No, this Potter film was the best," or "No, this director was the best" argument?

(Reply to this)
LEGION
LEGION writes:
on Oct 05 2009 12:29 PM

Wow...another year...another Harry Potter film.

Joy.


(Reply to this)
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