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Tom Felton interview

Caroline White meets Draco Malfoy, and lives...

There YouTube clip of you at a shopping Mall in New Jersey, promoting the Half-Blood Prince earlier this year. There are hundreds of screaming fans – do you remember that? Is it a regular occurrence?

I’m not going to get that out of my head, it’s pretty rare. Without sounding too British, it was a sort of beautiful Americanness, they love to let go. I don’t think you’d ever get that sort of enthusiasm on our shores. My girlfriend was standing at the side of the stage, so I was just looking at her thinking, “My God, this is amazing.”

Where did you meet your girlfriend?

We met last year on Half Blood Prince - she worked in the crew.

Are you thinking about life after Potter very much?

The last year has been has been a real deciding point. I don’t think anyone really wanted to act for the rest of their life. It was a case of learning that we wanted to do it - and we pretty much all do. One thing we can all guarantee is the next thing we do is not going to be as big as Harry Potter.

Any specific plans in mind?

There’s possibly a Second World War film, I’d be an American soldier. That immediately appeals to me, being very different to Potter. There’s a surfing buddy film, which I’ve shot a teaser for. There are also rumours of a play, without jumping into Daniel’s shadow - I don’t think I’ll be getting the wand out.

Was there a moment when you realised acting was for you?

In the first five films, Draco was fairly one-dimensional. For the Half-Blood Prince I felt there was more weight on my shoulders. I had one-on-ones with Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman to role-play the scenes and there was a day with just me and David [Yates, the director]. I remember going home and thinking, “This is a very, very cool job.”

 

In a Times interview in July, Rupert Grint said “Being in Harry Potter is like living in a bubble, and it slightly hinders your independence”. Do you agree?

Dan, Rupert and Emma were the youngest when they came into it, and they almost live at the studios because they are needed every day. I was 12 when I started, so I already had a group of friends and they are still my best friends now. They were very uninterested in Harry Potter when it started and are probably less interested in it now. If I didn’t have that I wouldn’t have normality.

Have there been any moments when you’ve enjoyed the fame too?

In New Jersey, on the way out, there was that Beatle-mania thing where everyone was swarming the car. I thought, “This may never happen again in your life” so I decided I’d open the window and give a little bit of a hand shake or a wave. The window was down half an inch and someone’s hand grabbed my hair, and pulled me towards the door. My girlfriend gave it a good slap and that was that. 

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince™ is released on DVD on December 7 by Warner Home Video

Sherlock Holmes Competition: Win premiere tickets

There’s nothing quite like attending a proper film premiere. Even nowadays, with the red carpet dominated by Reality TV wannabes wearing temperature-inappropriate clothing it’s still a thrill to mill around in the foyer of a really big opening spotting the stars.

The Times is pleased to offer you the opportunity to hobnob with the great and the good at the world premiere of Sherlock Holmes in Leicester Square on Monday 14th December. Click here to enter the competition. If you have yet to register for Times Online, you will be asked to do so. You must be over 18 or over to enter. Good luck!

Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo | Exclusive Trailer

Ponyo is the eighth animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli. Although the latest cinematic release from the spiritual home of Japanese animation, Ponyo (Gake no Ue no Ponyo) has already picked up awards in Japan (released July 2008) and the US and Canada (August 2009), reaching number 9 in the box office charts.

Studio Ghibli's previous release, Tales from Earthsea was poorly, arguably unfairly, received, with fans lamenting the passing of directorial duties to Miyazaki's son.

Ponyo marks a return to form for Ghibli and a refreshing alternative to  the digital animation techniques used in many contemporary popular animated franchises. The mixture of cel-shaded animation and hand drawn backgrounds, coupled with a clever retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic The Little Mermaid is classic Miyazaki.

The film is set in a coastal community where  five year old Sosuke spends his days playing on the beach, helping his mother at a retirement home, and watching his father's fishing boat from his clifftop cottage.

When a strange goldfish washes onto Sosuke's beach, a special bond if formed. Ponyo, being no ordinary goldfish, yearns to become a human, and unleashes the sprits of the seas, calling the balance of land and sea into question.

There are references to Wagner, overfishing, climate change and shifting age demographics, lending the animation an underlying edge. The line between good and evil is blurred, with each character evolving in unexpected ways.

Ponyo is a  clever, imaginative and charming family adventure that loses nothing in translation, with fine voice acting from Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon (Matt Damon!) and Liam Neeson.

Due to be released February 12th 2010 courtesy of Optimum Releasing

A Superhero team-up that's coming your way soon

The Avengers, in which (at least) four of Marvel’s premiere superheroes assemble into a spectacular fighting force promises to be one of the coolest comic book adaptations ever.

Rumoured script elements include Thor’s evil brother Loki in control of a rampaging Hulk and an appearance from a badass, Ultimates style, super-archer Hawkeye.

But that’s not until 2012. That’s Ages.

Karate Kid: preview images

One of a slew of Eighties-inspired movies coming our way in 2010 Karate Kid retreads the Ralph Macchio classic we all grew up with.

One thing occurred to me while looking at these pics: In that more innocent time, did anyone wonder if Mr Myagi had been CRB checked?