Director Chris Columbus Reflects on Trio and the First Two Harry Potter Films
Columbus Interviews
Posted by: sue
November 16, 2009, 06:27 PM
As part of the build up to the release of the much anticipated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Ultimate Edition DVDs due next month, director Chris Columbus is the subject of a new feature in the LA Times Hero Complex blog. In this article, Chris Columbus reflects back on the casting of the Trio and remarks too at how far they have come since those very early movies. Quotage of interest:
"Having done the 'Home Alone' pictures, I realized
that we needed to start casting kids based on their families and the
security that their families could give them at this particular time in
their lives -- that was particularly the case with the "Potter" kids,
who were about to become three of the most famous kids in the world,"
Columbus said. "So David Heyman and I made sort of a pact that we were
gonna cast the families as well as the kids. And in interviewing Dan’s
family and Rupert’s family and Emma’s family, they surrounded
themselves with a really solid group of people. Their parents were very
supportive, their parents were there for them all the time."
...
"There wasn’t this obsession for fame," the 51-year-old director
said. "It all sort of happened -- particularly with Daniel Radcliffe
-- reluctantly. With the other two kids it seemed accidentally
– they weren’t expecting it. And I think as a result of that, because
they had that sense of support from us at the beginning, and from their
parents throughout, they’ve really turned into terrific adults. And
that being said, they’ve also turned into terrific actors, you know. "
Debate, if you will, the quality of Columbus as a director but don't
doubt for a minute his value to the franchise that is now a towering
part of Hollywood history. "Boy, I’m telling you, to see them grow as
actors and actually having the opportunity to see Dan in [the stage
play] 'Equus'…I was just really, really impressed. It was the feeling of a proud parent."
2394 Points
Am I the only one who finds it cool that this was posted today, on the 8 year anniversary that Philosopher’s Stone hit cinemas? That was a cool week, I thought of nothing but Hogwarts for that whole month, and several after it. I miss those days
39 Points
I really wish Chris Columbus would have directed all of the movies. All of the films after Chamber of Secrets should have been made into two part films to allow the movie goers access to the full story and not the garbled mess that the other directors have gave to us. I can’t wait for these movies to be remade and for them to use a single director on all of the films (unfortunately, at least 20 years from now).
I revere Chris Columbus for the first two HP films, which were perfect, and none of the garbled messes since then has even come close. But for those first two, the line between books and movies blurs, and I often find myself accidentally quoting from the movies instead of books – they were just that good. It was the first movie that made me an HP fan.
I personally am more excited for his adaptation of Percy Jackson than I ma for another HP film disaster. Percy Jackson is my favorite book series after HP, and the movie comes out Feb 12th, the day before my birthday. Squeee!!!!
3634 Points
Those are actually two of my favorites, I feel they were always closest to the books and caught the vision of what I was reading. I think he did a marvelous job casting and I can’t imagine anyone else playing the trio.
4476 Points
I am such a huge fan of Chris Columbus! Good natured brilliance is definitley something to behold. I went on to read a bunch of those articles – interviewing the trio, and then Michael Gambon. I didn’t know he hasn’t read the series! His explanation for it makes complete sense, but I can’t help feeling disappointed.
Bravo! to Chris Columbus too! for his wanting to involve the families of his young actors and his wanting to put details from the books into the films.
Loved hearing ..reading…from him after all this time…and the fact he is still following Dan,Rupert and Emma’s careers and the fact he saw Equus.
Am I the only one who finds it cool that this was posted today, on the 8 year anniversary that Philosopher’s Stone hit cinemas? That was a cool week, I thought of nothing but Hogwarts for that whole month, and several after it. I miss those days