Related Sections: Interviews Movies News Top Stories
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince director David Yates speaks with us on set
In the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, breakfast is underway, tables heaped with sausages and toast, casually dressed students talking and eating. Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) stands in the doorway, dressed in full red-and-gold Quidditch kit, nervously surveying the room.
He enters. Fellow students slap him on the back as he walks down the central aisle. "Good luck, eh, Ron?" "Countin' on you, Ron!" "I've got two Galleons on Gryffindor!"
A huge guy blocks Ron's progress. He stops, they do a side-to-side dance, Ron has to squeeze by the guy to get to his table.
Cut!
It's January 2008 on the set of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, shooting on the stages at Leavesden Film Studios outside London, the longtime home of the Potter film franchise, where SCI FI Wire was among a small group of reporters allowed to observe filming.
In addition to observing the filming that day showing the morning of Ron's debut as a Quidditch player, we sat down and spoke with director David Yates about the sixth film in the beloved franchise, which opens July 15. Following is an edited version of our talk with Yates, who was dressed in a beige V-neck sweater and fleece pullover on this chilly day.
So I think you were quoted as saying this movie's about sex, drugs and rock
'n' roll.
Yates: Yeah. I want to amend that. It's actually about sex, potions and rock 'n' roll. ... It's a wonderfully fun, slightly rebellious, quite naughty stage of teenage life. When you're kind of discovering the opposite sex. ... In the previous film, it was about the first kiss. This film is a bit more sexualized than that. You know, in a way. We don't see sex, but it's kind of in there. And the relationships are a bit more complicated and romantic and convoluted. So we're pushing into new emotional and kind of physical territory for Harry Potter, you know, in a way, so it's quite playful and fun.
Do you think Harry Potter fans are going to be ready to see him grown up?
Yates: Do you know, they've been growing up with him, so I figure they would be by now. And that's what's wonderful about this series of films, is that they grow older, the characters grow older. You know, the actors grow older. ... I think it's quite an interesting relationship they probably have with him, and I'm sure they're ready for that.
And there's more comic elements in this film than the last film?
Yates: Very much so. The previous film was, you know, we really enjoyed making the last film. ... I liked the intensity of the story that we did last time. But ... this has intensity, but it's very playful, and there are some terrifically funny scenes. And six is a much lighter, more playful book than five was.
It still has some tremendous intensity at the end of the story, but it's got lots of laughs, too, and for me as a director, what's lovely is to change gears a little bit, and that's why I wanted to do it. I didn't want to make a kind of film about teenage angst; I wanted to make a film about teenage romance, and so, when I took over for Mike Newell—Mike Newell did the fourth film—I said, "You [got a chance to do] the kind of teenage love side of things, and so now I've got a bit of that to do." And it's really fun to come back and do it. ...
Can you talk about the scene that you're shooting now?
Yates: Yeah. This is a, Ron's big Quidditch match, and he's really nervous, and he's not very good, and he's terrified, frankly. And so it's really about him building up to the game. And Harry [Daniel Radcliffe] pretends to slip some Felix Felicis, which is this potion that apparently gives you great luck, and Harry's going to pretend to slip it into his drink to give him this bravura, which he doesn't have. So it's a gentle, funny scene about Ron's trepidation about playing Quidditch. ...
How have the actors changed since the last film?
Yates: That's interesting. Emma [Watson, who plays Hermione,] has become much more confident. I mean, she was confident before, but ... her acting ... is becoming more effortless. Dan's been off and done Equus and some television things, a television film, and he's grown a lot more confident and matured a wee bit. And they're all getting a wee bit older, and the material allows them to take a few more turns, again. They're getting better, as they should be as they get older, you know, so it's encouraging and enjoyable. ...
By agebringswisdom at 12:17 AM ON 04/24/09
Don't ruin the movie with the normal Hollywood nastiness. H.P. movies have been successful cause they stick to the plot. Will Hollywood ever get past their juvenile fascination with nasty? I doubt it. They can't show real love cause they have never experienced it. Too bad for them, but what they teach our children is despicable. Don't ruin Harry Potter.
By Saumya... at 8:49 AM ON 04/24/09
I guess the movie is going to be cool...The way its been described by David Yates...!!
By tls at 9:40 AM ON 04/24/09
"Harry Potter movies stick to the plot"?? What movies have you been watching? They have all stuck very minimally to the plots of the books. They downright ruined OotP and left so much out of PoA that there was almost no point to it at ALL. They keep saying it's supposed to be about Harry, so that is why much of the side plotlines get the ax... and now they're putting all this GARBAGE in about all these romances and playing up Ron and Lavender in place of the MAIN plot? It looks to me like they've even downplayed the Harry and Ginny romance. We don't get even the BIG FIRST KISS between them in the common room after the Quidditch match... that went to Ron and Lavender apparently. Yes the kids are growing up but this book is NOT about "sex potions and tock n roll"... it's about HARRY learning more about Moldymort and how to defeat him. THAT is the story.
Of course I will go see it and might even manage to enjoy it somewhat, as I have the others. But this one sounds like it's totally screwing the plotline more than any of the others and that is just sad.
By Artifex at 12:14 PM ON 04/24/09
You naysayers need to chill. The new trailer looks absolutely amazing, and I'm confident that Yates has pulled off another good film. I rewatched OotP a few nights ago, and seem to gain more appreciation for how well he stuck with Harry's character instead of getting sidetracked as the first two film installments did.
The films will never do the books justice because books don't have to fit into a rough two-hour span. Yates made some wise decisions in cropping out some of the side plots in OotP, and I'm assuming he'll have done so with the same skill here.
Don't worry about the compression effect too much. Remember, Deathly Hallows is getting two films! That should provide all the Potter we could ask for.
By jbs780 at 2:21 PM ON 04/24/09
" "Harry Potter movies stick to the plot"?? What movies have you been watching? They have all stuck very minimally to the plots of the books. They downright ruined OotP and left so much out of PoA that there was almost no point to it at ALL. They keep saying it's supposed to be about Harry, so that is why much of the side plotlines get the ax... and now they're putting all this GARBAGE in about all these romances and playing up Ron and Lavender in place of the MAIN plot?......"
(singing)...Heeeeeeeere we go again! Here we go again...da da da da da da da da da da daaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Here we go again, here we go again...
Hoooooo boy!
Just sayin', so don't be hatin'!!!
By Stephie at 3:01 PM ON 04/24/09
I think everyone is judging the film way too harshly before they've even seen it.
Yes, perhaps Yates mentions the comedic moments a lot, but of course all the dark and heavy material is still there. Have any of you even WATCHED the trailers??
Before HBP, all we heard during promotions was how "dark" and "scary" the latest installment was. They probably figured audiences are tired of hearing about how much darker and scarier the next films are going to be and decided to shift the focus a little more.
By Tarc at 6:12 PM ON 04/24/09
Let's face it, book 6 is the weakest of the set (though it contains some of the most critical elements), and it's even written in a different way then the others. This , of all the books, is best served by film because of the extensive (boring) exposition. The trouble is, in a movie, shole sections of the book can be covered in a few scenes. I think that's good, because I didn't have much interest in the whole Voldemort backstory (as much as we need to know it for things to make sense). Also because of this, they can bring forward some of the lesser elements that they had to gloss in some of the earlier movies (just to fit all the main bits in). I actually think that in this one case, the movie will be better than the book. The trailer looks incredibly exciting, and the tone is perfect. I have little doubt this will be a home run.
By ME at 7:39 PM ON 04/24/09
LOVE IT!! LOVE HIM!! I can't wait to see this movie and it sounds like Yates has done a wonderful job with it. HBP has alot of comedic moments...it was definitely one of JKR's funniest and I think she did that on purpose because HBP is kind of the calm before the storm which is Deathly Hallows. But of course....HBP has alot of darkness to sort of counter balance the lightness and it's great to see all of that stuff too. Most of the trailers appear to have concentrated on the dark part of the story, so it will be great to see the comedy and the ROMANCE when the movie comes out!! ONLY 82 days to go !!!!!
By ME at 7:41 PM ON 04/24/09
sorry for all the posts...it wasn't working, so i didn't know it was going through.
By Emily Olive P. at 11:44 AM ON 04/25/09
I am glad to hear there are some funny scenes - the fifth movie was humorless, and Harry Potter needs humor!
By Lynne at 3:09 AM ON 04/26/09
From GOF on, so much has been left out of the movies that it makes me sick. I'm still mad that the Dursleys were cut from GOF, a scene with Dudley's four-foot long tongue would have been priceless. If Harry and Ginny don't get their big kiss, I'm getting up and leaving.
By keep_it_cool at 12:48 PM ON 04/26/09
i TOTALLY agree with agebringswisdom i mean some sexiness is good and interesting but don't totally make it about sex!
By hi at 12:52 PM ON 04/26/09
HARRY IS SOO HOT i hope to see more sex to make it more hot and interesting! :)
By what! at 12:56 PM ON 04/26/09
since when is harry potter about drugs i mean he's at school and in his sixth year?
By hp at 9:15 PM ON 04/26/09
This is going to be one of the best movie's in the series!!!!!! But i can't believe i heard that lavender and ron get the after quidditch win kiss, not harry and ginny!!!!!!!!!!!!! all you people don't like some of the movie's make me sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Chick Who Play's Ginny In This One Is So Hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Marie2 at 3:37 PM ON 04/28/09
I wish it would have the same intensity and darkness as the Order of the Phoenix. Hollywood has the nasty habbit of turning everything into one big romantic comedy, and that's not what Harry Potter is about.
Visit mobile.syfy.com/wire on your mobile device.
Marie2:
I wish it would have the same intensity and darkness as the Order of the Phoenix. Hollywood has the nasty habbit of...More »