ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
July 9, 2007
A Magical Premiere
TFK Kid Reporter Madison Chapman was on the red carpet for The Order of the Phoenix premiere. Here's a behind-the-scenes look
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix swept into London, England, with a bang, and some streaks of lightning. As author J.K. Rowling and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint arrived at the European premiere of the film on July 3, the sky opened up and unleashed torrential rains, pounding thunder and flashing lightning. Excited fans from across the globe speculated that Lord Voldemort had worked his dark magic on the weather.
 |  Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry Potter |
The Order of the Phoenix is book five in the Harry Potter series, and at 870 pages is the longest of all seven. Producer David Heyman says it was no flick of a wand when it came to making it into a movie. "What always is challenging is deciding what to keep in and what to take out," Heyman says. "And from a practical point of view, filming the Hall of Prophecy scene was challenging because it was an entirely digital set that we had to make look real in the end. The kids had to act with nothing."
 Author J.K. Rowling | |
Author J.K. Rowling credits Heyman for some serious movie-making magic. "In this film, they were brave enough to show that Harry was as angry as he was in the book," she told TFK, "which was a great thing, because I think on the journey Harry goes on through the seven books, there had to be a point where he got angry about the job he was asked to do. And it is a dark book largely because of Harry's state of mind. Dan does that superbly."
|  Emma Watson plays Hermione Granger |
In The Order of the Phoenix, Harry goes through an emotional journey where he begins to doubt his identity, learns a terrible secret and is shaken by the death of a beloved friend. He struggles with many new conflicts, including confusing dreams, a fear of the newly powerful Lord Voldemort, and a simpering new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge. Imelda Staunton, who plays Professor Umbridge, was delighted to be a part of the cast and even more thrilled that she had a chance to try out some special effects. "I did a little bit and I got so overexcited, they had to slap me to calm me down," Staunton says, smiling.
 Rupert Grint plays Ron Weasley | |
Though the plot is darker, Ron and Hermione's bickering lightens the mood. "There's always been a little thing between them in all the other films," says Rupert Grint, who plays Ron. "This time Ron feels a lot more protective of Hermione. There are a few little moments that suggest that there could be something in the seventh (book)." While Hermione, played by Emma Watson, may be starting to like Ron, she still knows how to put a boy in his place. "She won't be bossed around by the guys, she bosses them around!" Emma declares with a smile.
Harry also gets a shot at romance in The Order of the Phoenix, when Cho Chang (Katie Leung) finally steals a kiss from Harry. What did Katie think about it? "I really enjoyed it!" Katie Leung says, giggling.
|  Katie Leung plays Cho Chang |
As Harry has grown in the books, says Rowling, so has the actor that plays him. "Dan is fantastic. What I think is absolutely incredible is that they chose this cute kid who could act. But he was 10 and he's turned into this really amazing actor now," she says of 17-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, who has played Harry for almost seven years.
 Evanna Lynch plays Luna Lovegood | |
Another character that made sparks fly for Rowling is the bizarre, yet perceptive Luna Lovegood, who becomes Harry's friend and helps him learn an important lesson. A 14-year-old Irish girl named Evanna Lynch was a maniacal Harry Potter fan before beating 15,000 girls to become Luna. "Evanna Lynch is amazing. She IS Luna and anyone who loves the book should love Evanna," Rowling says.
Kisses, subplots, new characters and emotional struggles aside, on July 11 fans across the U.S. will make the ultimate decision on whether Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is as magical as its prequels.
