Q&A with Daniel Radcliffe

Sunday Herald: Is this movie an exact adaptation of the book?

Daniel: There are always going to be things left out because you would have a four-hour film if you kept everything in. Especially in terms of the characters it is very loyal. What makes Alfonso such a logical choice is Y Tu Mamá También was a film about teenagers becoming men and Harry Potter 3 is about children becoming teenagers and he understands, and gets, teenagers. I think he was the perfect choice.

SH: Do people still see you as Harry?

Daniel: You know, people who’ve known me five years have started to call me Harry. People I meet on the street actually call me Dan. That is confusing – people who don’t know you seem to know you better than people who do. Very confusing. It is kind of weird, as I have actually started to talk about Harry as if he is another person that I know, like one of my friends. Which is actually quite worrying.

SH: Do you ever hate Harry?

Daniel: Wow, not really. There are parts of his character that are not particularly nice, but everyone has them. I think in some aspects he is extremely arrogant. In a way, his negative points are what I love about him because he is not like the perfect hero. He’s incredibly flawed and that’s what makes him such a real character and you can associate so much with him.