You finished filming the last Harry Potter movie about a year ago. Is it weird revisiting that world now you’re doing publicity for the final movie?
I thought it was going to be weird, but actually I’m so delighted with the film. I didn’t think I would be as proud and as happy as I am, which is lovely. So actually it’s a real pleasure to be able to come back to it. I think [Deathly Hallows: Part 2] is light years ahead of any of the others in terms of filmmaking, in terms of acting. I find it really amazing that it was made more or less at the same time as part one because I think we’re different actors in it, and I don’t know how that happened.
The subject matter in this film is a lot heavier than in previous instalments.
I said to someone the ther day, ‘It’s like mixing the emotional range of Shakespeare with the action and blood of Tarantino.’ The body count in this film is massive.
Did you get to keep any souvenirs?
I’ve got two pairs of Harry’s glasses, one without lenses and one with. One pair is from the first film, which is kind of cool because my head was tiny then. I didn’t want anything else.
The character of Harry is pretty different from the character of J Pierrepont Finch, who you’ve played on stage in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; one is good and brave, and the other is unscrupulous and amoral. Has one been more fun to play?
Finch certainly has balls, and so does Harry. There’s a certain amount of fearlessness in Finch because he has nothing to lose; that inspires a level of bravery in him. I can’t really compare them because they’re in different mediums, but if I had to choose, I’d probably say Finch. He doesn’t necessarily have the big emotional arc that Harry had, but in terms of fun and getting laughs and doing comedy, Finch is probably more fun.
What will you miss most about playing Harry Potter?
It’s very rare in your career that you get to play an action hero. I’m not the natural frame and stature of an action hero, so I may not get to play one again. Things like bursting out of the water in film six, surrounded by a ring of fire… I won’t get to do that again. I miss that stuff. I miss the crew, but I’ll be seeing them quite a lot and hopefully working with them again. I will miss playing Harry, but I’ve played him for 10 years. That’s more time than any actor normally gets with a character.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is out now in cinemas across Dubai.
