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Come on, admit it - wouldn't you just love to be
a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?
For 19-year-old Chris Rankin from Dereham, that's
exactly where he spends his time for around seven months of the
year.
As most of us just dream of a trip on the Hogwarts
Express, morning mail arriving by owl post and the opportunity to
eat a handful of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour beans (not the ones
that taste like brussels), for Chris it is a reality.
Life has changed a bit since landing the role of
the Hogwarts' prefect Percy Weasley.
"It is odd," he said, "but it’s
nice when people come up and say ‘are you Percy Weasley’, especially
little kids who just sort of look at me with this woooah look on
their face."
In The Philosopher's Stone Percy spends most of
his time in the background. Whilst a key character he's not at the
core of the action.
The Chamber of Secrets
As Chris explained in an interview with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳
website for Norfolk, things change a bit in the new movie:
In the first film he’s just there – does his job,
shows the new pupils to Hogwarts where they need to be and then
disappears really.
In the second one he’s there a lot more ‘cause
there's the stuff in his house at the Burrow.
Chris and J.K. Rowling |
In the book, and it half comes across in the film,
there’s a stage when you think it could be Percy opening the Chamber
of Secrets. So you’re thinking hmmm.
M: There's a scene where you have a good old
ding dong with Malfoy.
C: It’s when they’re doing the Polyjuice potion
bit and Harry and Ron have turned into Crabbe and Goyle who are
Draco Malfoy’s henchmen types.
They’re walking down the corridor and Percy’s coming
from, well if you read the books he’s coming from having a bit of
a romantic session in a classroom with his girlfriend Penelope Clearwater,
but they’ve missed that bit out somewhere along the line.
He comes along and says ‘what are you doing down
here, you shouldn’t be down here’ and then Draco Malfoy comes along
and obviously the Malfoy’s and Weasley’s don’t get on so there’s
a bit of friction shall we say.
M: So you’re telling me Percy's romance in the
book has vanished from the film?
C: Yes, sadly (sighs). Unless you’re a diehard
fan where you can see there's a bit where Percy and Penelope are
together, but there’s no kissing in darkened dungeons or anything.
M: You sound disappointed
C: Yes (dramatic pause), terribly (laughs).
M: Are you fixed for film three and ongoing?
C: The contract stuff seems to come two at a time.
They’ve started sorting out the contract stuff and it certainly
looks like three and four now.
M: You must be delighted.
D: Yes, I am. It’s a good firm job to have - it
keeps me busy for seven months of the year basically.
I suppose in a while it’s going to get a bit repetitive
and probably after four, if there’s going to be five, six and seven,
I might have to consider not doing them as I want to have a life
really.
Read more from Chris... talking
about The Chamber of Secrets and working with Alan Rickman
and Maggie Smith.
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