USA: The cast from the new Harry Potter movie talk about swine flu wardrobe malfunctions drugs and drag queens

Record ID: 171077

  • Title: USA: The cast from the new Harry Potter movie talk about swine flu wardrobe malfunctions drugs and drag queens
  • Date: 11th July 2009
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JULY 10, 2009) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) EMMA WATSON, ACTRESS, SAYING: "Oh god. To be honest I didn't really, I wasn't really aware of it happening at the time. I only realised the morning after when they printed the picture - I was like I didn't realise my dress had come apart!"
  • Embargoed: 26th July 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA30G81F675OP0E78NBRT70T4RS
  • Story Text: Swine flu, wardrobe malfunctions, drugs and drag queens aren't what you'd normally expect to come out of a film junket. But that was the case in New York City on Friday (July 10), as the cast from 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' promoted their latest work.
    Actor Rupert Grint, who plays Harry Potter's best friend Ron Weasley, contracted the H1N1 virus last month while filming the latest installment in the hit film franchise.
    "I didn't really find out until quite late that it was actually swine flu. I didn't even notice anything different, it was kind of a pretty ordinary kind of flu. Just the word swine flu is a pretty scary word at the moment. It was nothing, really," Grint told Reuters.
    Scary too for his co-star Emma Watson who plays witchcraft ingenue Hermione Granger. The pair recently had to lock lips for a scene in the upcoming movie, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
    "I know, tell me about it! I haven't had it, so I've been fine. Rupes just said it was a normal flu and he just had a sore throat and a headache, he recovered pretty quick, so it was ok. But, yeah, a bit scary!," Watson says.
    But if Grint was looking for sympathy - he certainly wasn't getting any from his star colleagues like Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy.
    "I think he had the flu and I think it sounds a hell of a lot better when you say, oh, it's swine flu. I'm sure he was fine. I just spoke to him minutes ago. I think he just spent two days in his room, drinking soup and having medication. I've been told he's fine. He just wanted a couple of days off work, the lazy... I'm glad to see he's well again," laughs Felton.
    It's been a hectic few weeks for the cast who've been busy criss-crossing continents as they promote "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" which is due to hit U.S. cinemas on July 15.
    For Watson, doing the publicity rounds has been good, so far. That is, with the exception of a minor wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet in London recently, when she was photographed accidentally flashing her underwear.
    "Oh god. To be honest I didn't really, I wasn't really aware of it happening at the time. I only realised the morning after when they printed the picture - I was like I didn't realise my dress had come apart!," Watson says.
    The young cast members insist they're great friends behind the scenes - and are full of praise for one another. But it's a different story when it comes to their co-star Jamie Waylett who was recently charged with illegally growing 10 cannabis plants. Grint and Felton admit they were disappointed to hear the news about Waylett, who played the beefy bully Vincent Crabbe.
    "You know what, me and Jamie, we never, I won't even lie and say we were great friends. He was always in his own zone and he maybe wasn't one to appreciate where he was and what he was doing. It's massively disappointing. I haven't really got too much to say other than he's let himself down hugely really and it's a disappointment for him and the franchise, really. Just disappointment, really," says Felton.
    Co-start Grint echoed similar sentiments.
    "I couldn't really believe it really, because he's been through this, with us, since the first one and he's kind of let himself down really. He had quite a good part and just blew it for himself, " Grint says.
    And from drugs, to drag. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the boy wizard in the feature film series admits he'd like to play a drag queen or transvestite once his Harry Potter days are over.
    "I think part of it is the fact that one of my favourite films is Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and it looks great fun. I don't know, I'd like to have a go. And I look good with a bit of mascara so that would be a nice excuse as well," Radcliffe jokes.
    And with that, the cast members called it a day. Ten hours of interviews with entertainment journalists is enough to drive any actor, justifiably crazy.
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