Jason Isaacs Talks OotP Movie

In an interview with Empire, Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in the Potter films) talked a bit on the latest film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, saying that he hasn't yet started filming:

And how’s Harry Potter going?
I don't know; they started without me. Like most things in my life. I haven't even read the script yet. To be honest, I don't know what happens in it. I know that I'm meant to end up in prison – that’s no great secret.

Will Malfoy be coming back for film 5?
Oh, I don't know, you'll have to ask David. I hope so, I can’t bear the idea that somebody else would get to wear my Paris Hilton wig, but you never know.

You have a strange relationship with your wig then?
I do. Well, the wig is on time-share with Paris Hilton and she comes round. It takes a lot longer to prise it off me at the end of the day because I fancy myself as the lead singer of Sweet. Nah, it’s not very long, they’re all terribly slick with it. I miss it. I like the wig. I’m not a man who gets to disguise, I look pretty much the same in everything I do except for Harry Potter and I get to wear a fabulous wig.

(SOURCE: VERITASERUM)

GOF Gets 3 Nods at MTV Awards

The nominees for this year's MTV Movie Awards were announced today, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is up for three awards: Best On-Screen Team, Best Villain, and Best Hero. You can vote at MTV's website. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on June 8.

(SOURCE: VERITASERUM)

Lengthy New Interview with Rupert

Coming Soon recently conducted an in-depth interview with Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) about both Driving Lessons and the fifth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:

CS: Do you still end up getting a lot of downtime while making the "Potter" films or are you working a normal 9-to-5 schedule?

Grint: Yeah, it's pretty much that. The "Harry Potter" schedule is sort of every day, five days a week, and on "Driving Lessons," we were doing six day weeks for six weeks, and that was quite tough. It was pretty heavy going, though it was good fun.

CS: Do you still have to go to class on the "Potter" set?

Grint: I used to, but now I've left school quite recently, 'cause it was getting quite hard to juggle the tutoring with the film. I'm not really an academic sort of person, so I just thought I'd leave and concentrate more on the film. Thankfully, I don't have to do that anymore.Also, two new clips from Driving Lessons (both of which feature Rupert) are now available at Coming Soon.

(SOURCE: VERITASERUM)

Video of Jo and Jason Isaacs at the British Book Awards Now Available

Thanks to Andy from our forums, we now have two videos for you of Jo Rowling at the "Nibbies," the British Book Awards, where Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince won book of the year; one is a montage that shows and talks about her often and also features Jason Isaacs, who plays Lucius Malfoy; the other is of Jo's acceptance speech. They're available in WMV and MP4 (video iPod friendly) format (right click and save-as):Arrivals montage (.mp4, 9.7MB, iPod friendly)Arrivals montage (.wmv, 15MB, Windows friendly)Acceptance Speech (.mp4, 7.7MB, iPod friendly)Acceptance Speech (.wmv, 12.5MB, Windows friendly)We also have the transcript of Jo and Jason's appearances on this video:Jo, in arrivals montage:"The Nibbies mean a lot to me. I'm really happy to be here. I was first here nine years ago I think. And it was different. Far fewer cameras."Jason Isaacs, in arrivals montage:"In my experience writers are generally found on the floor in a pool of their own dribble, and I'm hoping to see a lot of well-known authors get horribly drunk."Jo's acceptance speech:"A Nibbie is the first award that Harry Potter ever won. That night I was wearing much cheaper shoes, and I've been terrified ever since sitting down, of having to come up here because these are coming off me. The publication of Harry Potter involves frank insanity, some of which is fun, some of which is just plain mad. Half-Blood Prince brought a lot of that, but in the middle of it all was a book that I was quite proud of, and that is really the best a writer can say - obviously, apart from, 'Look at the royalties.' [Laughter.] And the very last thing I would like to say is I would like to say to Alan Bennett: you think you've got it bad. This is a great opportunity to say, I know owls don't bloody well eat bacon. Thank you."

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Evanna Lynch Tried Out for Luna Before Open Call, Says Dad

Evanna Lynch, Luna Lovegood in the Potter films, once set a demo tape of she and her friends acting to WB in hopes that she would be cast as Luna; she heard back from WB the day before the open casting call, with a rejection, MuggleNet reports from an interview with Evanna's dad. Evanna was picked from 400 winnowed down hopefuls from the open call; she is receiving acting tuition and spoke to JKR for at least an hour when JKR visited the set last week. More at MN!

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

JK Rowling Rants at Thin Culture

Writer JK Rowling has revealed she is worried about her daughters growing up to be obsessed with being thin.

Writing on her website, the Harry Potter author has "a rant" about the "skinny-obsessed world".

She praises Pink's latest single Stupid Girls which pokes fun at image-obsessed models who think only about being thin.

JK says she is concerned that Mackenzie, who's one and Jessica, 12, will become "empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones".

On the site, it says her outburst was sparked by photos of a painfully thin model in a magazine which she was looking through on her way to a recent visit to Leavesden Studios, where the Potter films are made.

The author, who is currently writing the final Potter book, welcomed a new single by pop star Pink which takes the mickey out of "talking toothpick" role models.

She said about her daughters: "I'd rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny, a thousand things, before `thin'."

And it ends: "Let my girls be Hermiones rather than Pansy Parkinsons. Let them never be Stupid Girls."

Weighty matters

JK joined Pink in bashing celebrities "whose greatest achievement is unchipped nail polish, whose only aspiration seems to be getting photographed in a different outfit nine times a day, whose only function in the world appears to be supporting the trade in overpriced handbags and rat-sized dogs".

(SOURCE: CBBC NEWSROUND)

New Interview with Actor David Thewlis

The Independent has a new interview with actor David Thewlis, who portrays Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter films. While most of the article focuses on his past performances and his personal life, the article briefly mentions David's return in the upcoming Order of the Phoenix movie. "Thewlis has at least two more Harry Potter films coming, a prospect that fills him with almost childlike glee. "I'm really glad I'm going to see everybody again, and it'll be weird to see the kids grown up. I'm not sure how they're going to make the other films, it would be a shame not to have the same actors, but Rupert [Grint, playing ginger Ron] is going to be married with kids or something by the end."

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Confirmed: 'Phoenix' Flies on July 13, 2007

Several movie and fan sites have reported recently that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix would be opening in theatres July 13, 2007.

UPDATE: After seeking confirmation we are happy to say it's true!

Earlier, sources told us the date was targeted but that Warner Bros. had not absolutely committed to it. Targeting a release date is not uncommon, as it gives the studios and their competitors a chance to stake a claim for opening weekends (and who wants to go up against a Harry Potter movie?). In many cases, a targeted date becomes the official date.

Admittedly, this doesn't bode well for the popular fan speculation that book 7 will be released 07/07/07, unless WB and the Potter book publishers don't care about such a close release window. Still, producer David Heyman promised recently that the first teaser trailer will be out later this year.

(SOURCE: HPANA)

J.K. Rowling Updates Site; Talks Phoenix Movie, Memerson

J.K.Rowling has updated her website today with a new diary entry where she discusses Book Seven, the British Book Awards, and a visit to the set of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Jo writes:

The book's still going well, I'm sure you're pleased to hear, lack of paper notwithstanding. There was a small interruption last week so that I could go down to London for the British Book Awards, a.k.a. the Nibbies, which was a lot of fun, and rather thrilling as Half-Blood Prince won Book of the Year. I also took the opportunity to visit Leavesden (the studio where they make the Potter films), which I hadn't done in ages due to being pregnant/having tiny babies for what feels like ages. It was exciting to see some of the new Order of the Phoenix sets, but most of all to see the actors again – slightly unnerving to realise that nearly all of them are taller than me now (I speak, of course, of the teenagers; Michael Gambon was always taller than me, and very lovely he looked in his new robes, too.) Apart from the pleasure of seeing Tom Felton, Devon Murray, Alfred Enoch, Sitara Shah (and waving through the door at Bonnie Wright, who was busy being tutored), I had a great time talking to Dan and Matthew about books, Rupert about how his sisters never wind him up, Oliver and James about how difficult they find it to wind each other up, and Emma about Hermione's love life. Also met, and had a long chat, with Evanna Lynch (Luna), about whom there is only one possible thing to say: perfect.

Jo also mentions our April Fools prank which involved Emerson from MuggleNet, TLC's Melissa Anelli, and our sites forming LeakyMug.com. Check it out here in her rumors section. Finally, there is this update in the Extras section that this editor appreciated where Jo comments and reflects about society, magazines and the pressure for girls to be thin.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)