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Miriam Margolyes is just as witty, if not more so, than her character of Professor Sprout in Harry Potter. Miriam recently sat down with the British news website, the Mirror, to discuss growing old, farting, and partying with Prince Charles. Three things that do not commonly get mentioned in the same sentence together.

The Harry Potter actress, who has acclaim for many other roles as well, including her BAFTA for best supporting actress in Martin Scorsese’s The Age Of Innocence, will turn 75 this May. She is currently awaiting surgery for a knee replacement just before her birthday. Miriam spoke about her health in a half-serious, half-joking manner, saying:

 ‘One of the worst things about ageing,’ she says, rubbing her leg, ‘is the waning of your physical powers; I live in a house with 64 stairs and I simply cannot run up and down them any more, my knee has conked out.’

The Mirror met Miriam at her home for her interview. The interview was a promotional for Miriam’s current project, ITV2’sAncient Rome-set comedy, Plebs. Miriam talked about why she took certain acting jobs over others and the importance of friends in her career.  The Mirror reports:

‘I turn down all sorts of jobs because I don’t want to waffle on about b*****ks. But I took Plebs because they film it in Bulgaria, a fascinating place. I take any job abroad because I love to travel.’

Indeed, earlier this year Miriam was in Jaipur, India, where she filmed the BBC’s Real Marigold Hotel with seven fellow well-known pensioners.

It was hugely popular and more episodes are planned later this year. ‘I loved the experience so much I would have paid them to take me,’ she says. ‘We all email each other and meet up, it’s like we are eight new, old friends, it’s lovely.’

‘There is this huge sadness to losing your friends – people you have loved and imagined would always know, then leave your life. That’s the saddest part. I’m not someone who believes old age is a blessing – b*****ks! – it’s f***ing awful and you get through it as best you can.’

Miriam says she used to enjoy parties, but has now grown to old for them and prefers small social gatherings. However, she will make an exception for Prince Charles. The Mirror said:

One party she did enjoy was at Sandringham, when she was invited by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall a few years back. ‘It was terrific! I’m a socialist but I am very much in favour of them. He’s a terrific bloke and we had a huge laugh. I’m so glad he’s found happiness with this lady who he should have married first time around.’

 

Miriam went on to discuss living with no regrets, embarrassing topics she doesn’t mind talking about on talk shows, what embarrasses her, and more. The original article, pictures of Miriam throughout her acting career, and video clips can be seen here.

Earlier this week, Alan Rickman’s last film, Eye in the Sky, had its UK red carpet premiere. While attending the event, Dame Helen Mirren talked about her beloved co-star, who unexpectedly past away earlier this year from a short battle with late stages of pancreatic cancer.

Dame Mirren said that Alan Rickman would be proud of his last film, and that the film was a “lovely” way to say good bye to the director and actor we love so much. The actress spoke to Female First on the red carpet, saying:

“It’s incredibly sad to have to say goodbye to Alan, not least because he was far too young and he had such great work in him, ahead of him, as you’ll see from his performance in this film, which is fantastic.

“The great thing is, it’s very much Alan on the screen. It’s not him playing one of his amazing characters – it’s Alan as we all knew him and remembered him – so it’s a lovely way to say goodbye.”

“The Alan we see on the screen in ‘Eye In The Sky’ is Alan. It’s Alan as I remember him. His wit, his humanity, his intelligence.

“I think Alan would have been really, really proud for this to have been his last film.”

“Alan was a genius character actor and he could play all these amazing baddies.”

“I’m still in a state of shock about it. I looked at a picture of him just today and thought, ‘I can’t believe that I’m not going to see him again.'”

More of Female First’s reports can be read here and here.

Evanna Lynch attended the IFTA Awards 2016 at The Westbury Hotel and Mansion House in Dublin on Saturday night (April 9th).

She looked absolutely stunning, as did Robbie Jarvis (who played young James Potter in Order of the Phoenix, and is currently in a relationship with Evanna) announcing on Instagram after the event:

“After an especially fancy week, I must apologize for the interruption in the regular stream of Puff pictures. Now to dismantle the glamour and unstick the glitz and go back to looking fluffy round the edges…”

Evanna spoke to the Irish Independent about Potter co-star Devon Murray’s (Seamus Finnigan) legal battle.

Adding to the torrent of great interviews from the grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood this week, SnitchSeeker have posted interviews with Tom Felton and Warwick Davis,  on which attraction they think should be added to the park.

Tom Felton stayed loyal to his character, saying he’d love to see Malfoy Manor, and even said he’d agree if he was asked to be involved in the process of making it!:

“I would like to see Malfoy Manor – obviously a bit biased there. I think it would maybe make a good ghost house or some sort of like spook train or whatever. There’s enough dark sides of that house to scare any child, I think. Yeah, there’s more look forward to. Something tells me this isn’t the end of it.”

On Fantastic Beasts, Tom Felton was confident that the newest venture in the cinematic Wizarding World will live up to Potter fans’ standards:
SnitchSeeker: What are your thoughts about the Fantastic Beasts series? What are you hoping to see, as a fan, as part of the series?
Tom: No expectations. I haven’t thought about it. I know it’s the dream team. You’ve got Heyman, Yates and Rowling back together, so they can’t really do much wrong, I don’t think. I have every faith in their ability to convert Jo’s work to the best of their abilities. I just think it’s exciting that she’s keeping the flame going, in a different sense. She’s creating more content.

SnitchSeeker: What would be your advice to that cast, just coming into this fan base, for Eddie Redmayne and everybody else?
Tom: I don’t think they need to take advice from us. We don’t share any similarities, really. At 9 and 10 years old, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. They know exactly what they’re getting themselves into. And Eddie’s an Oscar-winning actor. The last thing he needs is advice from me.

Tom also spoke about his career choices, and projects he’s currently involved in:

SnitchSeeker: What do you have coming up, project-wise?
Tom: Something released? A few things this year. There’s an animation film called, Sheep & Wolves, there’s a British spy film called, Stratton and a film that I just did with Troian Bellisario, an American drama called, Feed. I have no idea when any of these films will be out, but I know they will be at some point. This year’s going to be mostly commercial.

SnitchSeeker: You pick so many different projects. How do you choose them? What motivates you?
Tom: Just people. I don’t particularly go for character or story. I mean, it all plays a part, but I’m more interested in working with people that I get on well with. I don’t consider the outcome to be the reward or the result. I just purely base it on my experience, and what comes out of it is really neither here nor there to me. If the Harry Potter films were a complete failure, I still would have loved them as much as I did. So yeah, just enjoying the experience.

Watch SnitchSeeker’s video of the interview below, and read the full interview here.

Warwick Davis also told us what he’d add – he takes a dark route, similar to Tom – it’d definitely be interesting to see some sort of haunted mansion-esque ride with the darker places in the Wizarding World featuring somehow!:

SnitchSeeker: If you had a voice in how to expand the Wizarding World here or in Orlando or even Japan, what would you like to see come to life?
Warwick: I would like to see Azkaban. I’m intrigued about what goes on in Azkaban. We hear about it but we never really get a chance to see in Azkaban. So I think that’d be interesting.

SnitchSeeker: How would you envision it?
Warwick: A dark experience, wouldn’t it be? It’d be spooky, kind of like a Haunted Mansion-type thing that they have at Disneyworld. You go through and it’s one of those exploratory rides that takes you through. Lots of shocks and stuff, and really into special effects.

Speaking on Fantastic Beasts and Cursed Child (which Warwick admitted he’d love to have a part in),  Davis seems just as excited as Tom, with all the trust in Jo Rowling and Jack Thorne to give us amazing stories, and links this to the abilities of the theme park to add to the Potter stories in ways we’d never imagined:

SnitchSeeker: So Fantastic Beasts and Cursed Child, it’s basically a new chapter in the entire Wizarding World. What are your thoughts on it – starting with Fantastic Beasts?
Warwick: Fantastic Beasts will, I believe, give us another glimpse into the Wizarding World J.K. Rowling’s imagined. That’s quite exciting, isn’t it? It’ll be a slightly different perspective of that world. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie.

SnitchSeeker: Have you poked J.K. Rowling to get her rolling there? Because we know there are goblins in Fantastic Beasts?
Warwick: You don’t know who to drop hints to, these days. I used to do that with Star Wars. That was my old trick. If there’s a character, I would hope that they would ask me to do something. As I said, I’m just excited that they’re actually going to make some more stuff that gives us another look into that world. 

As do things here in the Wizarding World. Forbidden Journey is a chance to experience further adventures – something you don’t see in the movies. So all of this stuff expands on it. The play in London will also do a little bit more of that, as well. It’ll be a slightly different glimpse into the world.

SnitchSeeker: So what advice would you give to the actors in Fantastic Beasts, as somebody whose been surrounded by millions of fans over the years? They’re about to hit that, as well.
Warwick: They’re certainly going to find it an interesting experience. And one I should imagine they’re preparing themselves for because, obviously, when we made the first Harry Potter film we knew the books were really successful, there were two books out at that point. 

We never had a concept of how successful the movie was going to be. And then the fact that we were going to go and make eight in total. So at this point I imagine they actually have some idea like, “Yeah, this could be pretty huge, this.” But, you never can tell, but they’re always going to be known for being cast members in Fantastic Beasts. That’s what’s going to happen.

In terms of projects he’s working on, Warwick is very secretive – SnitchSeeker try to get us some hints, but to no avail, unfortunately! We look forward to the eventual revealing of his role in films to come:

SnitchSeeker: So what’s coming up for you, project-wise?
Warwick: I’m in loads of stuff at the minute. Much of it I can’t talk about, which is a shame, but rules of secrecy exist quite prominently in the film industry now. There’s lots of exciting things, but stuff I can’t talk about. Sorry.

SnitchSeeker: Possibly back in Star Wars?
Warwick: Again, I couldn’t talk about it.

Again, see SnitchSeeker’s interview with Warwick below, and read the full interview with him here.

Catch more with Tom, Warwick and other Potter actors from the event here and here!

Recently, Alan Rickman’s Galaxy Quest co-star revealed that Amazon was working on a sequel to one of Alan Rickman’s most famous movies. Galaxy Quest is one of Alan Rickman’s must-see roles.

Alan Rickman, who passed away last month after a very quick battle with a late stage of pancreatic cancer, played a key role in the film. Until recently, Amazon was working on a sequel to the film–with the entire original cast on board. With Alan Rickman’s tragic and untimely death, many felt that the void his death created could not be filled. The plans to do the movie fell through.

Sam Rockwell, Alan Rickman’s costar, revealed the plans for a Galaxy Quest sequel on a Nerdist Podcast. Entertainment Weekly reported the details of the podcast:

“They were going to do a sequel on Amazon,” Rockwell said. “We were ready to sign up, and [then] Alan Rickman passed away and Tim Allen wasn’t available – he has a show – and everybody’s schedule was all weird. It was going to shoot, like, right now. And how do you fill that void of Alan Rickman? That’s a hard void to fill.”

One of Rickman’s most beloved roles was Alexander Dane on Galaxy Quest, about a group of veteran actors from a beloved sci-fi show who are mistaken for the real deal by an alien race. EW learned last year that a TV series based on the film had landed at Amazon, though it was in its early stages and it’s unclear whether this sequel project was linked to it. 

When asked in 2013 about hope for a sequel of some kind, Rickman said, “They’d need a few zimmer frames.”

You know what they say… Never give up. Never surrender.

The original Nerdist podcast, containing the entire interview with Sam Rockwell, can be listened to here.

The red carpet event celebrating yesterday’s grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood took place on the 5th April.  Leaky fans were on the ground covering the event, which you can read about here, but of course there are more interviews with the Potter cast than we can count!

Here are some of the best below:

Entertainment Weekly sought after the actor’s questions for J.K. Rowling since the series finished filming.

James and Oliver Phelps wanted to know what happened to George after Fred’s death:

OLIVER: I think with George, it would probably be what does he do with the company. Like, does he expand it? Or does he just keep it as homage to his brother? Or does he go, we’re going to open it up elsewhere?

JAMES: Did he franchise it?

Oliver Phelps came up with a great theory regarding Fred’s ultimate fate, which he told Seventeen:

“I think he’d dive into the family business even more and try to make it even better in Fred’s memory, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Fred was a ghost in the shop.”

Tom Felton told Entertainment Weekly that he missed Draco, and had endless compliments for J.K. Rowling regarding the character:

“There’s a beautiful understanding between him and I, I think. I miss him. I miss him a lot. But Jo has such a wonderful way of making these characters so rich and full anyway. I suppose all the things that I don’t know are assumed. But I also know that Jo is an endless wealth of knowledge so if I ever have anything that was puzzling me, I know she’d be more than happy for me to ask her. You’ve got me picking my brains now. I’ll have to message her tomorrow.”

Evanna Lynch obviously had the most questions about Luna – being a huge fan of the books, she wanted to know more about Luna’s family:

“I think the big blank is her mom. I’ve always wondered what she’s like. We’ve just been told her name is Pandora and that she died doing an experiment, and I just wonder, I really am curious what was her relationship with Luna? Because obviously she’s so close to her dad, and I find that there’s always one parent that you have more in common with or that you confide in more, and I wonder … was that her mom? Or just what kind of person she was.”

Make sure you catch the full article from Entertainment Weekly here.

You can also read a hilarious exclusive interview with Tom Felton playing ‘Marry, Snog, Stupefy’ with Bustle here, and a snippet from the interview below:

“When given three names of Harry Potter characters, Felton must choose which he’d most like to marry, snog (kiss), and stupefy, which, according to Harry Potter wiki, to stupefy someone means to “render a victim unconscious and/or halt moving objects.” So basically, it’s a less morbid version of the “kill” option most muggles are accustom to.

But before I can give him three options, Felton declares: “I’d snog Bellatrix.” …. I remind him of the rules — I give you the three options, Tom — and we begin.”

MSN also spoke to Evanna Lynch, about the roles she is currently looking for, which appear to steer away from ‘darker’ roles in shows such as The Walking Dead:

“I really just want to do characters a I really love,” Lynch told AAP on the red carpet at the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in California.

“There are other scripts that come along and I see them but I don’t really have the passion unless I connect with the character.

“I am sick of zombie movies, all these things about undead people. I want things that make the world lighter rather than scarier.

“Everyone says it’s so good but I hate zombies and that kind of violence.”

She also commented on J.K. Rowling’s constant development of the wizarding world – which we know she is excited about and understandably wanting to be involved in! Evanna spoke about what she’d like to see from any sequels involving Luna:

“She (Rowling) has created another world and made it so rich and varied and interesting and I feel like it will never end,” Lynch said.

“I’d love if she did a sequel, I would love to know more about Luna and I feel like there is a lot more to explore.

“I would love a wildlife show with Luna and a documentary series.”

Read the MSN interview in full here.

She revealed her thoughts on whether she thought the pairing of Neville and Luna should have gone any further to Movie Pilot:

“Definitely not. I think he’s very much a homebody, a stay-at-home dad. And Luna wants to go out and explore the world and different creatures, and I think she wants to have several different relationships and not be committed forever. Neville would want a good sturdy wife who cooks, and that’s not her.”

Evanna also gave Extra a VIP tour along with James and Oliver Phelps, which you can view below:

Warwick Davis also attended the event, and spoke to Hollywood Life about the how he’d feel about appearing in Cursed Child. Of course, he’d be more than thrilled:

“To be back in something that has been created by J.K. Rowling and something that goes on to have a life beyond that is exceptional and it would be lovely to do that!”

“I love performing, I am an actor. This is what I love doing So however I manage that and have that manifest itself is a great pleasure!”

He also revealed his aspirations for TV:

“It would be to have a chat show, I mean that is my last bucket list to take on”

“I have done everything else in my career that I have wanted to take on and what I want to do but the chat show still remains elusively something that I would still love to do and a thing that I think I could do very well!”

Read the full interview at Hollywood Life here.

SnitchSeeker also caught up with James and Oliver Phelps to ask them about the theme parks, and about the newest ventures into the wizarding world (Fantastic Beasts and Cursed Child). They posted a video of the interview (below), and you can catch their transcript here.

Make sure you catch our full coverage of the event at this link!

We have heard his voice repeat his warning to Alice in several trailers for Disney’s new film, Alice Through the Looking Glass. Though he repeats the same warning, this time, in the newest trailer for the film, we briefly see Alan Rickman’s animated character of the Blue Butterfly (who has morphed from his role as the blue caterpillar). The new trailer, which was released on Disney’s Facebook page for the film, can be seen below:

One of Alan Rickman’s last films, and his final live-action appearance on scree, Eye in the Sky, was released this last weekend and has received wonderful reviews. We are sure that Alice Through the Looking Glass will be enchanting!

Last Friday, Dan Radcliffe posted an adorable photo to Google+ of the day David Heyman took him, Matthew Lewis and Rupert Grint to a WWF match, two days before Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone started filming.

The photo only included Matt and Dan, but Dan left a lovely message supporting his fellow actor’s role in Happy Valley in the caption:

“Judging by the sign behind us I think William Regal was making his entrance! And judging by our faces we weren’t quite brave enough to boo him. It was very good night! Go watch the brilliant Mr. Lewis in season 2 of Happy Valley on Netflix!  Happy Friday everyone! – Dan”

We think you can just about see David Heyman behind Dan – we’re loving their totally enthralled expressions!

Find the original post by Dan here, and catch him in the Now You See Me 2 trailer here.

Warner Bros. has released a new, extended trailer for Matt Lewis’s new film, Me Before You, for the global marketing promotional campaign. This trailer briefly features Matt Lewis in his role as athletic-trainer boyfriend of Louisa “Lou” Clark, the leading lady of the film.

As seen in the trailer, there is certain facial hair missing from Matt’s upper lip…The trailer can be seen below:

Warner Bros. released the trailer on YouTube, with the caption:

“The new Main Trailer for Me Before You – in UK cinemas 3 June 2016 – directed by Thea Sharrock and starring Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman and Matthew Lewis, based on the novel by Jojo Moyes.

“Louisa “Lou” Clark (Clarke) lives in a quaint town in the English countryside. With no clear direction in her life, the quirky and creative 26-year-old goes from one job to the next in order to help her tight-knit family make ends meet.

“Her normally cheery outlook is put to the test, however, when she faces her newest career challenge. Taking a job at the local “castle,” she becomes caregiver and companion to Will Traynor (Claflin), a wealthy young banker who became wheelchair bound in an accident two years prior, and whose whole world changed dramatically in the blink of an eye. No longer the adventurous soul he once was, the now cynical Will has all but given up. That is until Lou determines to show him that life is worth living. Embarking together on a series of adventures, both Lou and Will get more than they bargained for, and find their lives—and hearts—changing in ways neither one could have imagined.”

Today, Harry Potter actor Gary Oldman celebrates his 58th birthday! Mr. Oldman–a very successful British actor–played Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black, in the Harry Potter films.

Please join us in wishing him a very Happy Birthday!

This week, My Name is Emily screened at the Victoria Texas Independent Film Festival, where starring actress Evanna Lynch both answered questions from The Victoria Advocate, and continued training for her upcoming half marathon!

Evanna spoke to Victoria Advocate about acting, Irish culture and her recent film,  some snippets from the interview are below:

What kind of film projects or non-film projects would you like to see yourself involved in over the next five years?

I would love to do a lot more Irish movies. I’d never done an Irish movie before. They’re stories with heart. They have to come through a lot because we have a small industry. I’m sure they hear ‘no’ a lot of times, so every story there (in Ireland) is really loved. I’d love to do that. I’d love to do historical dramas. I did that once in a play. I played Houdini’s wife. I loved the fact that I could read somebody’s diaries and try to get more in their mind rather than just creating it. I like history. I like biographies.

 

What was the most exciting part of working on “My Name is Emily”?

I think all the challenges. For one thing, swimming. I can’t swim. I got some lessons on the film because she’s in water a lot and even though she’s not swimming, I knew I’d have to be able to stay afloat. (Some people say) because you’re a fire sign, because you’re a Leo, you’re not meant to be in water. I really feel like it’s unnatural. I get water up to here (she holds her hand to neck), and I physically panic. It was like mind over matter. That kind of thing. And I love being pushed. I never want to do a job where I’m not challenged and turned into a better person.

What advice do you have for young, aspiring actors?

Stay connected to the passion of it, why you do it. When you’re young, actors – they do it because they love to express themselves, and they love that creativity in exploring story and character. As you get older, the business becomes your career, and there’s more pressure on it. I think it’s very easy to get disconnected to what you originally loved about it: the purity, the artistry, the spark. I think you can get jaded. Always follow your heart. I know that sounds corny. But I have done that with movies. I only really take movies that really move me. That has just led me to amazing experiences.

Evanna was also asked if she speaks Gaelic, to which she replied:

‘I do a little bit. We all learn it up until the age of 18. You don’t really appreciate it at the time, and you go to other countries that don’t have second languages, and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a really special thing to have’.

Read the full interview here. My Name is Emily has also been nominated for awards in the 2016 Irish Film and Television Academy Awards, and Evanna has been nominated as Best Actress, read more here!

Emma Watson, the UN Global Goodwill Ambassador, has taken to Facebook to share a four-part interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator, star and writer of the Broadway hit musical Hamilton. This interview was taped during the HeForShe Arts Week in New York City. The HeForShe Arts Week, an initiative to leverage the arts for gender equality, was a part of UN’s International Women’s Day commemoration. To celebrate the Arts Week, HeForShe and its partner institutions gathered in New York City to spotlight the efforts taken towards gender equality and women’s rights.

Lin-Manuel Miranda shares his inspiration to Hamilton, mentioning Ron Chernow’s extensive biography on the first US Secretary of the Treasure as his inspiration for telling the “proto-American immigrant story” via a musical that mixes styles from hip hop and R&B to “Beatlesque” music. Hamilton has been a massive Broadway success, and Emma Watson herself praises Lin-Manuel Miranda for creating a piece of art that left a huge impression on her by blasting through every expectation and tradition.

Miranda states that when creating the structure for the musical, he stole a little from Harry Potter and elaborates this statement by saying that like Harry, who meets Malfoy before meeting the people who become his real friends, Hamilton first meets Aaron Burr and only after that his real friends, namely Hercules Mulligan and Marquis de Lafayette. In addition to discussing the inspiration for Hamilton, Watson and Miranda discuss the contemporary issues the musical is able to tackle despite its historical context, like the role of government and the extend US should be involved in the issues of other countries. In addition, Miranda brings up the fact that in Hamilton, every character who dies does so as a result of gun violence, a controversial and contested issue in contemporary United States.

Watson praises Miranda for writing strong women who in Hamilton take form of the Schuyler sisters. Though the Schuyler sisters were a part of Hamilton’s life, historical accounts of them are much more limited than those focusing on Hamilton and the men he worked and socialized with. This lack of historical records means that Miranda had to do intensive research in addition to creating stories for these women in order to make them a crucial part of the narrative of the play. Watson asks Miranda about the female storytellers that have inspired him, to which Miranda responds by naming Jeanine Tesori (the composer of broadway musical Fun Home), Elizabeth Shadows (the composer of Broadway musical Runaways), Judy Blume, J.K. Rowling and several other female writers and creators. Towards the end of the fourth part of the interview, Watson and Miranda sort the Hamilton characters into Hogwarts houses, with Hamilton himself as Gryffindor.

Throughout the interview, Watson and Miranda cover a wide range of issues with intelligence, passion and enthusiasm. Also, Emma Watson beatboxes while Lin-Manuel Miranda freestyles about gender equality, which is definitely worth seeing and hearing! You can watch the four part interview from Emma Watson’s Facebook page.

In the muggle world, Emma Watson has become a feminist figurehead as the United Nations Women’s Goodwill Ambassador. She has created gender equality campaigns, a feminist book club, and given many speeches and interviews about her views on women in society, her latest with Esquire magazine.

It is International Women’s Day, and Emma is blowing up her own Twitter, as she helps women around the world celebrate being a woman. Even J.K. Rowling, one of the most influential women in the world, took a break from explaining her first North American Magic history lesson to chime in.

.@EmWatson@HeforShe#HeForShe

Nice emoji! You’re an inspirational woman x

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 8, 2016

Emma Watson and J.K. Rowling are just a couple of the leading women from the Harry Potter family–Evanna and Bonnie have been making headlines and spreading their positive influence throughout the film industry as well.

All these women fell into the spotlight through their role in the beloved Harry Potter series, which also sports a lot of powerhouse women–Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Tonks, Molly Weasley, Fleur Delacour, and so many more. Let’s face it, Harry would have gotten no where fast without these women behind him.

Hermione is the brains of the operation, but she is also very brave and has a good heart. Like Emma Watson, she was passionate about causes she cared, wether it was S.P.E.W. or the D.A. As the brightest witch of her age, she was one who could go anywhere and do anything. She was Miss Independent but still relied on her loving relationships with others.

Luna Lovegood taught girls to be themselves, no matter what. Luna is unique and quirky, and often her personality is the butt of jokes and the subject of bullying. However, Luna never let that deter her. She took it in stride, stayed true to herself, never wavering, and became one of Harry’s greatest allies. Luna had wit beyond measure, but she too was incredibly brave–unafraid to stand up for Harry despite being imprisoned by Lord Voldemort, and later globe trotting with her husband Rolf Scamander looking for fantastic beasts.

[Book] Ginny wasn’t Harry’s perfect match just because she was pretty. No, Ginny was perfect for Harry because she was fierce. She was just as good, if not better, at Quidditch as her fellow male wizarding athletes–she even went pro. She wasn’t dainty; with six older brothers, Ginny knew how to be rough as well as loving. She is particularly gifted at hexes.

Tonks and Fleur, as “Mad-Eye” (Barty Crouch Jr.) put it, are “as  much a fairy princess as I am.” Both Tonks and Fleur are talented witches who know how to put up a good fight for those they love. As prominent members of the Order of the Phoenix, neither of them would let any dark wizard stand between them and their families, or standing up for what is right. In Tonks, we already see Hufflepuffs making valiant warriors, as well as being loyal and hard working.

Molly Weasley’s prowess stems way beyond page 736 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The woman was a full time mother to seven children–that in and of itself is applaudable. She had to raise Fred and George. As awesome as those two are, they were probably quite a handful growing up. Molly Weasley takes care of everyone she loves, not just her immediate family. She practically adopts Harry, and we know she would always be there for him no matter what, like any true mother.

Without any of these women, or any others in the Harry Potter books, the series would not have been the same. We hope everyone, especially women–both young and old, has had a happy International Women’s Day!

Harry Potter actors have been making a splash with the success of their new acting projects. Their stage work has been exceptional, as well as their silver screen work–Olivier exceptional. Both members of the old and new Harry Potter family have been honored with nominations. Among the nominees are Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge), Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart) and Sonia Friedman (producer of Cursed Child).

Imelda Staunton has been nominated for Best Actress for her role in Gypsy. It is her 11th nomination, 3 of which she has won awards for. A video of the Olivier Nominee answering a few questions about her staggering role can be seen below.

Kenneth Branagh has had an extraodinary year with his Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company. He is also nominated for Best Director and Best Actor in his play The Winters Tale. The Official London Theater reports:

 

“Following a year of hugely high profile appearances on the London stage, the hotly contended leading acting categories both see five names make each list. Last night’s newly crowned Academy Award winner Mark Rylance (Farinelli And The King), Kenneth Branagh (The Winter’s Tale), Kenneth Cranham (The Father), Benedict Cumberbatch (Hamlet) and Adrian Lester (Red Velvet) will face off for Best Actor, while Gemma Arterton (Nell Gwynn), Denise Gough (People, Places And Things), Nicole Kidman (Photograph 51), Janet McTeer (Les Liaisons Dangereuses) and Lia Williams (Oresteia) are in the running for Best Actress.

“Chichester Festival Theatre’s triumphant West End hit Gypsy has earned a staggering eight nominations at this year’s Olivier Awards with MasterCard, with the show’s stars Imelda Staunton and Lara Pulver both in the running for awards.

 

“2016’s awards mark a huge success for Branagh. His current inaugural Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company season at the Garrick Theatre has garnered a total of seven nominations, including a nod for Judi Dench in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category, and sees the stage and screen legend nominated in both the Best Actor and Best Director categories.

“Kinky Boots’ leading men Killian Donnelly and Matt Henry will go head to head for the Best Actor in a Musical Award, joined by the similarly conflicted pairing of Guys And Dolls co-stars Jamie Parker and David Haig. Rounding up the category is Mrs Henderson Presents’ Ian Bartholomew.”

 

The new Harry Potter family has been experiencing great success. Jamie Parker (the adult Harry in Cursed Child) is nominated for Best Actor in a Musical Award. Sonia Friedman (Cursed Child producer) has received a staggering 20 awards through her production company.

The entire list of nomination list can be seen here. The Olivier Awards will take place April 3, on ITV.

Over the weekend, it may or may not have been leaked that the young actor, Anthony Boyle, is playing Scorpius Malfoy in the stage production of the eighth Harry Potter story. The quick eyes at MuggleNet and SnitchSeeker spotted an update on the young actors resume…that has mysteriously been re-edited and the information has disappeared.

For those of you wishing to know more about this kid-wonder, soon to be Scorpius, his “entire” (not really, anymore) resume can be found on Spotlight. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child released an entire cast photo a few weeks ago. It can be analyzed and scrutinized and the subject of guessing-games, here.

Matt Lewis has been keeping busy since his Potter days. He is currently working on several projects, including the BBC1 TV crime drama, Happy Valley, and the spring-break romantic comedy flick, Me Before You.

The Mirror sat down with Matt and talked about his acting journey from playing the heroic Neville Longbottom to Happy Valley’s villainous Sean. It is quite the transition. Matt Lewis talked about the process he goes through to act the part, and get into the troubled character’s mind set. The Mirror reported:

Sean admits he picks up prostitutes and has memory black-outs after binge-drinking. Is he the murderer without even knowing it?

‘Sean goes to dark places and makes mistakes after he’s been drinking,’ says Matthew, 26.

‘He can’t escape the ghosts of his past and all these pent-up emotions explode in bursts of fury…Playing Sean is the biggest challenge of my acting career,’ adds Matthew.

‘It’s hard to get into his mindset as some of the things he does can’t be justified at all.’

Matthew is best known as bumbling Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films.

‘Neville and Sean are wildly different,’ he laughs. ‘Younger Harry Potter fans may want to wait a few years before watching me in Happy Valley.’

Moving from a dark and troublesome character to a workout-crazed boyfriend in this summer, Me Before You, Pop Sugar has put together a slide show of a few photos from behind the scenes on the set of Matt’s new film. A couple of pics can be seen below, the rest can be seen here.

You can catch Happy Valley on Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One. The film Me Before You premieres June 3, 2016 in the US.

We raised the question a few weeks ago, of how the Doctor Who world would change with a woman Doctor, and how fans felt specifically about Emma Watson playing the part. What we didn’t discuss, was the age of the Doctor. Harry Melling, who played Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter series, has expressed interest in playing the Doctor, but thinks he is too young.

Melling comes from an acting family, and is currently lighting up London’s West End with his well-reviewed performance in Hand Of God, where he plays a Texas teenager who uses hand puppets to preach and spread the word of God. As with other Harry Potter stars who have found success on stage as well as in front of the camera, they always have the support of their Potter family:

Wow, @handtogodlondon was the most fun I’ve had in the theatre in a long, long time. Go see Harry Melling and rest of cast be outstanding.

— Matthew Lewis (@Mattdavelewis) February 15, 2016

In a new interview with Express, Melling talked about his family and acting. Potter was the beginning for him, but he has been able to step away from being typecast, and even take roles out of his comfort zone (he was initially scared to take on Hand Of God, but was really glad he gave it a chance). Even more interesting, Melling would like to play the next Doctor Who.

Acting runs in his family, and so does the role of Doctor Who. Melling’s grandfather, Patrick Troughton, played TV’s most loved Time Lord 50 years ago. Talking of his role in Harry Potter and wishing to join the Doctor Who franchise, Melling said to Express:

“Harry Potter was a great experience and the cast have kept in touch,” he said. “I was a chubby kid who went to drama school at 18 and lost weight. It was down to growing up, a new routine, a new environment, lots of movement and taking care of my body. “I was able to shed the whole child actor thing and start a new career, because no one sees me as Dudley,” he explained.

“Harry Potter was a lifetime ago. I was 10 in the first film. So much has happened since then.” 

“I was scared by Hand Of God but in the end I felt comfortable enough to do it. My parents came to watch and loved it. They all come from an acting family.”

Melling raises an interesting question that adds to the discussion on who should be the next Doctor. There are many opinions on whether or not the next Doctor should be a woman, but how do fans feel if the Doctor was even younger than past Doctors have been? Still a young man verging on adulthood, but not quite there yet?

Emma Watson attended the red carpet European premiere of her new film, Colonia. Emma wore a simple, but chic white dress and off-white coat.

Reuters was able to ask Emma a quick question while she attended the premiere. This video can be seen below:

The Daily Mail snapped many photos of Emma and her costars, a few which can be seen below.

Colonia will make its Switzerland and German opening date on February 18, opening in the USA in April. More premiere dates can be seen here at IMDB.

Today we honor and celebrate Warwick Davis’s birthday! This Harry Potter actor who played goblins and charms professors and choir directors throughout the Harry Potter films turns 46 today. In honor of his birthday, J.K. Rowling retweeted a picture that show a montage of Davis’s film roles over the years!

Happy Birthday to @WarwickADavis! Star of so many awesome things! celebrates his 46th birthday today. #WarwickDavispic.twitter.com/85hpxnKdvN

— Horror-Con (@HorrorCon2013) February 3, 2016

Join us in wishing Warwick Davis a very happy birthday!

In an interview with MTV promoting his role in the new series of Ripper Street (available on Amazon Instant Video in the UK), Matthew Lewis – we assume jokingly – teased at making a cameo in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, following a visit to the set of the film earlier this week:

‘In terms of a cameo, maybe.

Isn’t this set years before? Isn’t Neville like, minus seventy?’

‘I know what he’s up to, because Jo told me. I don’t know if he’s going to be in the play, but in terms of the world, he’s a teacher at Hogwarts teaching his beloved Herbology. Professor Longbottom’

He said that he was very excited to see Fantastic Beasts, especially as David Heyman and David Yates are leading its Production and Directing teams.

On the process of filming the Harry Potter series, and on questions of him returning to work on any future Potter projects he said:

‘I loved it. It was an important part of my life, but after ten years, I’m not sure how much more I can really do with it … As an actor, we love becoming different people – finding that person to begin with is so much fun, that process, and as much as you love taking a beloved character places,  it’s kind of like when you first go on a date with a girl. That excitement, that buzz of first getting to know each other … after ten years that’s not necessarily there anymore, and fortunately as actors we don’t have to be monogamous with our roles – we can do other roles and find that buzz again’

Matt says he has enjoyed filming ‘wildly different’ characters from Neville, and is loving the process of working on Ripper Street. Make sure you catch it on Amazon Instant Video, and watch a trailer here.

Watch the full interview with MTV here and below!

Today, Bonnie Wright announced her latest project via Instagram. She will be directing an exciting new film adaptation of Man Booker Prize winner Medusa’s Ankles – a short story by A.S. Byatt.

The short film will reportedly star Harry Potter‘s Jason Isaacs, as well as Kerry Fox and Chanel Cresswell, and will be produced by Andy Surry through BonBonLumiere, founded by Bonnie in 2012. Casting for the adaptation can be found here.

The story is part of a 3-story collection called The Matisse stories, published 1995. The stories follow the lives of women linked in some way to the art of Henri Matisse.

The plot (below), follows Susannah:

“Susannah, a middle-aged classics professor, is enticed into a hair salon by a Matisse print and finds an unexpected comfort in the hairdresser, Lucian. This relationship builds but takes a dramatic turn when the salon is remodeled and the atmosphere and characters entirely change.

The story’s plot proposes an illusory release through violence. Through its juxtapositions and patterns of imagery, the story addresses in the protagonist the inevitability of physical decay, the loss of a sense of identity with one’s body.”

A summary of the collection is as follows:

‘These three stories celebrate the eye even as they reveal its unexpected proximity to the heart. For if each of A.S. Byatt’s narratives is in some way inspired by a painting of Henri Matisse, each is also about the intimate connection between seeing and feeling–about the ways in which a glance we meant to be casual may suddenly call forth the deepest reserves of our being. Beautifully written, intensely observed,The Matisse Storiesis fiction of spellbinding authority. “Full of delight and humor…The Matisse Storiesis studded with brilliantly apt images and a fine sense for subtleties of conversation and emotion.”

Great work, Bonnie – join us in wishing her luck on her latest project!

Grimsby Telegraph reported today that amongst other guests, Michael Henry (a Gringotts Goblin in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2), Jon Campling (a Death Eater in Dealthy Hallows Part 1) and Simon Fisher-Becker (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone) will be attending a Grimsby Comic Con event.

Grimsby Telegraph reports:

Chelsey [co-organiser of the event, and part of Daydream events], who lives in Grimsby, said: “We are so excited to be able to bring something like this to Grimsby and especially as we will be raising money for the flood victims in the UK. We have been attending these sorts of events for some time now and they are so much fun to be a part of! We are very excited to be working with our guests, we want this to be a fun-filled day.”

This is the first of many events we are planning to run in the UK and we would love to run more of them in Grimsby.”

Grimsby’s February Strikes Back Comic-Con event will be held on Sunday February 7th, from 10am to 5pm at Oasis Academy Wintringham. Tickets for the event can be purchased from www.daydreamevents.uk – they are £3 for early bird entry (10am) and £2 for general admission (11am). Read more here!

Last Friday, IGN published an interview with Rupert Grint covering everything from his latest appearance in Moonwalkers to his attendance of A Celebration of Harry Potter next week. Entertainment Weekly published an interview on the same day, and extracts from both can be read below.

During the interviews, Grint spoke about working with Fantastic Beasts actor Ron Perlman – hopefully we can expect to hear more about Ron Perlman on the set of Rowling’s newest screenplay!:

IGN: You and Ron Perlman together is an interesting pairing. He seems like such an intense guy in his onscreen presence. What’s he like to work with?

Grint: I remember first meeting him. He’s such an imposing guy. He’s huge. He’s Hellboy! So I was kind of quite scared. He’s really sweet and hilarious and has so many stories. He’s hilarious and fascinating to be around and he’s really funny as well. You don’t really associate him with comedy but he was cracking us up, especially in that scene where he’s tripping acid. I remember it took us a few takes to get that right.

Much alike his recent interview with IMDb, Grint spoke about the differences of working on a huge budget film like Potter, to working on a smaller film like Moonwalkers:

IGN: Having worked on movies with big special effects sequences, was it fun to do a film where you’re purposefully trying to portray a goofy side to it, with these guys trying to pull this stuff off, bouncing around on wires, out of control?

Grint: Yeah, that was one of my favorite scenes, I think, was messing around with wires in an astronaut suit. We were surprised how easy it is to recreate the moon. It really did look very realistic. It was a very different experience from Harry Potter, but in a way I find it a lot more fun. it’s quite exciting. The story for this whole film is very spontaneous and had this crazy energy where you never knew what was going to happen next or what was around the corner so it was very exciting to work with.

He was also asked about his opinions on Fantastic Beasts and Cursed Child, and no longer being a part of the cinematic (and theatrical) process of building the Wizarding World:

IGN: The first teaser for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them was recently released. Is it interesting for you now, having been a part of Potter for so long, to sit back and observe and just be a spectator?

Grint: It wasn’t a thing I had thought a lot about until now, when things kind of started to move. It’s a weird feeling but also it’s great. It’s an amazing testament to J.K. Rowling that it’s kind of living on even more. It’s exciting. I’m really looking forward to seeing it and it’s going to be really different. It’s a different perspective and a different side to the magical world. I’m looking forward to it. It’s an amazing cast. Ron’s in it – Ron Perlman! It’s very surreal but I’m looking forward to it.

IGN: I imagine it’s also pretty surreal for you that the Harry Potter play is happening. Again, it’s a testament to what Rowling has created, and there will probably be a lot of people that portray these characters down the line, but is it strange for you that someone else is playing Ron Weasley for the first time?

Grint: Yeah. It’s kind of weird. It will be very strange to watch. I’m looking forward to it. it’s very fresh and it feels like a new thing. It didn’t feel like that long ago we were filming the last film. it’s great that it’s living on. It’s all really exciting.

He also says he’s excited to be attending A Celebration of Harry Potter next week, and that he’s still astounded by the loyalty of Potterheads:

IGN: You’re appearing at and event at the Wizarding World in a couple of weeks in Orlando, and obviously see the fandom has not gone away. I’m guessing there were moments in the middle of it where it was a bit overwhelming. Now, in some ways, are you able to appreciate it a bit more?

Grint: Completely, yeah. When we were filming it, you don’t get a huge sense of that because you’re in that moment and it’s a laborious kind of routine. You get lost in that. Since we’ve finished, it’s really amazing to see how loyal [fans are] and people haven’t really forgotten about it, which is amazing. It makes you feel very proud to be a part of it. It’s great. I’m looking forward to Orlando. It’s great to see everyone still really excited and enthusiastic about it.

Rupert also spoke about the ‘unusual’ type of film Moonwalkers presented itself as, saying that he was surprised by the end result:

IGN: This is a fun, unusual concept. How did they first describe Moonwalkers to you and what was your reaction?

Rupert Grint: It kind of blew me away. It was just ridiculous. I had known about this conspiracy theory before because I’m into all manners of conspiracy and this just seemed like so much fun. I can really see it. I met the director [Antoine Bardou-Jacquet] and he’s crazy himself, very French, and he just had this vision. It was great fun. I was working with two amazing actors, Robert Sheehan, who I’d worked with before, and Ron Perlman, who was great. It was this crazy kind of two months in Belgium. It was good fun.

IGN: The film opens and it’s quirky comedy, but then it gets pretty intense on the action side. Is that appealing to you when a movie can take a quick veer like that?

Grint: I didn’t realize it was that violent until I saw the finished product. At no point was I concerned with how graphic some of the violence is, so it was quite a shock when I saw that. But yeah it just adds to the craziness and stupidity of it. it’s a lot of fun. It’s an hour and a half of mayhem.

During Entertainment Weekly’s interview, Rupert also discussed conspiracy theories, and how Moonwalkers make him feel differently about their plausibility:

“It felt really free and spontaneous,” Grint says. “We had the freedom to do what we wanted. You get that sense watching it that it was fun to make.”

Grint says he’s always been interested in conspiracy theories. Despite Moonwalkers’ obvious farcical aspect, he says it did make him think twice about the real life moon landing. The film, in fact, remains slightly vague about whether the actual moon landing was successful or not.

“The conspiracy was something I’ve always read a lot about, but I kind of dismissed it,” Grint says. “Filming this, it gave me a few second thoughts. Our fake moon was easy to make, and a lot of the film is pretty ambiguous either way. That’s quite a human instinct as well, coming to your own conclusions that not everything you’re told is real.”

Entertainment Weekly also discussed Rupert’s views on the extensions to the Wizarding World universe in their interview, and apparently it makes him ‘feel kind of old’ – we’re with him on that front – Deathly Hallows was finished by Rowling nine years ago last week, and this year marks the 15th anniversary of The Philosopher’s Stone!:

“It feels very strange not to be involved in that world anymore,” Grint says. “It’s nice to see it from a different angle. I think both projects are both kind of reinventing it. They kind of feel like their own things, which is really cool. It’s really amazing to see it move on and still be relevant to people.”

Grint, for one, is happy to see the franchise continue to stay relevant even after he has moved on.

“It makes you feel kind of old,” Grint says. “I never would’ve dreamed this. You thought people would just forget about it. I meet new people every day and see that new generations are discovering it. It makes you proud to have had a part in it. I’m really looking forward to the play, and the cast of Fantastic Beasts is amazing. It’s gonna be great.”

Read more from IGN’s interview here, and Entertainment Weekly’s article here. Make sure you see Moonwalkers – now out on Netflix, and watch out for more updates from A Celebration of Harry Potter!

After winning both Best Actor Oscar and Bafta in 2015 for A Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne is nominated again in 2016 for A Danish Girl, putting him in the position of potentially receiving a Bafta double. He is up against Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martian), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) and Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs).

Dame Maggie Smith is also nominated in the Best Actress category for The Lady in the Van. Competition includes Cate Blanchett (Carol) , Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn), Brie Larson (Room) and Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl).

Julie Walters has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Brooklyn, pitting her against Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs), Rooney Mara (Carol) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful 8) . She says she was thrilled to be nominated and “proud to be included alongside these great women and their powerful performances”.

Brooklyn and The Danish Girl are both nominated for Most Outstanding British Film, Costume Design and Make-up and Hair. Brooklyn is also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Join us in congratulating Eddie Redmayne, Julie Walters and Dame Maggie Smith on their nominations, and make sure you see them in The Danish Girl, Brooklyn and The Lady in the Van!

Ralph Fiennes appeared on the Graham Norton show (below), to speak about his previous role as Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, and as the new M in the James Bond franchise.

Ralph said he’d avoided roles that required wearing prosthetics since playing Voldemort, and had some interesting costume insights for us regarding Voldemort’s wardrobe choices – some handmade stockings and  ‘fetching garters’ kept him looking elegant as ever:

“The tights would work their way down so the gusset was round my knees and I couldn’t walk as elegantly as I would like as Voldemort

“I asked the dresser to cut off the tights so for most of Harry Potter under the robes I had a very nice garter belt.” 

True to character, Ralph checks his outfit still says ‘Dark Lord’ by making a child cry. He added he “knew the look was working” after walking past the script supervisor’s five year old child and “when [he] looked at him he just burst into tears.”

Watch the interview below!