With the new Harry Potter film debuting, everyone's wondering exactly what to expect from a climax a decade in the making, based on a massive book, and with so much going on that it's been split into two films (filmed as a single production). Here are some recent words from he cast and crew.
On splitting the seventh story in two affect the presentation of the story:
Director David Yates: "The two films that make up The Deathly Hallows feel like two very different films. The films are from the same book but the first part does feel very much like a road movie.
"We're taking these three characters and pulling them away from the comfort zone of Hogwarts, and you can't underestimate the power of that. It's like they're being thrown out into the grown-up world for the very first time, with all its jeopardy and all its dangers.
"The second is much more fantasy-based. It's got dragons, spiders and bank raids on Gringotts [the Wizarding Bank], so it's much more of a fantasy blockbuster in the traditional sense, with lots of battles and magic. But the fact that with part one we take the characters out into the outside world is a huge advantage." (The Telegraph)
On adapting the books to the screen:
Screenwriter Steve Kloves: "I took my cues from Jo [i.e., J.K. Rowling]. The first day I met her, she said: 'I know the movies can't be the books. All that I ask is that you be true to the characters.' And I believe I've fulfilled that request. If you can get her to talk about it, it's so remarkable what she knows. I once e-mailed her and asked her what were the 12 uses of dragon's blood, and she wrote back in 30 seconds what they all were. If I ask about Ron's uncle, I get back five pages about Ron's uncle, who never appears in the books. I can't tell you how great this stuff is. It's almost a crime for it not to be published." (New York Times)
On the character of Severus Snape:
Steve Kloves: "I had a remarkable ability to anticipate events, because I swam in the narrative for 10 years. You can never decipher where Jo will take the plot, because she is completely original. But there was no question in my mind that Snape was going to be heroic, and I wrote him that way from the start." (New York Times)
On making the seventh film:
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter): "It is tougher. It is the hardest film to do, absolutely. When the seventh book came out, [producer] David Heyman finished it a couple of days before I did and he rang me up and said, 'How'd you fancy playing Hamlet?' Obviously Hamlet's much harder, but it makes the point." (The Telegraph)
On keeping things fresh:
Emma Watson (Hermione Granger): "That is definitely the hardest thing. The cool thing about this movie is that because we shot two back-to-back, there was this momentum that we picked up and there was this kind of chaos to flitting back and forth between two different movies, and we were trying to get so much done that we didn't have any option than to be fast and be on top of it. The pace picked up a notch, which really helped us as actors, because when it's that slow, it's very hard to give a fresh performance. When you've sat in the trailer for three hours, it's tough." (Coming Soon)
On Harry's journey:
Daniel Radcliffe: "We're viewing my character as a pilgrim soldier, and he is on a kind of crusade. It's not about religion, but it is certainly about faith. It's also about hero worship and the sadness of seeing your idols for what they actually are; and if that happens, it is a dreadful moment in anyone's life." (The Telegraph)
On the illusory kiss between Harry and Hermione (hallucinated by Ron Weasley):
Daniel Radcliffe: "I thought it was going to be like a soft, sensual sort of moment, and it was this very vigorous kissing scene. She really went for it, I have to say. It caught me slightly off guard, but yeah, I'm not complaining. Many men would lose a limb to be in that position, so I was absolutely fine with it!" (The Canadian Press)
Emma Watson: "I guess I just realized that I would have fewer takes to do if I just got on with it and just gave David [Yates] what he wanted, which was a passionate kiss. Which was something that would really rock Ron's boat and really be quite painful and nasty for him to watch. I'm proud of it, and considering how bloody awkward it was, I'm really impressed that we managed to make it look anything other than awkward. Because Dan and I are like brother and sister, so it was tough making it look passionate, believe me." (The Canadian Press)
On the real kiss between Ron and Hermione:
Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley): "It sounds stupid, but I never really saw it coming. It has always been hinted at but I never thought to the extent where at the end, we're quite like a couple. The kiss was one of the first scenes we filmed. It was weird. I kind of built up this thing in my head. We were both kind of dreading it, just because we've known each other since we were small. It's like kissing your sister." (Contactmusic)
On the role Harry's friends play in his crisis:
Emma Watson: "With the book and these films I think it's very much focused on the three of us again as characters. Hermione has a really cool journey in this one. The film actually opens with Hermione leaving her parents' house and wiping their memories, which is really nice because you don't actually read about that in the book, you just know that she does it. I think that all three characters have their own journeys in this one, and it's been great for me.
"We were hopping over tree trunks and hurtling underneath. It was really crazy. Also they had two camera guys, with these massive quad bikes, chasing us. That was great. Also, things come to a head with Ron. He really messes up and you think that there's no way she'll be able to forgive him. This one really tests Hermione and Harry's friendship, too." (The Telegraph)
Emma Watson: "I just had such a bigger role. It gave me such a better chance to really develop it and get into it, and I just felt like I had so much more room to give it a bit more. I had some really challenging stuff to do, which gave me a chance to show what I can do, which was lovely as well." (Coming Soon)
