|
BONNIE WRIGHT
Bonnie Wright is a newcomer to the Harry Potter films. Bonnie plays Ron Weasley's sister, Ginny. At 11 years old, she's just getting started in movies, but Bonnie has plenty of other interests. We talked to Bonnie about soccer, surfing, and traveling around the world.
Q: Have you read all of the Harry Potter books?
Bonnie: Yes. I finished the fourth one when I was 10. I think they get better and better with each one, but there's a really good storyline in book four.
Q: Why do you like the Harry Potter books?
Bonnie: Well, it's magic! It's different from stories set in normal life and, like I said, it has a really good storyline. Plus, I like all of the characters.
Q: Who's your favorite character?
Bonnie: Hagrid, because he's a giant. He looks really mean on the outside, but he's really soft on the inside.
Q: Did you, Daniel, Emma, or Rupert see each other off the set?
Bonnie: Yes. We just talked and kind of hung out.
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
Bonnie: Well, I like [soccer] as a sport. I have done surfing for about a year. [I surfed in] Australia.
Q: It sounds like you're quite the traveler. How many countries have you been to?
Bonnie: America, Australia, India, Spain, Italy, and France.
Q: If you could go back to one place, where would you go?
Bonnie: I like France quite a lot, and I like Italy.
Q: What's your favorite school subject?
Bonnie: I like art and science. I like doing clay work. It's different from drawing on a page because you have something to mold into different shapes. It's quite visual, it's a thing you can hold and feel, and that makes it different from drawing.
Interview with Ginny and Ron Weasley at the British Publishing Group Awards Dinner
SL: Ron, Ginny, I am delighted to finally meet you. Are you representing your
U.K. publisher or the Harry Potter franchise here at the conference?
GW: Oh, neither. Jo asked us to come.
SL: Jo...that's J.K. Rowling?
RW: Right. She's putting the finishing touches on Harry Potter and the Order
of the Phoenix and couldn't get away, so she asked us to speak here on her
behalf.
SL: Did anyone else from Hogwarts attend?
GW: Hermione is too busy.
RW: Harry is feeling a bit over-exposed at the moment.
SL: I hope you'll pardon me, but you look a bit older than I expected.
GW: The first book was published in 1995. I was ten years old then. This is
my last year at Hogwarts.
SL: Do fictional characters age in real time? How does that work?
GW: Parallel literary universe, time-space continuum... I am not sure.
RW: (shrugs) Hermione can explain it.
SL: Of course, our Muggle readers will want to know what you think of the
film versions of the books. Have you seen them?
GW: Oh yes, several times.
RW: They're brilliant. Of course, it's just the Hollywood version. We are
literary characters. Our loyalty is to Jo, the author.
GW: We are more concerned with the written word, you see. But the films are
great fun. Our Muggle-born friends say it's just like home videos--whatever
those are--with better production values
RW: Whatever those are!
SL: So everyone is satisfied with how the books translated to the screen?
RW: Not everyone, ummmm, Hermione...
GW: She feels her character was over-glamourised and well, that Hogwarts'
academic rigor was rather trivialised.
SL: I see. Speaking of Hermione, what is she doing now?
GW: I thought you would ask, so I may a few notes. (unrolls a roll of
parchment.)
RW: Ginny, we have only an hour for the interview. That list will take days.
GW: It's just the highlights.
SL: Hermione was head girl last year?
GW: Yes. Oh, I didn't even write that one down.
SL: Please go on.
GW: She is the youngest full professor in Hogwarts' history. Right now she is
teaching first- and second-year Charms, besides doing research with Professor
Flitwick.
RW: And one section of History of Magic.
GW: Someone had to finally tell Professor Binns that he was dead and he
deserved a sabbatical.
RW: Muggle Studies, don't forget Muggle Studies.
GW: Hermoine has re-done the entire curriculum for Muggle Studies. She has a
book coming out which is expected to be the definitive text. Advance orders
have already surpassed Gilderoy Lockhart's final book, Magical Me.
RW: (rolls eyes) That's saying something. There's a huge display in Flourish
and Blott's. Brilliant. Y'know, Muggle Studies was considered an easy
elective. Hah. Wait till our Hermione gets to 'em.
SL: Can you tell us about her changes in the coursework?
GW: Well, 5th and 6th years study traditional Muggle disciplines, chemistry,
calculus and so on, and their applications to Wizarding subjects.
Seventh-year students do a course on Muggle Technology.
RW: Not sorry to miss that one.
SL: Fascinating. Can you tell us about Harry? Ron, I do want to hear about
what all you Weasleys are doing, too.
GW: He is at Hogwarts, too. He's to be the next Defense Against the Dark Arts
teacher.
RW: There's no one in the world more qualified.
GW: Harry's not a full professor yet. He's practice-teaching under Dumbledore.
RW: He teaches Advanced Flying and coaches Quidditch, too. Ginny, you forgot
to mention the benefit when we were talking about Hermione.
GW: Oh right. You know that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is
over one thousand years old, so fund-raising has gotten a bit haphazard.
RW: Hermione and Parvati Patel took it over this year. There was a huge event
Halloween weekend, an alumni Quidditch match. It was brilliant.
GW: Witches and wizards came from all over the world. The event raised
thousands of galleons for Hogwarts' scholarship fund.
RW: You should have seen Cornelius Fudge puttering around on an original
"Twiggy."
GW: That's the first ultra-light flying broom designed for Quidditch.
RW: They have been out of production for about two hundred years.
GW: My brothers were falling about laughing when they saw it. Harry played,
of course.
SL: How are the Dursleys taking all this attention to Harry?
RW: Dudley took a fair bit of harassment at Smeltings. Not that he didn't
deserve it.
GW: Vernon Dursely barricaded himself in the house for a few weeks at first.
When he realized that the publicity didn't hurt the drill business, he calmed
down a bit.
SL: Please tell us about your family.
GW: Dad is still at the Ministry of Magic. Percy is now, too.
RW: No surprise there.
GW: Charlie is director of the rare dragon breeding program and head of all
the dragon preserves in eastern Europe now.
RW: Bill is traveling for Gringott's. Mostly in Asia.
SL: Ginny, you are in your final year. Any ideas beyond graduation?
GW: I am just focused on my O.W.L. exams. No plans yet.
SL: How are Fred and George?
RW: Successful! You know they have the joke shop. Shops, actually.
GW: There's the big one in Diagon Alley, and the smaller one in Hogsmeade. We
all try to help out during holidays and the big Christmas shopping rush, even
Mum.
RW: I have been working for Fred at the Diagon Alley location.
GW: And next year. . .
RW: Well, I am to take over the Hogsmeade shop while George scouts a New York
location. We are planning to expand into the U.S. market.
SL: New York! Is there an equivalent of Diagon Alley there?
GW: Yes, of course, where do you think North American witches and wizards
shop?
RW: (low booming voice) I shouldn't 'a said that. I should not have said that.
SL: (Laughs) Good luck to both of you. Thank you, thank you for your time.
GW: Our pleasure.
Thanks to CBBC Newround fo these!
Amethyst, 13, USA
How exactly did you get the part of Ginny and are you anything like Ginny?
Bonnie Wright: Well I heard they were doing auditions for Harry Potter and my brother had read the books before I started and he said: "Oh I think you're really like Ginny, so why don't you go for the part?" I said: "Okay, well how do I do that?"
And then my mum rang up the publishers and then she got to know the number and then they asked me to come along for an audition, with just the casting director and then they asked me again with Chris Columbus and everyone. And then a while after I got the part, which was quite odd.
Emma, 8, Holland
Who do you think is going to die in the next Harry Potter book - book 5?
Bonnie Wright: I've absolutely no idea. I hope it's someone evil. I don't know anyodefinitely die. ne that will
Poppy, Hove
Bonnie, do you ever forget your lines?
Bonnie Wright: Well because I've practised them so much they kind of slip out because I know them too well, in some ways. But sometimes I did kind of slip on a few words but it was fine because everyone does I suppose.
Jane, 15, Philippines
What was the most memorable experience you had while filming the movie? I think you were both really great in it.
Bonnie Wright: Working with everyone was really fun but I think overall there's always something fun about every scene but I couldn't really pick on one scene, I think everything was just great.
Christian Coulson: Getting to work with Richard Harris was fantastic - I mean I've always thought he was amazing so that was great.
Joya, 15, USA
What kind of older brother do you think Rupert Grint would make in real life?
Bonnie Wright: I think he is a great brother. I have got a brother too but he's older than Rupert but I mean overall I think he's a good brother. Nice one, not mean.
Raven, 15
Have you managed to keep anything from the set?
Christian Coulson: No, I had a prefect's badge that I really wanted and all the stuff goes out to museums around the world so you can't really steal it because that would be wrong. So no I didn't.
Bonnie Wright: Quite a lot is in storage but of course the diary's quite odd because there's so many of them. But I mean everything - all the props and everything were great.
Jenny, 15, Bristol
Do you want to act professionally when you're older or if not what do you want to do?
Bonnie Wright: I wouldn't like to do it too much but I would like to do a bit but I would like to travel to some places when I'm older. When I was much younger before I did Harry Potter I didn't really think that I was going to do that when I was older.
Copak, 15, San Francisco
Christian, what kind of books are you reading at the moment?
Christian Coulson: I'm reading The Little Friend, at the moment, by Donna Tart, which is her new novel.
Lizo: Were you both big Harry Potter fans before you got the parts?
Bonnie Wright: Well I had read a few books but I wasn't as much as I probably am today.
American Girl Magazine interview
Q: How are you and Ginny alike?
A: There aren't many things alike about us, really. I've got red hair and we're the same age, but we don't have a lot of personality traits that are the same. I'm not that shy and Ginny is quite shy. And I don't love Harry!
Q: Ginny belongs to a pretty big family. Do you have any brothers of sisters?
A: I have one brother. He's older. He's 14.
Q: Who's your favourite Harry Potter character?
A: Hagrid. He's funny! He looks like a real meanie but he's a softie inside.
Q: One last question - if you could have one item from the Harry Potter books in real life, what would you choose?
A: A broomstick, because you don't have to have a license to fly it!
Disney adventures interview
Q: What helped you snag the part of Ginny?
A: determination. I stayed as Ginny through the whole audition.
Q: What other role did you want to play?
A: Just Ginny!
Q: What set of room did you most like to work in?
A: Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley - the books and signs created a magical atmosphere.
Q: What Hogwarts house would you want to be in?
A: Gryffindor! It's the best and most exciting.
National Geographic interview
Other book character she'd like to play:
Violet in the Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket.
Magical Pet she'd like to own:
Owl
Favourite class in the muggle world:
Art
Spell she'd cast if she could:
Something to transport people from one place to another
Second-choice career after acting:
Owning a resort in Australia
Place she's like to visit in a fly car:
Africa
Hero:
Nicole Kidman
|
