In celebration of the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 home release this past weekend, Movieline sat down with Davis at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando to discuss his fear of roller coasters, his favorite scene with Daniel Radclife and the one thing he will not miss about recreating J.K. Rowling's magical world for the movies.
Have you been on all of the Harry Potter rides yet?
The thing is, I don't like roller coasters, but I had no excuse. We were here for the [park] opening last year, and some first-grade students had won the opportunity to come here and ride the Flight of the Hippogriff with the Harry Potter cast. As soon as I heard that, I said, "That's great, but it's such a shame. I'm too short for [the ride]." That's my excuse for these rides -- I just say I'm too short. They said, "No, look!" They stood me next to the height chart and I was indeed taller and they said, "You can ride." I went on with a first grader and I was screaming like a little girl and she was just enjoying it, looking at me like, "Why is he so afraid?" The Wizarding World for me is just a nice place to walk around without going on all of the rides. It's just a really intriguing, fun place to immerse yourself in the world of Harry Potter.
How did you feel after leaving the Harry Potter world for good once production on Deathly Hallows wrapped?
I was sad it was all over. It's an odd thing that we aren't going back there again to do any more movies, because you kind of took it for granted each year. Now that it's all over, it is a bit odd. At the same time, you have a sense of achievement and accomplishment that you've been part of these eight movies and you can be proud of the fact that these were the very best movies you could make. That's a nice feeling. What's lovely is that in London, Warner Bros. Studios is going to open the doors so that people can see all of the sets and all of the things we were privileged to work in the last 10 years. The legacy continues.
Unlike the other actors in this series, you got to be play several different characters. Was that fun as an actor or more of a hassle because of the makeup involved?
Great fun! I owe a great deal to the makeup department because they transformed me. I am obviously too good-looking for these films, so they had to cover me in rubber and glue. But it allowed me to play all of these different characters. In the last film, I played Professor Flitwick and Griphook, two very different characters. It's always a compliment when someone says, "I didn't know you played Griphook as well." That's great for me because I wasn't spotted. It's incredibly gratifying though and it was really a team effort from a lot of different people from the people in the design to the people who mold the prosthetics to the people who paint them. There are a lot of different people who come together. I'm just the foundation for that, but I feel incredibly privileged that I was able to go in front of the camera and show it all off.
What won't you miss about Harry Potter?
Sitting in the makeup chair at about 4 a.m. on a cold December morning in the U.K. and having someone apply glue to your face. Glue, because it has solvent in it, is about the temperature -- I can't describe it but it's just very, very cold, especially at that time in the morning. The smell too -- it's actually making me feel quite ill just talking about it. I won't miss any of that. I'll miss the people, but not the glue and the silicone rubber.
When I spoke to David Yates, he mentioned that there were some moments on set during Deathly Hallows that were so moving that everyone on set, including the crew, stopped what they were doing and became emotional. Do you recall any moments like that on set?
Well, I loved playing the scene with Daniel at the beginning of Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 in Shell Cottage. That was a lovely scene to play because it was just 1:1 -- no explosions, no wands, just two people trying to psych each other out. David described it as a game of poker. The moment when Voldemort pronounces Harry dead -- that was an amazing scene for everyone on set. The courtyard was full. It was as you see it in the film, which is what was amazing about filming Harry Potter. There is not a lot of green screen. They build the sets complete. There are all of the Death Eaters and everything you see onscreen -- it exists for us as actors. So seeing Voldemort walk out in front of that army and pronounce Harry dead, it sends a shiver when you are standing there. That was a moment that I read in the book and then remember thinking [on set], "Wow, I'm here. This is happening." It's really cool.
You mentioned green screen and I'm curious, since you've acted in so many horror and sci-fi films, what you've noticed about the evolution of special effects from an actor's standpoint?
Well, it's an interesting observation to make because you take a Harry Potter movie, where you walk into the Great Hall and can look around 360 degrees and see the Great Hall as it appears in the movie. It is a complete set. It is a building. Only looking up gives it away. Unfortunately, there's no enchanted ceiling -- just a load of lights and a few technicians. Apart from that, the experience is very real. If that was a Star Wars movie though, there would be very little of that set there. It would be a few sections of wall perhaps and then the rest would be green screen. That's the real difference. George Lucas makes films a very different way. I'm not saying that one way is the right way or the wrong way but certainly as an actor, it's a lot easier to be in an environment that is tactile and that you can see than rely on your imagination to paint the picture before the piece is finished. Because you don't realize until you go to the movie theater, "Oh, that's how big that was."
What kind of imagining did you have to do on Harry Potter?
When you have a wand and you have to do a spell, they'll describe to you the force that this spell is and the impact you feel when someone casts it on you and the way you shield yourself and all of that. It's not until you watch the film though that you realize the power of those spells and the "crack!" that goes along with them.
So who choreographed the spells?
Well, there's the director, and the stunt coordinator came up with a lot of information about the dance of the wand.
Whoa, the dance of the wand. Where do stunt coordinators get this inspiration?
It's stuff that they kind of developed over the years. At one point, they even got a ballroom dancer in to choreograph the wand moves, which they use. Then it's up to you to bring a bit of your own character style to that, too, so that was nice. Different characters will obviously fight in different ways. Some are elegant. Some are not so elegant. When I go and see the movie, I'm always fascinated to see, "Oh, that's how they ended up doing that [effect]." Casting the shield over Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 as well, David described it as this lovely sort of dome and it glows. Just seeing that -- it's like a substance almost -- it's really cool to watch. Stuff like that can't really be described or imagined -- you only know once you see it.
Harry Potter fans are so incredibly loyal. Do you feel inclined to stay in touch with them now that the films are over?
Well, I like to think that I'm accessible. I'll take pictures with people if they want them or sign autographs wherever I can. It's good because at the end of the day these people have supported us throughout the films and we acknowledge that they've allowed us to enjoy what we've done for the last 10 years.
I was really interested to learn that you have your own acting agency.
Yes, the acting agency is something that runs alongside my acting. It's really great, especially on Deathly Hallows because we had a lot of our actors cast as goblins in the film, which was terrific. So I was sort of overseeing that at the same time. There is a great feature on the DVD that explains the creation of Gringotts, the casting of the goblins and the makeup. And you just realize how much went into putting that on the screen. I don't think people realize the amount of work -- over a year of work that went into creating just those few minutes.
Your television series Life's Too Short with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant just aired in the U.K. What was that experience like working with Ricky?
It was crazy. He's a lunatic. Also, Stephen and he are the most brilliant comic minds, and we had so much fun. It was such a great opportunity for me to play comedy which I've always loved. It's just out-and-out a funny show, and it will air in the U.S. next February on HBO.
I also read that you just published an autobiography.
Yes, my autobiography comes out in the U.S. on the 21st of November. That's called Size Matters Not. That talks about my life from the day I was born all the way through to earlier this year.
How long did that take to write?
It took about a year and a half. It was surprisingly difficult actually. You'd think it would be easy to write about your life, but it's not. I talked to a lot of people that knew me -- my parents, obviously -- about me growing up. And I played music that I used to listen to and it kind of helped. You have to plot out the main points that you can remember and then you have to fill in the other parts. But I'm so proud of it, and the people who have read it love it. It's exciting. And there is a good Harry Potter section in there where I talk about my experiences on the films.
What kind of music?
Well, I grew up in the '80s so music from that time -- Michael Jackson, a lot of movie soundtracks had a great influence on me, especially horror soundtracks. For me, growing up, my movies were Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Top Gun. Star Wars had a massive influence me as well. I saw that when I was 7 for the first time. I recommend that everyone keep a diary because you don't always appreciate what happens to you. We all live life 100 miles per hour, but if you stop and take stock of the moment, it means so much more. That's what I've been doing since writing the book. Here I am at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and it's lovely. It enriches you as a person if you can do that.
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