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Last week a dream came true for our Movies Editor, Shaheema Barodien, when she attended the world premiere of the final Harry Potter movie IN LONDON. This is her story…
“There I was, on the red carpet, at the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II premiere at Trafalgar Square in London. I was surrounded by thousands of excited Potterheads – many of whom had been camping in line for days.
"I am as much a fan of the Potter universe as these tired and drenched kids, who’d flown in from as far as Sweden and Australia, to be part of this bittersweet moment – the day we started saying goodbye to Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"You’ve seen the pictures – Emma Watson wore a fairytale dress and cried as her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint said their last goodbyes to their ever-faithful fans and, of course, each other – the friends and colleagues they’d literally grown up with over the last 11 years.
"JK Rowling couldn’t contain her emotions either and was seen clutching at Emma and Rupert throughout the event. At one point the 12 000-strong crowd chanted 'Thank you! Thank you!' as Rowling struggled to hold back the tears. There was a lot of love in the air that day.
"What you probably didn’t see was how Daniel Radcliffe managed to stay freakishly disconnected from it all. He had, admittedly, just flown in from New York where he is currently starring in a Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying and was probably super jet-lagged. He hardly spoke to the press and didn’t sign as many autographs as his co-stars. Word is that there was some friction between the film’s studio bosses and Daniel’s Broadway producers when they refused to give him time off to be in London for the biggest premiere of his life. Instead, Warner Bros were forced to buy out entire theatres in New York for the shows that Daniel was to miss.
"What I can tell you, having spent some time up close with these stars, is that Emma Watson is impossibly petite and pretty in real life, Daniel Radcliffe is diminutive enough to fit in your back pocket, Rupert Grint could daydream for England, Evanna Lynch is so much like her character Luna Lovegood, and Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman are way cooler than the coolest person you know..."
Wow, how lucky was she?
Saying goodbye to Harry will for many fans not only signal the end of an era, but the end of a magical adventure of childhood and adolescence that was inextricably linked to that of Harry's own. Harry Potter was the biggest phenomenon to hit the entertainment industry in the past decade and fans will always cherish his larger-than-life story.
* Sneak previews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II will premiere in cinemas everywhere on Wednesday, July 13.
'Til next week!
“There I was, on the red carpet, at the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II premiere at Trafalgar Square in London. I was surrounded by thousands of excited Potterheads – many of whom had been camping in line for days.
"I am as much a fan of the Potter universe as these tired and drenched kids, who’d flown in from as far as Sweden and Australia, to be part of this bittersweet moment – the day we started saying goodbye to Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"You’ve seen the pictures – Emma Watson wore a fairytale dress and cried as her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint said their last goodbyes to their ever-faithful fans and, of course, each other – the friends and colleagues they’d literally grown up with over the last 11 years.
"JK Rowling couldn’t contain her emotions either and was seen clutching at Emma and Rupert throughout the event. At one point the 12 000-strong crowd chanted 'Thank you! Thank you!' as Rowling struggled to hold back the tears. There was a lot of love in the air that day.
"What you probably didn’t see was how Daniel Radcliffe managed to stay freakishly disconnected from it all. He had, admittedly, just flown in from New York where he is currently starring in a Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying and was probably super jet-lagged. He hardly spoke to the press and didn’t sign as many autographs as his co-stars. Word is that there was some friction between the film’s studio bosses and Daniel’s Broadway producers when they refused to give him time off to be in London for the biggest premiere of his life. Instead, Warner Bros were forced to buy out entire theatres in New York for the shows that Daniel was to miss.
"What I can tell you, having spent some time up close with these stars, is that Emma Watson is impossibly petite and pretty in real life, Daniel Radcliffe is diminutive enough to fit in your back pocket, Rupert Grint could daydream for England, Evanna Lynch is so much like her character Luna Lovegood, and Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman are way cooler than the coolest person you know..."
Wow, how lucky was she?
Saying goodbye to Harry will for many fans not only signal the end of an era, but the end of a magical adventure of childhood and adolescence that was inextricably linked to that of Harry's own. Harry Potter was the biggest phenomenon to hit the entertainment industry in the past decade and fans will always cherish his larger-than-life story.
* Sneak previews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II will premiere in cinemas everywhere on Wednesday, July 13.
'Til next week!
