ic Berkshire

It all started as an afternoon in front of a television soap opera for teenager Chris Rankin.

But it was to end with him becoming part of the biggest publishing and film making phenomena of the age.

Chris now has a regular role in the Harry Potter films, playing Percy Weasley. Next Saturday, June 21, he will be visiting Methvens Booksellers in Peascod Street, Windsor, at 2pm to help launch the publication of the latest book in the best selling Harry Potter series Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

It is three years now since he settled in front of the television at his Norwich home to watch Neighbours and caught the end of a news item about the phenomenally successful Harry Potter books.

The news reader cheerfully announced that thousands of children from all over the country were auditioning for roles in the film version.

Chris said: "I had done a lot of school plays so I thought why not have a try. I was one of about 70,000-80,000 young people who applied for parts and I was not surprised when I did not hear anything.

"Then six or seven months later a woman called up out of the blue and asked if I would like to audition for the part of Percy Weasley."

Chris is now 20-years-old and filming his part in the third Potter film, the Prisoner of Azkaban.

He had always known he wanted to be an actor but he said: "I had no idea it would happen so fast.

"Once I actually got the phone call asking me to audition it all just took off. I turned up with the pages of script I had been sent and read them while they filmed me. Then I was asked if I wanted to meet the director and told to start filming Monday."

It meant a major rethink of his future.

"I managed to do A levels while making the first two films but I had to drop some subjects.

"My mother was a teacher at the school and I remember high level meetings with the head teacher and staff to discuss how to manage the situ-ation."

Harry Potter takes up several months of the year for Chris but he has already appeared in pantomime at his local theatre in Norwich, playing a character called Percival.

He says: "I was the villain's sidekick and yes, the script was full of Potter jokes."

Article taken from ic Berkshire.