concrete

Of all the thousands of jobs performed daily in the film industry, closing the concessions stand of a multiplex cinema must rank among the least desirable (one possible exception might be being Rob Schneider). Balancing out the wonders of free tickets and free speedboats (ok, so that last perk isn�t true), there�s something about plunging your arms elbow-deep into congealed nacho cheese that doesn�t fall into the category of �fun�. One night last week, however, as the umpteenth close of my lengthy UCI career loomed closer, I wasn�t feeling quite as daunted as usual. In fact, I was actually looking forward to it; because for the first, and probably only, time, I was closing with a wizard. And not just any wizard. As 6pm rolled around I found myself working alongside Chris Rankin, known to hundreds of millions of Harry Potter fans around the world as Percy Weasley, third oldest brother of Ron Weasley, Harry�s best friend.

Now, let�s put this into perspective for a second. Imagine turning up for a shift at McDonald�s in 1980, only to be told you were flipping burgers with Billy Dee Williams, Lando Calrissian from The Empire Strikes Back. Or stacking shelves at Tescos a couple of years ago with one of the agents from The Matrix. Though clearly not one of the star parts, Percy played an important role in Harry Potter and the Philosopher�s Stone, a role that - if the second, third and forth books are anything to go by - will increase with each successive sequel. By Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, novel three in the series, he was head boy of Hogwart�s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and found himself a girlfriend. Most recently, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he began working for the Ministry of Magic.

The one constant in this progression is that, through it all, Percy remains a pompous ass with a hugely inflated sense of his own importance. Thankfully, these are traits that Chris Rankin lacks. Throughout the evening he was impressively modest about his sudden success, seeming much happier talking about the Potter productions in general than his own contribution to them. Apparently, it still hasn�t hit him that he featured in the fifth highest grossing film of all time. As for the crucial question of what he�s doing at UCI, it�s �to keep me out of mischief. We finished the second film in July and the next one isn�t till February, so basically I�ve got all this time to kill.� Prior to Harry Potter he knew he wanted to be an actor, but was taking the more usual route of school plays (he�s still only 18) and youth theatre. Then a friend saw on Newsround that the film�s producers were appealing for people to audition and suggested Chris apply. Though he doesn�t know how many tried for Percy, in total 30,000 hopefuls responded: �The website said �if you don�t hear in two weeks, forget you ever applied�, and then six months later they eventually wrote back.�

After the long delay, events began to move more quickly. First he had to get an agent (�Warner Brothers rang to say I�d got the part and asked if I had an agent. I said no, and they said, �Get one now.� - he ended up with the same guy who represents Joseph Fiennes), and there was the reality of the initial script read-through: �Everyone was there. I got a lot of autographs. But it was OK because everyone went around. People like Maggie Smith were going around getting everyone�s autographs. It was a bit weird.�

The actual filming of Philosopher�s Stone sounds no less incredible. Cast were ferried to film their scenes a week at a time on the massive Hogwart�s sets. When discussing other participants, Chris�s speech is peppered with �lovely� and �amazing�. Chris Columbus was �great� and was forgiven by everyone for Home Alone. J.K. Rowling, who he met at the read-through and the premiere, is �lovely, she�s amazingly rich and amazingly famous, but she�s really nice�. Similar praise is offered for Julie Walters (his on-screen mother) and Alan Rickman (although the cast and crew quickly learned not to approach him once he was in character).

In fact, the only two stars who were less than wonderful were John Cleese and the now late (at the time we spoke he hadn�t even announced he had cancer) Richard Harris. Cleese, who wasn�t on set because he appears as a ghost and had to be shot separately, was �an odd man, not just because he�s about six foot seven. He�s a bit iffy sometimes, that�s the rumour.� Harris, on the other hand, was �just a famous old actor, that�s all it was�, spending most of the time in his trailer and, a hell-raiser to the last, flinging the odd chair.

Since the film�s release Chris has been kept busy with promotional work, going to schools and DVD releases, and the small matter of, four months after the first movie was finished, making part two, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. While, due to the short break, shooting Chamber of Secrets felt like a continuation of Philosopher�s Stone (to the extent that �it seemed a lot easier second time round�), fans should expect some fairly major changes. Apart from the departure of Zo� Wanamaker (after criticizing Warner�s levels of pay) and the arrival of Kenneth Branagh (�he was absolutely amazing, much better than Hugh Grant would have been�), the production also brought in a new director of photography (Roger Pratt) and a different special effects house.

For the actors, it was the arrival of Pratt that had the most immediate influence. A new director of photography meant a new approach to lighting, giving the film a different feel. Everyone, however, was delighted by the news that Industrial Light and Magic were taking over the effects: �We had a Sony company doing the effects on the first one. I think the general consensus was that nobody was pleased with how they came out at all. This time they�ll be a lot better.�

Another criticism of Philosopher�s Stone was how much of the book it attempted to film, occasionally at the expense of story. Die-hard fans of Chamber of Secrets may be distressed to learn that the second movie leaves out rather more: �The list is pretty long. There are bits that are missed out, and bits that are skipped over.� Though for Chris personally, the cuts have been kinder. One of the few major omissions from the first film was Peeves the Poltergeist (shot with Rik Mayall but discarded during editing), a section Chris describes as �my bit�. Although Peeves wasn�t even filmed for Chamber of Secrets, Percy has some good scenes.

What the exact nature of those scenes might be, Chris is unable to say, having signed a confidentiality agreement (Warner Brothers as an entity are �a bit scary because they�re so big.�), but what will be the highlights of the film as a whole? �The duelling club, definitely; the bit where they discover the writing on the wall; the bit in the Weasley house is really funny. And, if they get it onto the DVD, they did a bloopers reel for the wrap party that was excellent.� The overall standard of the child actors has also improved. Malfoy, who, I suggest, wasn�t quite right in the first film, is �much better. His voice has broken and he�s a lot taller. I had a good scene with him - a shouting match in a corridor.� Daniel Radcliffe (fame hasn�t changed him) and Rupert Grint (wasn�t teased too much for Thunderpants), too, benefited from deepening voices.

As for the future, Chris confirms that Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron is already preparing for when he takes over from Columbus in February. Indeed, Chris was phoned by his agent on the morning before we spoke to confirm that he was required for part three. Is he concerned that Cuaron will take the franchise in a more erotic direction after the director�s hit Y Tu Mama Tambien? �As long as the money�s good...� Of all the actors, Chris is probably the one with most to fear, thanks to Percy�s aforementioned girlfriend, a role that he was asked to help cast. �They got it down to five or six and then invited me along to have my say as well. Her name is Gemma Padley. She�s been in Casualty a couple of times.� Is he happy with the selection? �Oh yes.�

After Prisoner of Azkaban, the future is less clear, particularly in light of Columbus� recent comments that he didn�t think Radcliffe, Grint and Emma Watson would want to make a fourth movie. No decision has been made regarding how the 636 page Goblet of Fire should be condensed for cinema. �There was talk when Chris Columbus was still around about ideas of doing the fourth book in two halves, so you�d have two acts to it - you go to see one two hour film and then another. But I don�t know. Alfonso might decide to do a seven-hour epic.� Unlike Robbie Coltrane, Chris has not been told by J.K. Rowling how his character progressed in book five and beyond: �she won�t tell anyone anything. She means it when she says she won�t give anything away.� Neither did the cast receive any clear inside knowledge on when the fifth novel might appear: �I heard she said �soon�. I reckon it�ll be out in February. That�s my personal opinion. But there�ve been rumours that it�ll be out by Christmas, or that it�ll just appear on a shelf one day.�

Away from Harry Potter, Chris has largely found his life to be unchanged. He hasn�t been recognized on the street and doesn�t go around saying �don�t you know who I am?� As he puts it, �I just disappear for two weeks at a time and stay in nice hotels.� So far, the film�s exposure has only led to one further engagement, a Norwich pantomime this Christmas, for which he�ll sadly have to leave UCI. However, it is early days and his film commitments limit what else he can take on. He acknowledges that, when the time comes, having Harry Potter on his C.V. won�t hurt. And, if nothing else, playing a wizard does have certain advantages - Chris magically got out of closing concessions.

Article taken from UEA's The Concrete (written by Jim Whalley).