PotterCast episode #2: Extendable Ears

Thanks to The Leaky Cauldron for providing us with a transcript of Chris' interview on their second PotterCast episode. For more, including a game show hosted by Chris, be sure to take a look at the full transcript.

So, we're back for one of our last segments of PotterCast with Chris Rankin on our Extendable Ears segment. We didn't want Chris to just show up on our game show and go away. We want to hear from him and hear what he's up to. So, hey, Chris.

Squeeze him for everything he knows.

Everything he knows. And how much do you know, Chris?

I know nawthing.

Nawthing? Nothing about...nothing about, what?

I don't know. I don't know much about Goblet of Fire actually...sadly.

Yeah, unfortunately, Percy's not in it.

No...no he's not.

Let's ask straight off the bat. What's the status of the possibility of you coming back for Five?

You know what? I have absolutely no idea. Um, as far as I'm concerned, I'm still on contract with Warner Brothers, and therefore my contract still states that technically I am with them to do one more film. Ah, which film that is and how long my contract lasts, I'm not entirely sure. I know my contract ends after a set date, but off the top of my head, I can't remember when that is. So, it could go either way at the moment.

What are you doing in your spare time now?

Well, I've been quite busy the last few months with stuff from my theatre company, Painted Horse. And just after coming back from my summer holidays this year, I've found that I'm actually doing a lot of film work and TV work. I've been doing some guest spots on bits for some friends of mine in a short film called Explode, which is a science-fiction film, playing the lead character's boyfriend. Unfortunately I die before the opening credits even get up. (MA laughs) So, it's a very small part. But I do get to die quite spectacularly. I am quite excited about it.

Do you explode?

I don't explode. No, I...the premise of it is that it's all about the anger you create when...the anger and energy you create when you get upset and angry. So, she kills me with the energy she creates because she is having an argument with me. It's quite exciting and from what I gather, there will be lots to see with graphics going in and exciting things. It was good fun. That was a couple of days work, which was a good laugh.

So, in this a woman kills you with her mind?

Yes.

Excellent! I mean, we all feel like we could do it sometimes, and we feel like we want to. Nothing like the wrath of a woman ticked off. (MA laughs; CR laughs, hesitantly) So, what else?

It's like Charmed, but...it's that kind of thing.

Okay.

It's that kind of twist to it.

It's a little bit with the magic.

Yeah.

Cool. I like women who can kill people with their minds. (CR laughs nervously)

I wouldn't of thought of you as the type who liked mind-power in women.

I like mind-power in general. So, what else is going on? What else is going on with Painted Horse?

Painted Horse? Not up to much at the moment. We've got a couple of projects coming up for the beginning of next year, but all of our actors, myself included actually, are quite busy at the moment. So, we're kind of...we're waiting until after Christmas-time to get everyone back together and start working on our next two shows, which are going to be a play called A Kiss of the Spider Woman...

Oou...

...and another play called Death and the Maiden. Both of which aren't done nearly as much as they should be. Kiss of the Spider Woman has been done as a film and there's a dodgy musical, but we're doing the original play version which is much more exciting. But, yeah, so we're not doing anything until next year now. I've got...I'm filming at the moment...I'm currently working on a new comedy sketch show from the guys who wrote Not the 9 o'clock News and Bremerden Fortune Show, which people in the UK will certainly know of. So, it's a political comedy thing, which is hopefully going to be quite big. I can see it doing quite well. There's a cast of us working on that at the moment which we're filming this week. And then, I've got bits and bobs coming up, a few potential jobs I'm still waiting to hear about. Then Pantomime at Christmas again, playing King Rat in Dick Whittington in Telford. And then, it's next year, and I don't know what I'm doing after that really.

Well, hopefully, you'll be filming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. That's...we're hoping...

Well, we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Yeah, cause Percy, well, we want him in this film.

Yeah, it would be nice to have him there at the arrest and in the trial and things like that.

Yeah. And see him turn into this thing.

Yeah...

Mmm... What did you think when you read book 6 and he hadn't yet resolved that?

Well, I think he's starting to resolve it, very slowly, but surely. You know, he has actually managed to make it back into the Weasley household and speak to them, which is a good start, and not be unpleasant, you know. Fair enough that all he said was, "Hello Mother," but it's a start. You know, I think he'll come back.

In what method do you think he will redeem himself?

I think, to be honest, he's going to come crawling back on his hands and knees when he realizes he has gotten in too deep on the wrong side. But, I might be wrong.

Do you think he's on an evil side or is just confused?

I don't think he's on an evil side. I think Percy's problem is that he is so hungry to do well, so hungry to please people, that he would probably find himself very, very deep in trouble before he realized what he got himself into. And then suddenly realize that he was working directly for You-Know-Who.

So, what did you think about book 6 in general?

I loved book 6. I'd have to say, I think it could possibly just overtake Chamber of Secrets as my favorite Harry Potter book to date. I was gripped. I had to read it. I did a review of it for the BBC Entertainment website. So, I had to read it as fast as I possibly could. I read it in about eleven hours, which is pretty good-going for me. And loved every second of it. I couldn't believe some of the things she did. I just couldn't believe it. I'd have to say that I was incredibly thrilled that Ginny and Harry got together. I think I foresaw the death of Dumbledore quite early on.

What was the moment when you said that he was going to die?

It's just something about the way she had written him. The way his lines were coming out was very kind of almost as if he knew he was coming to an end. You know, that sort of resolve to kind of, "well, I'm going to die. So I might as well say what I've got to say, and get it done with." I think that's probably why he ended up with teaching Harry all he possibly could in order to help him with his fight.

You're right. He did feel like he was just wrapping up all these loose ends, just imparting everything he could onto Harry, and you have to wonder how much he knew. Snape: good or bad?

(deep breath) I, as loathed as I am to say, I think Snape's good.

Hmph...Good-Good, or just a little less bad than what we think?

He's on the right side, not saying he's a complete angel, but I think he is working for the Order and not You-Know-Who. I think he's on the right side there because I don't think he could of killed Dumbledore that cold-heartedly without him and Dumbledore having some arrangement by which Snape would of been putting him out of his misery, which is what I think he was doing.

You think Dumbledore was about to die anyway?

I think Snape probably prevented Dumbledore from dying a very painful death at the hands of You-Know-Who. I think it was kind of the equivalent of just shooting him in the head.

Final predictions for book 7...

More romance. More blood. More death.

Sounds great to me. (laughs evilly)

I can't wait.

Cool. Thank you Chris.

Thanks a lot.

We'll talk to you soon, I'm sure. Chris is going to be a somewhat regular around here cause I'm going to bother him.

(both laugh)

Now you've got me sorted with a microphone and Skype and you won't get rid of me.

I know. He went and got a microphone. He got Skype. He got this recording program. He's ready to go. So we're going to be hearing more from him as often as we can. (CR giggles) But until that time, we'll see you later.

Bye.