Right now, as I write this, there is a concert series that is traveling across Europe, and will soon be in the UK. This series is called The Magical Music of Harry Potter.
Each show is performed by a live orchestra and they focus on the most popular pieces from all eight films, which covers a total of four different composers: John Williams (movies 1 – 3), Patrick Doyle (movie 4), Nicholas Hooper (movies 5 and 6), and Alexandre Desplat (movies 7 and 8). Each composer added his own bit of magic to the franchise, building on the now-famous Hedwig’s Theme that just about any Potterhead can hum, by the brilliant John Williams. It’s not just any live orchestra performing the music, it is the world-renowned London Philharmonic & Symphonic Film Orchestra!
Right about now you are probably wondering why I’m telling you all of this and want me to get to the part where I interviewed actor Chris Rankin, who played Percy Weasley in the films. Well, the reason I’m telling you this is because Chris is touring with the orchestra as they travel from town to town, participating in the concerts. He told me that he tells stories about his time filming the movies in between musical pieces. If this sounds like something you would like to attend (I know that I would) then you get can more information about it here. I have been told that the concert is coming to the US at some point, and I hope that it does because I would love to see it.
Now, on to my interview. I’ll be honest, I didn’t allow myself to get excited about this because I didn’t fully believe that it would actually happen. And then it did! That, of course, is when I got a bit nervous. I’ve never done anything like this so I confessed that upfront, but Chris was a perfect gentleman and put me at ease right away. That didn’t stop me from tripping over my tongue a few times, especially in the beginning, so please forgive any awkwardness you might hear from me.
Also, as you watch the video you might notice that you never see me. I recorded the interview using two methods: the Zoom app and QuickTime. I don’t know why but when I played back the Zoom recording, any time that I talked all you see is the grey outline of a person. It looked really stupid so I used my QuickTime recording (I’m SO glad that I had that as a backup method!), which only shows Chris. Right about now I’m wondering if Chris could see me or if all he saw was a grey outline…
Update: I have since learned that neither Chris nor Sophia (who was also participating from behind the scenes) could not see me. I’m saddened to know that all they saw was this image of me:
In real life, I look nothing like this pale grey shape, so I’m adding a picture of what I actually look like, should either Chris or Sophia ever sees this article and wonder who was talking:
This was me at Universal Studios wearing my Weasleys Wizard Wheezes dress. It was my very first attempt at cosplay so please be kind in your thoughts about it.
The reality is that Chris will probably never see that picture, although Sophia might, but it makes me feel better to add it, just in case.
As for the interview, here it is, all 24 minutes and 22 seconds of it!
I had several pages of questions to ask Chris that I’d prepared in advance. The video is almost 25 minutes long and you would think that I had more than enough time to touch on each of my questions, but it turns out that wasn’t the case. It was more like having a conversation with Chris with some questions thrown in than a formal Q&A.
At one point in the video you will hear Chris talk about the importance of Percy in the overall story. He made an interesting point, one that I hadn’t thought of before, and he mentioned the Lord Of The Rings series in his answer. I didn’t get a chance to say this to Chris but basically, Percy is Tom Bombadil. That comparison will make sense (I hope) as you listen to the interview.
Chris is incredibly charming and kind. He made it very easy to talk to him, and I sincerely appreciated that. I look forward to having him come to my part of the world so that I can meet him in person.
When the interview was done I found myself smiling. I think I did nothing but sit at my desk for about five minutes, processing what had just happened and I smiled the entire time. I still am, truth be told, as I write this. 🙂
Before I wrap this up I want to give thanks to the people who made this happen. Sophia at Star Entertainment was crucial. I don’t know everyone involved but I know that Chris’s manager was part of all of this. Also, there were plenty of people who helped me put together a list of questions. And, of course, Chris himself. Thank you!
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