Translation of this week's 7 Extra HP Feature (longish)

[alshainofthenorth]

Since every HP website in existence seems busy with deciphering JKR's 
website, I made a rough translation (disclaimer: my mother tongue is 
neither English nor French, so I may have committed some grammar 
errors) of the interview with Gary Oldman in the Belgian magazine 7 
Extra. (as a fan of both Oldman and Sirius, I was rather pleased with 
his comparing Sirius to Shakespeare's heroes). The original scan is 
here:

http://users.skynet.be/jfh/7extra1.html

(TLC has the previous one with Robbie Coltrane, and the next issue 
will feature Rupert Grint.)



In 21 days, you'll finally see Gary Oldman, alias Sirius Black, in 
action!

Among the new persons to give life to Harry Potter and the Prisoner 
of Azkaban with their presence, there is one who has been especially 
awaited by the majority of the Potterfans. We are talking about the 
disquieting Sirius Black, interpreted by Gary Oldman, who has been 
seen in The Fifth Element or Léon (The Professional). Convinced of 
his future impact, 7 Extra invites him to speak.

Harry Potter according to Sirius Black

Q: Were you aware of the HP phenomenon before you became a part of 
the adventure?

A:  Well, I have three children who love Harry Potter. Difficult to 
pretend to be ignorant in that case. Moreover, Harry Potter is 
everywhere. Wherever you go, you'll see Harry Potter socks, Harry 
Potter toothpaste
 The logo is really everywhere in the stores. My 
oldest son, who is fifteen years, has read the books, the two others 
are a bit too young but they adored the first two films.

Q: Why did you accept the part?

A: I haven't been working for two years and I thought it would be 
nice to get back to the job. A project like this also carries a 
certain prestige. Making Harry Potter isn't like making just any 
film. It's like joining a large cinema family. The script was good, 
the director was interesting, and it is fun to act in a film that my 
children can discover, saying, "Look, there's Dad together with Harry 
Potter."

The Miracle Remedy
"The HP books are a great antidote against game consoles"

Q: Do you think the films enhance the books?

A: Certainly. It was like that for the two first ones, and that'll be 
the case for Prisoner of Azkaban. To get back to the books, I'm happy 
that someone, J K Rowling in this case, has successfully invented all 
of this and that young people re-read it again and again. I applaud 
everything that can keep a kid away from a Playstation or a Gameboy. 
Frankly, it's a miracle.

Q: Are you going to be a part of the next cast?

A: Yes.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione have been redesigned to look more modern"
 
Q: How much did you immerse yourself in the creation of Sirius?

A: Alfonso Cuarón, the director, had a heap of ideas. We tried on 
several varieties of the costume. I thought it shouldn't be anything 
too distracting, since Sirius Black has a lot of energy and spirit. I 
had to get back in costume and make a photo session for the film, and 
I had a moustache and this hairdo. The look Alfonso gave to Peter 
Pettigrew, Professor Lupin, Sirius Black and James Potters strongly 
reminds of the four Beatles of the hippie era. Like them, we all have 
long hair, for instance. In contrast to that, he made Harry, Ron, and 
Hermione much more contemporary in their looks and general attitude.

Q: Everyone who has devoured the books has to have a quite precise 
vision of Sirius. Knowing this, is it easy to incarnate such a 
character?

A: It is a little like playing a classical hero like the ones in 
Shakespeare. Everyone has a certain image of Romeo and Juliet or of 
Hamlet in their heads. As the actor, you'll then have to invest the 
character by giving him a level of humanity and realism. Of course 
you'll always find someone who'll say that you aren't this or that. I 
was made aware of the fact that the person you are in private is at 
times a hundred miles away from your public image. Recently, I met a 
child who said to me, "I never thought you were like that. I thought 
you were paler." All because I'm often rather pallid in my films. 


Next week: Rupert Grint, in other words the redhead Ron, delivers 
more secrets to you.

Translated by Alshain