“EMOTIONAL” was exactly how everyone—from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, the filmmakers, JK Rowling, to the fans — felt at the last red-carpet premiere of the Harry Potter saga on July 7 (July 8 in Manila) at Trafalgar Square, London.
The red carpet for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was set on a backdrop of thousands of fans who gathered and waited for days to catch one last time their favorite Harry Potter actors.
And as the last film adaptation of Rowling’s seven-part book series ends a 10-year journey, main characters Radcliffe, Watson and Grint could not help but be moved to tears.
Counted at 3,000, fans not only from the United Kingdom but also from other countries including Canada, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Sweden, Belgium and Singapore camped out at Trafalgar Square for days under bad weather.
More fans became part of the red-carpet premiere as Warner Brothers Inc. showed a live stream through its Harry Potter fanpage on Facebook.
Arriving at the much-awaited event, Grint, Watson and finally Radcliffe (who flew in from New York where he was rehearsing for Broadway to catch the premiere) were welcomed by the excited screams of the fans at Trafalgar Square.
They were not disappointed as the three signed autographs, had their pictures taken with them and returned gratitude to their loyal fans.
The three young stars made a quick stopover at the big stage in the middle of the square to share their feelings on what is dubbed as “the end of an era.”
The actors, who first became Harry Potter (Radcliffe), Hermoine Granger (Watson) and Ron Weasley (Grint) at the age of 10, grew up filming Harry Potter.
Now at 21, they said that they cannot believe that it really is the end.
The three admitted how emotional they were when they shot the last scene.
Still, Radcliffe, cannot help but feel “incredibly happy” despite the saga’s end especially on how the last film turned out.
He said, “The way it [Deathly Hallows: Part 2] turned out, we cannot have made a better version.”
And summing up, Radcliffe, who gave life to boy wizard Harry Potter, described the whole journey to be “inspirational, surreal and bizarre.”
The three then became really emotional when they said thanks to one another.
Watson, who really cried hard said that she will definitely miss the two boys.
Grint, however, expressed it best when he said, “The best half of my life, I shared with you two. I love you.”
Fans at Trafalgar Square and around the globe cried with their idols as they tweeted messages of sadness and happiness in Twitter.
They, too said that Harry Potter had been a part of their lives growing up reading and watching the saga.
Besides Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, the fans also showed their love to the Harry Potter creator, JK Rowling. Cheers of “JK! JK! JK!” from the crowd made the author cry.
She said that she did not imagine that Harry Potter would be such a phenomenon. But all the credit she gave to the readers saying, “No story lives unless someone wants to listen.”
And to Rowling, Radcliffe said, “Whatever happens for the rest of my acting career, I owe it to you.”
Other favorite Harry Potter actors who also arrived, much to the delight of the fans, were Robbie Coltrane as the half-giant Hagrid, Ralph Fiennes as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Lord Voldemort, Helena Bonham Cater as the evil Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape and Tom Felton as arch nemesis Draco Malfoy.
Distributed by Warner Bros., Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part 2 will be released in Philippine theaters and IMAX, in 3D and 2D on July 14.
It opens worldwide on July 15.
First published for The Manila Times. See here.
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