Category: Harry Potter

Matthew Lewis recently spoke to Digital Spy about the Harry Potter films and how he was never sure he’d be back for the next film.

“I originally signed on for one film, with an option on the second,” Lewis recalled. “We didn’t know where it was going to go. After the first two were made, I signed the same deal for number three with an option to do number four. Then nothing came through after number four. We didn’t sign up for five and six – we just didn’t hear anything for a while.There was a bit of speculation on whether they were going to do a fifth one or not.”

Lewis, who celebrates his 22nd birthday today, confessed that he worried that his changing appearance would ensure that he was replaced as the Gryffindor student. “I’d changed quite dramatically in myself – I was wearing a fat suit by this time, I was slimmer and taller than Dan [Radcliffe] and Rupert [Grint],” he said. “So I thought if they were going to recast, they might recast me, because I don’t look like Neville anymore.  But they didn’t, thank God, and went ahead with film five and asked us all back. They made the fat suit bigger and found other ways of making me look a bit more Neville-ish. I guess I owe them for sticking with me!”

In a new interview with Parade.com Matthew Lewis talks about Harry Potter and saying goodbye to Neville. You can read the full interview at the previous link or in the press archive.

From zero to hero.
“The great thing about Neville is that even though he was scared and terrified, he always wanted to do the right thing. He always had a good heart, loyalty, and courage. In this last film, we see him take on the role of leader in Harry’s absence. He’s reluctant because he doesn’t want to be this leader, but he knows it’s the right thing to do, and if he doesn’t do it, no one else will. So he steps into the role and takes over.”

Would he come back if there was another film?
“I’d definitely be excited about new books and I’d read them. As for the film, I’ve been doing this for 10, 11 years now. I’m ready to go and do something different. I’m ready to say goodbye to Neville and see what else I can do. But if it was a genuinely good story, which if J.K. Rowling wrote anything, it would be brilliant, and they asked me, then, yeah, I would be quite excited. But I think our story is finished. I was very happy with the way it ended.”