Harry Potter Interview – Matt Lewis (Neville Longbottom)
Emma, Daniel and Rupert may have stormed the tabloids over the last decade as the main Potter trio, but they’re not the only long-serving key cast members.
As Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 arrives in cinemas, we sat down and chatted with Matt Lewis about the beginning of the end.
Lewis, who has played Neville Longbottom in every one of the movies, has seen his key supporting character grow from unassuming, feckless dweeb to leader of the resistance.
As the franchise draws to a close, he spoke about how Neville comes into his own in the explosive finale, how Harry Potter’s changed his life, his future, and just how happy he is to escape something more terrifying than Voldemort – the fat suit that’s dogged him for years.
Sky Movies: You were a huge fan of the books before you joined the cast – how does it feel now,with it all ending?
Matt Lewis: It’s kind of odd. If you’d asked me 10 years ago if I expected to be here right now, I’d have said ‘don’t be ridiculous’.
It’s been a crazy last few years and I feel very privileged to be a part of it. I’m a bid sad it’s over; I mean, I don’t have a job anymore <laughs>.
It’s been so much fun that I’ll miss it but I’m looking forward to the future and trying something new.
Young Neville
SM: You’ve been in every Harry Potter film so far – how has it been coping with the fame?
ML: It’s been alright to be honest with you. I don’t look entirely like Neville so when I’m off-set I can go to the shops and it’s fine. I get to do all the cool stuff like the premiere and the European tours, so I get the best of both worlds.
I’ve still got all the same friends as before and I still live in Leeds, so my home life has stayed fairly the same.
SM: You were wearing a fat suit for the earlier films – was it a relief to finally escape it?
ML: Yeah, I wore a fat suit from Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban onwards, and this was the first movie since then that I haven’t had to. I quite like the idea of Neville being overweight because the best thing about him is that he’s not perfect.
He’s a geeky character who’s not amazing looking, he’s got rubbish hair, he’s not your usual hero, but in this last film he really comes through and does his own thing, and I think that’s quite a nice message.
SM: Do you think the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2 will both have their own distinctive plots, tones and identities?
ML: While Part 1 is mainly Ron, Hermione and Harry off on the run, there’s a tiny bit of a flash into what’s going on with the resistance back at Hogwarts. It’s very heavily focused on Harry, Ron and Hermione. Part 1 is them trying to find the Horcruxes, while Part 2 is really focused on them coming back and the Battle of Hogwarts.
It’s a bit like The Lord of the Rings, where Parts 1 and 2 are about how long the road is and how much of a toll it’s taking on everyone, while the final part is the real climax – the real action. There are a lot of deaths, a lot of blood.
The Resistance’s Leader
SM: In the storyline, there’s quite a bit of pressure on Neville as the figurehead of the resistance. Do we get to see the burden that he’s carrying?
ML: Oh definitely. That was one of the most difficult things we had to go through this year. I mean, I’ve had no experience of going to war or people dying around you, and you’ve got this idea of Neville – who was never a leader when he was younger – and he’s been forced into taking on Harry’s mantle because there was no-one else to take it.
We shot scenes during the Battle of Hogwarts where he’s adrenalised, he’s fighting on autopilot and instinct, and he’s enjoying himself. And then, people do die, and he’s mentally and physically exhausted. There’s one shot we did where he’s carrying the body of this small child, I don’t know if it’s going to be in the film, but it was really tough.
It was nice to do as it was completely different to what I’ve done before, and out of my comfort zone. It was fun.
SM: Fans of the books will know that Neville really has a massive moment in the battle – would you say it’s his defining moment?
ML: I would, definitely. There’s one moment near the end when he’s got a bit of a ‘do or die’ moment and he stands up to Voldemort. He knows it probably means Voldemort will kill him, but he wants to make a message to everyone to fight on. He’s effectively giving his life up for the cause.
Voldemort Unleashed
SM: How was it filming the fighting scenes – you get a nifty sword (Gryffindor’s Sword) this time around?
ML: Yeah, I do! I nearly killed someone with that sword. I’d basically been swinging it, deflecting spells, and the hilt came away from the blade. It went straight up in the air 20ft and came down in a pile of small children extras. I shouted ‘get outta the way’ but luckily it just landed on the ground in the middle of them, missing everybody. I couldn’t believe it. Most of them didn’t even notice because they were so into the scene!
Again, it was something I hadn’t done before so it was cool to do all the James Bond stuff with the stunts and explosions.
SM: What would you say are your fondest memories on or off set from the last 10 years?
ML: My 21st birthday, where I invited all my friends from Leeds and all my friends from the movies. Everyone (Dan, Rupert, Tom, half the crew) made the trek up to Leeds and it made for a really great night. I was terrified of how my two lives would come together but it was wicked – everyone got along great.
SM: So where do you go from here – what do you have planned for the future?
ML: Good question – I don’t know! I’ve acted since I was 5, so I don’t know if I could do anything else. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I want to have a good go at it – I’d rather stay in TV and Film, but I even went for a meeting with a play and that was great, so who knows?
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