Radio Times – December 1
Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis: “I’d love to work with Daniel Radcliffe again”
The actor better known as Neville Longbottom reveals he still speaks to his former Hogwarts classmates and is keen to reunite with Radcliffe and Emma Watson in the future
During the ten years of Harry Potter films, we watched Neville Longbottom morph from a gawky, awkward dunce into the surprisingly hunky hero who stood up to Lord Voldemort. Nowadays actor Matthew Lewis has moved onto pastures new, starring as Gordon “Towerblock” House in the second series of BBC3 comedy Bluestone 42, but he’s still in touch with his old Hogwarts classmates.
“I saw Dan’s play in London in the summer which was really cool and had a catch-up. If he’s doing a show I’ll always try and see it. And I spoke to Emma on Skype – she’s out in New York doing really well. We just try and keep in touch whenever we can.”
And while the cast have all gone their separate ways since filming concluded on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, Matthew expressed a desire to reunite with his former co-stars in the future. “It’s not something that I’m desperate to get away from in such a way that I can’t work with any of them. I’d love to – Dan, in particular.
“I think Dan is such a committed actor. He works so hard and so tirelessly that you can’t help but be inspired when you’re around him on a film set. I’d love to work with Dan again.”
Since Harry Potter, Lewis has gone on to star in BBC lottery drama The Syndicate and feature film The Rise – both roles that have strayed far from JK Rowling’s loveable wizard, albeit not intentionally. “Something really strange happened after Harry Potter. I assumed that they were the sort of roles I would be sent and the weird thing was they really weren’t.
“All those roles weren’t a conscious decision by me turning other stuff down, saying, ‘No, I have to do these because they’re gritty and so different from Neville’. They’re just what came up and what I liked the most and thought were the best things. The roles like Neville haven’t been entirely forthcoming as some might expect. I’ve been able to come away from Neville but it’s a pure coincidence.”