These days, everybody is looking forward to seeing the back-to-back films that will finish off Hollywood's beloved boy-wizard franchise with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Everybody, that is, except the series star.
"It will be very sad when it comes to a finishing," Daniel Radcliffe said of his rapidly diminishing days working on the final "Potter" film. "But it's something you have to accept."
All the fans can take solace in knowing they won't have to say goodbye to Harry and his friends for quite some time. The first "Deathly Hallows" film won't hit movie screens until this November, the second part arrives in July of 2011, and if that isn't enough, you can always get your fix at the soon-to-open theme park. Radcliffe, who began the series at age 11 and is now 20 years old, has already begun the goodbyes.
"Yeah, we've had a few people finish off their stories in the film, and they've been going home," Radcliffe said of actors like Helena Bonham Carter, who told us recently that she wrapped a few months ago. "It is odd [seeing them leave].
"I did have a moment the other day, in the makeup room that I have been in for 10 years now," he revealed. "I did walk in and go, 'Wow, this is [hitting me]. One day — in about four or five months from now — I'm gonna walk in here for the last time.' Especially since, after we're done shooting, they're redoing the entire studio, tearing down and starting again."
So get ready to shed a few tears, Potter fans, as Harry's world will begin to come down sooner than you might expect. But Radcliffe was also quick to point out that the series has done a lot of wonderful things, including bringing an increased film presence to the actor's native land.
"It's going to be amazing," he said of the renovation of the stages that have housed "Potter" for a decade. "A big investment is going into Leavesden [Studios], and England will finally have a third film studio. They've always had Shepperton and Pinewood, but to have Leavesden? That will do wonders for the film industry in England, which is always a struggle to keep going."
With Warner Bros. recently announcing plans to purchase the studios and establish a permanent U.K. base, Radcliffe told us that it's just another reason the "Harry Potter" films have been such a joy to work on. "What's been amazing about Potter is that Potter has been the major film in England for the last 10 years," explained the star, who also recently used his star power for good while filming a public-service announcement in support of the Trevor Project. "[Our films] have given a lot of people jobs, myself included."
And as for his upcoming second decade in Hollywood, Radcliffe said he won't spend it looking backward. "It's also very exciting [to be finishing the series]," he said. "And I'll hopefully have something to go onto shortly afterwards."
Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1."
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