Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Interview With Harry Potter Fans Madeline, Isabelle Fuhrman
Aired June 23, 2003 - 15:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well 8.5 million books might not be enough to feed starving Harry Potter fans.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Gosh, they are a ravenous lot. They have devoured 5 million copies of 'Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix" and that's just in the first weekend. It set all-time records. Rhonda Rowling (sic). compared it to a movie, it beat "The Hulk" or whatever it is. It's huge, it's a giant.
PHILLIPS: Rhonda Rowling or "R.C. Rowling"?
O'BRIEN: Did I say Rhonda Rowling?
PHILLIPS: You just said Rhonda Rowland, who is our medical correspondent. But, hey...
O'BRIEN: Rhonda Schaffler meets J.K. Rowling.
PHILLIPS: Well the Nielsen Book Scan showed copies flying out the at the rate of 20 books a second on Saturday. And we found two wizard wannnabees among our own and they just can't seem to get enough of their literary heroes.
O'BRIEN: Madeline and Isabelle Fuhrman are dressed like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, respectively. And they are the daughters of one of our own here at CNN, Alina Fuhrman (ph). And it's great to have you with us. I'm going to begin with you Madeline, or should I call you Harry, I don't know which. I just want you to show people where your bookmark is. Just put it off to the edge there. This is one weekend. Can you get a shot of that? She is more than halfway through or just about halfway through.
MADELINE FUHRMAN, HARRY POTTER FAN: yes.
O'BRIEN: You have been reading a lot, haven't you?
PHILLIPS: She's taking it to camp with her.
O'BRIEN: Wow! What are your thoughts?
MADELINE: I like the book, so far. I mean, yesterday I wasn't really into the book and it wasn't as great as I thought it was.
O'BRIEN: It wasn't as good as the other ones?
MADELINE: It wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be.
O'BRIEN: You think you probably had really high expectations for that book?
MADELINE: Yes. But now it's really great, and I just love the book.
O'BRIEN: So you're in it now?
MADELINE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OK.
PHILLIPS: Now, Isabelle, you're 6. Have you been reading the book, or has your sister sort of taken you through it? How's that working?
ISABELLE FUHRMAN, HARRY POTTER FAN: Well, she only tells me one or two parts, and I think those are really interesting. Ron has become a prefix. And when Harry's talking serious (UNINTELLIGIBLE) against the dark arts teacher, of course, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: You can talk like Ron, right?
PHILLIPS: She's so cute!
O'BRIEN: She's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Give me a Ron impersonation, OK. Can you talk like Ron for us?
ISABELLE: Harry, I'm scared!
PHILLIPS: You have that whole British accent thing going on.
How about your sister? Do you have a few lines? You're pretty good at this. Who do you like? Obviously Harry.
MADELINE: Hermione.
PHILLIPS: Oh, OK, all right. Give us a little something.
MADELINE: They're on the train. As I said last night, Hermione comes in while Harry and Ron are talking to each other, and Ron is about to cast a spell. And she goes, "Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one. Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."
And then Ron does a spell. She goes, "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells myself, but it's all worked for me.
"Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I hope I'm in Gryffindor. It sounds by far the best. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be that bad either. I heard Dumbledore has been in Gryffindor himself.
"Nobody in my family's magic at all. It was of such a surprise when I got my letter. But then I was ever so pleased, of course.
"Well, I expect we'll be arriving soon. You two best change into robes.
"Oh, and you've got dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know, just there?"
PHILLIPS: Madeline on tape, we don't need the book.
O'BRIEN: You know, really, you could do the book on tape. You actually could do it.
And now, Isabelle, I'm curious. This story is kind of long and complicated, isn't it? Would you recommend it to most 6-year-olds?
ISABELLE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes?
ISABELLE: Pretty much.
O'BRIEN: Is it -- it's not too scary or anything for you?
ISABELLE: No.
O'BRIEN: OK, good.
PHILLIPS: So explain to us what this is and how does it work.
ISABELLE: It's a wand, and use it to cast spells on people. And you use it also to cast spells on people to defend yourself.
PHILLIPS: Can you cast one on Miles? Can you do a little spell? Go ahead. You can make one up.
O'BRIEN: Go ahead.
MADELINE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ISABELLE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
PHILLIPS: Now what's supposed to happen?
ISABELLE: He's supposed to blow up.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Cutest special effects, too.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: It's just -- this whole book is so amazing that after five books, and now a 900-page book, you're halfway through it, people are still so interested in it. Can you try to give us some idea of why kids can't get enough Harry Potter?
MADELINE: It's just full of mystery and adventure. And you don't know how it's going to happen.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
MADELINE: It's always a surprise.
PHILLIPS: Isabelle, what about you? Final thoughts? Why is it so cool, Harry Potter?
ISABELLE: Well, people like it. And it's always really nice to look at the book, see how it's like.
PHILLIPS: Anytime you guys don't want to go home, we'll adopt. What do you think? We'll take one.
O'BRIEN: Cutest kids.
PHILLIPS: Thank you so much for being with us.
MADELINE: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: All right. You'll let us know how it ends up.
MADELINE: Yes, OK.
O'BRIEN: All right Madeline and Isabelle Fuhrman, Harry Potter experts. Thank you so much for brightening our day here on LIVE FROM. And tomorrow LIVE FROM will be hosted by these two.
PHILLIPS: They like that.
O'BRIEN: They just passed their screen test.
MADELINE: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, you guys.
O'BRIEN: You're most welcome.
PHILLIPS: Well, already more wealthy than the Queen of England, Potter author J.K. Rowling is expected to make at least $50 million from sales of her latest sequel. "The London Sunday Times" estimates Rowling's fortune at 450 million bucks, not bad for the one-time single mom who once lived in a rat-infested flat and struggled to make ends meet.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Fuhrman>
Aired June 23, 2003 - 15:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well 8.5 million books might not be enough to feed starving Harry Potter fans.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Gosh, they are a ravenous lot. They have devoured 5 million copies of 'Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix" and that's just in the first weekend. It set all-time records. Rhonda Rowling (sic). compared it to a movie, it beat "The Hulk" or whatever it is. It's huge, it's a giant.
PHILLIPS: Rhonda Rowling or "R.C. Rowling"?
O'BRIEN: Did I say Rhonda Rowling?
PHILLIPS: You just said Rhonda Rowland, who is our medical correspondent. But, hey...
O'BRIEN: Rhonda Schaffler meets J.K. Rowling.
PHILLIPS: Well the Nielsen Book Scan showed copies flying out the at the rate of 20 books a second on Saturday. And we found two wizard wannnabees among our own and they just can't seem to get enough of their literary heroes.
O'BRIEN: Madeline and Isabelle Fuhrman are dressed like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, respectively. And they are the daughters of one of our own here at CNN, Alina Fuhrman (ph). And it's great to have you with us. I'm going to begin with you Madeline, or should I call you Harry, I don't know which. I just want you to show people where your bookmark is. Just put it off to the edge there. This is one weekend. Can you get a shot of that? She is more than halfway through or just about halfway through.
MADELINE FUHRMAN, HARRY POTTER FAN: yes.
O'BRIEN: You have been reading a lot, haven't you?
PHILLIPS: She's taking it to camp with her.
O'BRIEN: Wow! What are your thoughts?
MADELINE: I like the book, so far. I mean, yesterday I wasn't really into the book and it wasn't as great as I thought it was.
O'BRIEN: It wasn't as good as the other ones?
MADELINE: It wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be.
O'BRIEN: You think you probably had really high expectations for that book?
MADELINE: Yes. But now it's really great, and I just love the book.
O'BRIEN: So you're in it now?
MADELINE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OK.
PHILLIPS: Now, Isabelle, you're 6. Have you been reading the book, or has your sister sort of taken you through it? How's that working?
ISABELLE FUHRMAN, HARRY POTTER FAN: Well, she only tells me one or two parts, and I think those are really interesting. Ron has become a prefix. And when Harry's talking serious (UNINTELLIGIBLE) against the dark arts teacher, of course, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: You can talk like Ron, right?
PHILLIPS: She's so cute!
O'BRIEN: She's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Give me a Ron impersonation, OK. Can you talk like Ron for us?
ISABELLE: Harry, I'm scared!
PHILLIPS: You have that whole British accent thing going on.
How about your sister? Do you have a few lines? You're pretty good at this. Who do you like? Obviously Harry.
MADELINE: Hermione.
PHILLIPS: Oh, OK, all right. Give us a little something.
MADELINE: They're on the train. As I said last night, Hermione comes in while Harry and Ron are talking to each other, and Ron is about to cast a spell. And she goes, "Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one. Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."
And then Ron does a spell. She goes, "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells myself, but it's all worked for me.
"Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I hope I'm in Gryffindor. It sounds by far the best. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be that bad either. I heard Dumbledore has been in Gryffindor himself.
"Nobody in my family's magic at all. It was of such a surprise when I got my letter. But then I was ever so pleased, of course.
"Well, I expect we'll be arriving soon. You two best change into robes.
"Oh, and you've got dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know, just there?"
PHILLIPS: Madeline on tape, we don't need the book.
O'BRIEN: You know, really, you could do the book on tape. You actually could do it.
And now, Isabelle, I'm curious. This story is kind of long and complicated, isn't it? Would you recommend it to most 6-year-olds?
ISABELLE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes?
ISABELLE: Pretty much.
O'BRIEN: Is it -- it's not too scary or anything for you?
ISABELLE: No.
O'BRIEN: OK, good.
PHILLIPS: So explain to us what this is and how does it work.
ISABELLE: It's a wand, and use it to cast spells on people. And you use it also to cast spells on people to defend yourself.
PHILLIPS: Can you cast one on Miles? Can you do a little spell? Go ahead. You can make one up.
O'BRIEN: Go ahead.
MADELINE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ISABELLE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
PHILLIPS: Now what's supposed to happen?
ISABELLE: He's supposed to blow up.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Cutest special effects, too.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: It's just -- this whole book is so amazing that after five books, and now a 900-page book, you're halfway through it, people are still so interested in it. Can you try to give us some idea of why kids can't get enough Harry Potter?
MADELINE: It's just full of mystery and adventure. And you don't know how it's going to happen.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
MADELINE: It's always a surprise.
PHILLIPS: Isabelle, what about you? Final thoughts? Why is it so cool, Harry Potter?
ISABELLE: Well, people like it. And it's always really nice to look at the book, see how it's like.
PHILLIPS: Anytime you guys don't want to go home, we'll adopt. What do you think? We'll take one.
O'BRIEN: Cutest kids.
PHILLIPS: Thank you so much for being with us.
MADELINE: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: All right. You'll let us know how it ends up.
MADELINE: Yes, OK.
O'BRIEN: All right Madeline and Isabelle Fuhrman, Harry Potter experts. Thank you so much for brightening our day here on LIVE FROM. And tomorrow LIVE FROM will be hosted by these two.
PHILLIPS: They like that.
O'BRIEN: They just passed their screen test.
MADELINE: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, you guys.
O'BRIEN: You're most welcome.
PHILLIPS: Well, already more wealthy than the Queen of England, Potter author J.K. Rowling is expected to make at least $50 million from sales of her latest sequel. "The London Sunday Times" estimates Rowling's fortune at 450 million bucks, not bad for the one-time single mom who once lived in a rat-infested flat and struggled to make ends meet.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Fuhrman>
