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American Morning

A Talk with Robbie Coltrane, an Adult Actor in 'Harry Potter' Movie

Aired November 19, 2001 - 09:55   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Much of the movie hype is centered on the youthful characters, but there is a star-studded group of adults in the film, including such greats as Richard Harris, Alan Reichman, John Kleese and Maggie Smith, and I talked with another one of the adults in the film, Robbie Coltrane, who plays gentle giant Hagrid, and he talks about the "Harry Potter" magic.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBBIE COLTRANE, ACTOR: Understand this, Harry, because it's very important. Not all wizards are good.

ZAHN: You were personally handpicked by the author of the "Harry Potter" series, J.K. Rowling, to play the role of Hagrid.

COLTRANE: I was.

ZAHN: So there no way you could have turned them down.

COLTRANE: It was so terribly flattering, but of course pressure from my son's age -- you have an 8-year-old, don't you? He read it in press, and said, so you are playing Hagrid dad? I went well. I want to see whop is directing. I want to see what script is like. Let's see who is producing. Let's see how committed they are to making the book a film. And everyday, he would come in go, you going to do it, dad, and when I said yes, it was coolest thing. I think he might tidy his room now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hagrid.

COLTRANE: Hello. Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Describe who Hagrid is and sort of how he is central focus of the film. COLTRANE: Well, Hagrid is quite an interesting guy because he is half man, half giant. Just imagine a really huge scary looking guy getting off a Harley-Davidson in the car park, and he walks into a bar, and everybody gets out of the way, and he sits down and starts talking about his garden.

ZAHN: That's great.

COLTRANE: Isn't it?

ZAHN: Now you have a very provocative scene with a three-headed beast.

COLTRANE: Fluffy, well, he's a three-headed dog. Hagrid has an understanding of misunderstood wild creatures. W.C. Fields always said "Never work with children and animals."

ZAHN: There you are with both.

COLTRANE: There I am, with both in abundance, animals that don't even exist, how scary is that, you know?

ZAHN: I know as father you support the child labor laws in England, extended film schedule making Harry Potter, but you said even the animals almost got a better deal than the kids.

COLTRANE: Well, they have people watching the monitors all the time to make sure you are not cruel to animals, which how is would argue with that? But every so often they'd say, owl break, and that the owls had been on for too long, and we all have to stand down for the owls. There's a lot of electricians going, I wish we had a union like that, I've been on the go for 14 hours, you know, and all that stuff.

ZAHN: You had read the book before J.K. Rowling picked you?

COLTRANE: Yes.

ZAHN: And what were reservations about how this story would translate to film?

COLTRANE: Well, there is always a problem taking a novel on to screen, which is, that somebody says, it is very nice to see you, Mr. Brown, and then you have a page what he was thinking, and then Mr. Brown says, very nice to meet you, and there is another page what Mr. Brown was really thinking. On a movie, that is just somebody has to go, somebody has go, and that's it, and you think, with children, how can they do all those levels? We were very, very lucky and we got the right kids, and the right script.

ZAHN: What does your son think of final product?

COLTRANE: He loves it. He patted my leg halfway through premier went, you are very good, dad.

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