USA Today interviewed David Yates from the
Half-Blood Prince set, where he and Emma Watson talk about the tangled love lives of the Hogwarts students in the sixth film:
Quote:
“Harry has these feelings for Ginny which he’s unable to express or fulfill because Ron is very protective of her,” says director David Yates. “Ginny is going through a time of exploration. She’s finding confidence with boys and has been going out with a few. There’s a kind of maturity that is quite adventurous.”
Yates encouraged the two young actors to come up with an idea to illustrate their burgeoning affection.
“I was saying to Bonnie ‘You really like Harry, you know he’s slightly tense and worried about Ron finding out. Howwould you engineer getting close to him?’ ”
The two came up with a simple act: Ginny notices Harry’s shoe is untied, simply says “Shoelace” and reaches over and ties it. “Then it changes from that kind of maternal looking after him to something more heightened and sexual,” Yates says.
Emma Watson talks about Hermione and Ron's slowly-developing relationship:
Quote:
“Hermione’s always been the brightest student at Hogwarts,” Yates says. “When she talks about the love potion she reveals a side we’ve never quite seen before: a tender, slightly awkward but very gentle romantic side of her character.”
And Ron, for his part, has a moment in which he’s positively overcome with romantic zeal — after digging into some charmed chocolates. “He’s in a daze, madly in love which is kind of alarming to any warm body who comes into close proximity,” Yates says.
David Yates ends the interview with a juicy tidbit about Harry and Ginny:
Quote:
“They’re about to kiss,” Yates says. “Then the bloody Death Eaters turn up and cause all sorts of anarchy.”
Scans from the newspaper can be seen
in our galleries:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters November 21, 2008.
UPDATE: Six full-sized photos have also surfaced from USA Today. You can view them all below and also
here (in bigger sizes) in our gallery.
Yates on set with Daniel and Bonnie.
Ron under the love spell.
Harry and Hermione in the snow.
Dumbledore, thinking.
Draco prepared to cast a spell.
Slughorn working with Hermione in Potions; in the back are Neville, Lavender, Leanne, Katie Bell, and Romilda Vane.
Thanks to
Harry Potter's Page for letting us know!
UPDATE #2: Scans of the feature can be seen in our galleries
here thanks to
TLC!
New Half-Blood Prince photos & set interviews (UPDATE #2) 
