What role did you originally audition for?

Alex: I actually auditioned for Percy in the first film, and overacted shamelessly if I remember rightly, although I did get to meet Chris Columbus twice, and he was a charming man, very patient, although bearing in mind at the time he was scouring all corners of the British Isles to find his ideal Harry Potter he probably had to be. I think he must have got every boy between eight and fifteen into the studio at some point. But he was still smiling when I saw him, although it probably turned into more of a manic grin by the time I'd finished my audition.

I just did a vaguely John Cleese type thing. Had I known that the real Cleese, who can do his thing rather better than I can, was going to actually be in the film himself I might have adopted slightly different tactics.

It was a complete surprise when my extras agency called me up three years later and asked me if I wanted to play another Weasley, admittedly not in a speaking (or credited) role this time.

Do you have anything in common with your character?

Alex: Apart from the hair, you mean? He's more of an athletic, sporty type than I am (I have to admit that I joined my local leisure centre in Cambridge for a month and ended up going to the gym a grand total of twice, and spent the rest of the time in the jacuzzi.) I think that if I ever went into dragon wrangling as a career I'd probably last about five minutes before being fried alive and eaten.

Are you excited about the upcoming movie (GoF)?

Alex: I am, although I feel I ought to mention at this point that I'm not actually going to be in it, I was only hired as an extra for film three and they've cut me out of the script. One of Mike Newell's assistants sent me a letter saying that if they did write me back in I would be called up as I am currently on their files as "the official Charlie Weasley" so if he gets a major role in books 6 and 7 and is absolutely indispensable to the plot I could yet have my fifteen minutes of fame.

I've spent the last few months feverishly writing to JK Rowling under several different pseudonyms suggesting that perhaps in book 6 Charlie should lead an army of dragons against Lord Voldemort. It would be a good sequence for any film I feel, especially with me riding on a huge CGI dragon looking murderous.

I'm still looking forward to it (the fourth film), although how they're going to cram all those pages into 2 1/2 hours of screentime I'm not sure.

What is it like to act alongside Rupert Grint?

Alex: I didn't really get to know Rupert that well, as I only met him on a couple of occasions, but he seemed a nice young chap, totally unspoiled by stardom etc.

Mark Williams was as off-the-wall as you might expect, and Julie Walters was extremely motherly in the nicest possible sense of the word.

So far, what has been your favourite moment since you received your role?

Alex: Probably having to sign an autograph from a star struck waitress in New Zealand.

I think most people are mildly impressed when I tell them about it, (strangely enough I don't get recognised on the street all that often, possibly because even I almost missed me when I saw the film in the cinema, note by the way the lack of invitation to the premiere, is there no justice in the world?)