The next Harry Potter film seems a lot more bloody and violent.
Dan: It was great, incredible. I’ve always loved scenes with blood, mud, all that stuff. I’ve always enjoyed those moments in the films. I find them, I guess, very intense and fun. It’s what keeps me going when we’re in the commotion of a battle. I really enjoy it.

You’ve spent half your life playing this character. Now that it’s almost over, how do you feel? Are you ready to move on? Will you miss it?
Dan: It’s hard to say. It’s very strange and very sad. I know that I’ll definitely miss it, yes, of course. I’ll miss the people I work with, arriving on set every day and seeing the faces of all those people I’ve spent so much time with, and of course, the friends I’ve made, so I’ll definitely miss it.

At the same time, there will be this sense of… I see it as being set free to take on other projects I want now that I’ll have more time. In the past, if they offered me a great part, a great script, I’d have to say, “I’m sorry, I won’t be available for another year and a half,” which is a great thing to have a job during all that time, but it’s good to have that sort of liberty to choose what you’re going to do next. It’s really exciting.

How was your last day?
Dan: We were all torn apart, and I have to say that I’ve never seen Rupert cry in all my life. It was a very emotional day, and when I saw Rupert crying, it made me cry even more. It was very strange. It was sort of the end of my childhood, which I’ve said goodbye to, and that small boy has gone.

You’ve been working with Emma and Rupert for ten years. What is the biggest difference from when you met them to now?
Dan: Well, Rupert’s car collection is much bigger now than when we started. [Laughs] Obviously, I think that we’ve all realized that we’ve changed quite a lot throughout the films, because at the beginning, especially at the beginning of it all, Rupert was very, very talkative and it seemed like you couldn’t get him to quiet down. He’s become more reserved as the series has progressed, although when you get to know him and get to talk to him, he’s a very easy-going person, but he’s become quieter over time. It’s possible that he’s become more quiet as I’ve become more noisy. [Laughs]

It’s possible that that’s what’s happened, but yeah, physically, Rupert and I have changed completely, while Emma looks almost exactly the same as when we started, as far as her face goes. It’s almost the same face. Those would have to be the main changes, but beyond that it’s hard to see how we’ve changed, apart from the fact that we’ve grown and we’ve gone through changes that anyone goes through from 11 years old, in my case, until they’re 21, which I am now. So I’ve changed quite a lot, too much to list it all, I suppose.

What advice would you give yourself if you met your 11-year-old self?
Dan: I’m not sure that I would give my younger self any advice. I think that I’ve things right. I think that I’ve gone through it, and I’ve enjoyed it, and I don’t think I would give myself any advice to change the way I’ve done things during the past nine, ten years.

I don’t think I’d change much. In terms of what has changed, which you asked about before, I think one of the things that has changed the most is our attitude about work, we take it much more seriously now than we used to. We used to arrive on set, and everything was great fun, the environment was full of laughter, but we really didn’t look at it as work. Now, we all take it seriously because we want to make a career out of this, and we know that it will be tough, so I think that would be a huge change.

Harry Potter is an international phenomenon. What do you think about the impact the films have had?
Dan: When you talk about this type of global phenomenon, it seems like everybody thinks about Star Wars. For me, and the difference is interesting, Star Wars has this fan base that has grown around it, which is based on the films, while the fan base that grows around Harry Potter is not only based on a couple of films, but also on a lot of very, very good literature, and in fact, that generates, because it’s based on books, a sort of different of fan, if you want to look at it like that, who not only is fanatically obsessed and loves detail, but who also has a very literate and articulate way to talk about the films and books amongst themselves or with me.

It’s something that isn’t necessarily achieved with a global phenomenon because I think that this has created a generation of very intelligent and well-read youth, because I don’t think that Harry Potter has been an end itself in the world of literature. I think that it’s been a stepping stone for many people to reach out for books meant for a more adult audience. So I think that it’s created a sort of generation of really smart and enlightened fans, which is something marvelous.

In the story you yourself become a father. Have you played that role, that adult version of yourself?
Yea, of course, and it was great fun because we did a makeup test not so long ago and everything, and it was just great. And I compared it to a photo of my father, Alan Radcliffe, when he was 37 years old, and the resemblance is quite noticeable, unintentionally, we didn’t do it on purpose, but I certainly didn’t look much different from him.

And did you pick your own children?
Dan: Yeah, I picked my own children, it’s fantastic! Wouldn’t every father like that? [Laughs]

What do you like to do besides acting?
Dan: Reading and writing. And I love to watch Discovery Channel, and I’m fascinated by archaeology. And I love going to cricket matches or down to the pub. Usually you get more attention, but it’s quite fleeting.

How about your luck with girls?
Dan: Fame doesn’t mean you’ll be attractive to women. People think that when that when you’re famous, you’re going to be cool. I’m not. The type of girls I’d like to be with are not the girls who would like to be with someone like me, because of the fame. Although, yes it’s true that I normally keep a relationship, I’m not right now. Right now I’m single, so we’ll see what happens.