What are you most excited about for this year’s A Celebration of Harry Potter?
Matthew Lewis: I’m looking forward to getting back to Universal Studios and checking out the park. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is an incredibly fun place to spend a weekend, so I’m happy to be back and being able to share that weekend with our fans is just an added bonus.

What are some of your favorite moments from the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley in 2014?
Matt: The Diagon Alley opening was fantastic. I’ll never forget the first time I passed through the gates and saw it with my own eyes. It was incredibly overwhelming and completely immersive like nothing I’d even experienced at work.

How does The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando compare to the movie sets?
Matt: As I just alluded to, the complete nature of The Wizarding World at Universal Orlando Resort gives it a level of immersion that we never had on set. We had to use a lot of imagination and complete the locations and sets in our own minds but that’s not something necessary in Orlando – it’s all there.

What’s it like to be immortalized in a theme park attraction?
Matt: I never thought as a kid that I would ever be part of a theme park or featured on a ride. That’s crazy. I’m so honored by it, especially since it’s one of the best rides in the world at the minute.

What’s your favorite quote from the books or line from the movie scripts?
Matt: I think my favorite line is from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) exclaims “I did my waiting, twelve years of it – in Azkaban!”

What qualities of Neville drew you to that character?
Matt: I found Neville’s underdog status a huge draw. Naturally, being British, the plucky underdog is always a character that I want to champion. Neville, however, is also inherently good. He always attempts to do his best and fight the good fight against overwhelming odds. He’s scared and out of his depth but he steps up and fights anyway – that’s courage.

What was one special moment you had during creating the Harry Potter films that you will remember forever?
Matt: The one memory that I always place above all others is the final premiere in London. I’d never seen anything like it and I doubt I will ever experience anything on that level again. It was unique and overwhelming. That’s all thanks to the fans that turned out that night. Unforgettable.

Do you keep in contact with the rest of the cast?
Matt: We try to stay in contact as much as any old friends. It’s tricky with everybody, including myself, working all around the world. If we find ourselves in the same city we try to catch up and A Celebration of Harry Potter of course is a great opportunity to see each other again.

If you could play another character in the movies, who would it be?
Matt: I’m often asked this question and I think I change my answer frequently but the most common is that I’d like to be on the other side. Playing bad guys is so much fun because it’s out of your comfort zone and you get to do and say things you’d never do in real life. So I think I’d be one of the Malfoys. Probably Lucius!