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masterofmystery · #1 (**permalink**) 09-03-2011, 12:51 AM

SnitchSeeker got the chance to chat with actor Freddie Stroma, best known for portraying Gryffindor student Cormac McLaggen in the Harry Potter films, this week as part of his promotion for the upcoming television and DVD release of his musical, A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, out September 6th (we will be giving away the DVD next week, so keep an eye out for that).

During the chat, Freddie commented on what urged him to take on the role of the Prince Charming character - this time as the son of a music executive, named Luke - in the recent adaptation shot in North Carolina with Lucy Hale, as well as having to stretch his comedic and singing chops for the role. Of course the discussion lead to Harry Potter, where Freddie discussed working with legendary actors Jim Broadbent and Alan Rickman in Half-Blood Prince, how glad he was for Rupert Grint's corpsing on set, and a deleted Quidditch scene shot with him and his fellow Gryffindors.

Finally, Freddie, who filmed The Philosophers (which currently has no release date) with former Harry Potter costar Bonnie Wright, mentioned what the significance of the Indonesian setting was, as well as being glad to have a familiar face on set. Though he was vague about his character Jack, he did recall how much of an emphasis was made on the ensemble cast in the movie, focusing on 20 philosophy students thrust into an survival experiment. All of that and more can be read below.

SnitchSeeker: This is the second time you’ve played Prince Charming in an adaptation of Cinderella in the past year. What attracted you to this retelling, the one with Lucy Hill, and how did it differ from the panto on stage last year?
Freddie Stroma: Well, the panto was a little bit more traditional. It was a little bit of crazy costumes and your regular Prince Charming. The new one is in high school and it’s modern, so it was a little different. It was quite nice to play Prince Charming characters, particularly since it seems we’ve been having lots of horrible characters in my career so far.

SnitchSeeker: Were there any challenges in the role?
Freddie: The singing was really fun. It was a little challenging because I usually sing very quietly with my guitar. But then once we got to the studio, it was fine.

SnitchSeeker: Did the fact that it was a musical make you want to do it more?
Freddie: Yeah, I do like music and I like singing and playing guitar, so I got to sing and play guitar quite a lot in the film.

SnitchSeeker: What do you find easier, the singing or the comedy?
Freddie: I think I found maybe the comedy aspect easier. Rudley, the director, was really cool with allowing me to play around with the script. A lot of stuff was added by me.

SnitchSeeker: What did you add?
Freddie: Just lots of little lines, here and there, at the end of lines – which sometimes you have directors and supervisors who don’t let you do that, but he was open to me doing that. He just, on the spot, asked me to say some other lines and I would do it, kind of work off it. I think a lot of the lines in the film are shuffled throughout from the original.

SnitchSeeker: How did you find the North Carolina location where this was shot?
Freddie: The North Carolina set was really cool. We stayed close to the beach and it was nice to be in another part of America and meet a few new kids who were from that area.

SnitchSeeker: What do you think you learned as an actor from working in Cinderella?
Freddie: Every job I go on I learn loads, which is nice. It was nice to do that amount of comedy, which I haven’t done in awhile. I just learned to be free, I guess, to keep being bold and making choices - if it doesn’t work it doesn’t matter.

SnitchSeeker: You went to see Dan Radcliffe’s musical in the spring. Were you inspired? Would you consider doing a stage musical?
Freddie: I would totally like to do that, yeah. I told Dan that he was absolutely amazing. It was such a great show. I didn’t really know what to expect at first. It was shocking how good he was. Yeah, I’d love to do that kind of thing. Anything to challenge, keep pushing forward.

SnitchSeeker: You worked on Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. Which of the two films was most challenging for you to shoot?
Freddie: Definitely the Half-Blood Prince – that’s where I’ve got more in. I’m seen very briefly in the Deathly Hallows. I still have a heart attack to ever have done Quidditch. It was pretty challenging.

SnitchSeeker: What about working against Rupert?
Freddie: Yeah, Rupert’s really funny. He’s such a funny guy. He was quieter than I thought he would be, but he’s got great comedic timing. He will crack up between takes, which was always great because it puts everyone else at ease and then people relax. I think it’s a really helpful thing.

SnitchSeeker: There are so many amazing British actors – the greats – in the film series. Were there any in particular you were honored to work with?
Freddie: Yeah, doing a scene with Jim Broadbent was a big thing. And Alan Rickman - I was definitely kind of star struck. I had seen him - from Robin Hood and a little bit of Die Hard - and just suddenly growing up getting to do a scene and throw up on his shoes. I was just so honored to be on the same set as him.

SnitchSeeker: Your character, Cormac MacLaggen, in the books is not a likeable person, but you’ve made him more charming in the films. Was that in the script or some of your own ideas?
Freddie: I think that was a little bit of me, maybe. When I first read the book, I sort of saw him as this not nice guy, but then we started to realize that there was definitely comedy involved in it. The bit where I lick my fingers and I’m staring at Hermione, that was not in the script. That was [director] David Yates who at the last second said, “Let’s just try it that away.” So there’s definitely a rom-com side of it. I think we played a little more on that then what was originally in the script.

SnitchSeeker: Working on the Harry Potter films, is there something from working on the set that you think would surprise the fans?
Freddie: I guess maybe seeing how mechanical and how long it can be just to shoot some of the Quidditch stuff. You’re essentially on a bucking bronco and you’re just very, very high up in the air and there are green screens all around you. It kind of takes a little of the magic away, but I think it’d be quite shocking to see in actual real life.

SnitchSeeker: Dan, Rupert and Tom Felton have said that being on broomsticks in Quidditch are some of the worst scenes they’ve ever filmed for the series because of how uncomfortable it is. Would you agree?
Freddie: Yeah, they’re not comfortable, that’s for sure. They made up little bum seats they mould to your bum and try and make you more comfortable, but it’s pretty uncomfortable. You get strapped in pretty tight to your seat, you’re very high up and it moves you quite violently. It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world, but I went with it for the fact that I was filming in Harry Potter.

SnitchSeeker: Were there any scenes you filmed that never made it to the final cut?
Freddie: There was one scene where we were all up in the air playing Quidditch. It was very, very brief, just gliding for the shoot out, which we did very quickly. I had maybe three lines, which wasn’t huge. I think that was about it.

SnitchSeeker: You did the The Philosophers over the summer with Bonnie Wright, can you tell us a little more about that project?
Freddie: I’ve just been the last two months in Indonesia shooting The Philosophers, which was a crazy experience shooting at the various locations on the island – a volcano , tidepools – and it was just absolutely gorgeous. Bonnie was awesome. It’s not very often you can get to work with an actor again, which was really cool. We had a great time, and hopefully we’ve done it justice.

SnitchSeeker: Tell us more about your character.
Freddie: I play a guy called Jack, who is quite light-hearted. He’s quite sporty, sort of a spunky type.

SnitchSeeker: You don’t end up hooking up with Bonnie’s character, do you?
Freddie: No, no I don’t. (laughs)

SnitchSeeker: Do you get to interact with her character? Do you get a lot of screen time together?
Freddie: We do. The film’s very ensemble. We’ve got twenty kids in a class, a lot of the time we’re always all together, so it’s a very ensemble piece. We’ll have a lot of scenes where we’re all together. So yeah, we sure do.

SnitchSeeker: Do you play British characters for this one?
Freddie: In this one I’m playing British. We’re all different internationals – people from all around the world: Australian, English, American, Canadian.

SnitchSeeker: What’s the significance of having it filmed in Indonesia?
Freddie: The director just really wanted to show some of the beauty of Indonesia. It could have been shot anywhere, really, for the concept. I think it was showing off some of the beauty that Indonesia has to offer. The idea of having different internationals – to have a lot of global cast from everywhere – it didn’t have to be just one particular nationality, it encompasses everyone.

SnitchSeeker: Bonnie mentioned that it turns into a psychological thriller as the movie goes on.
Freddie: Yeah, it’s a philosophy class and we have different scenarios where we have to talk about philosophical experiments, then it does become this film with hidden agendas in the class room and it becomes very interesting.

SnitchSeeker: Were there any challenges for you in that role?
Freddie: I think most of the challenge was sometimes shooting in the heat, where it was incredibly hot, and trying not to sweat into our costumes and towel down. And also a lot of it was very ensemble. Somebody would have a line every so many days, so you’d have to jump into that scene and sometimes if you’re not prepared, you just do it out of context. So it’s, every day, getting prepared if you might be part of the ensemble.

SnitchSeeker: What do you hope viewers will get out of watching the film?
Freddie: I hope they learn a little bit about philosophy and a little bit about themselves. And I guess maybe that it isn’t random.

SnitchSeeker: What do you have coming up next? Are they British or American?
Freddie: I’ve got one or two projects. I can’t really say … a few scripts. They’re British and American.

SnitchSeeker: All right, thank you so much, Freddie.
Freddie: Thank you very much.