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Exclusive: Snyder, Jules & Mueller Cast a Spell on Broadway in CURSED CHILD
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Oct 31, 2022
Year Two has officially begun at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and that means that a brand new class of witches and wizards has begun a magical journey at Hogwarts (or the Lyric Theatre). Three of the show's 27 new cast members are James Snyder, Matt Mueller and Jenny Jules, who portray the dream team of the wizarding world- Harry, Ron and Hermione.
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0:00
Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge. The global phenomenon, the Tony and Olivier Award-winning best play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has just welcomed a new host of Witches and Wizards
0:12
And I'm sitting with the newest Harry, Ron, and Hermione, James Snyder, Matt Mueller, and Jenny Jules
0:19
Well first of all welcome, I am thrilled to be sitting with you
0:26
I mean the new Fab 3 of the Harry Potter world, right
0:31
I mean you're Harry Potter, you're Hermione, you're Aran I mean what's it like returning to Broadway and coming into Harry Potter
0:40
Well it's great Kenny to do something like this with your three new friends
0:46
And your three old best friends Yeah, it's a treat. It's an incredible group of people
0:51
We're stepping into something that already had such an amazing history and friendship already kind of built into the stories
0:57
And we... Built our friendships on the first day. Yeah, pretty much
1:02
And it was great, the process. We started with an intro to magic
1:07
So we all did magic tricks for each other. We all had to learn them and then present them
1:11
because there are many elements to a magic trick. and it was like we played theater games for like the first week
1:18
it was like bonding and not just the three of us all 28 new actors
1:23
or 40 characters on stage it's a big family well it must have been great
1:29
going into the show together with a whole group that's how Sonia Friedman does
1:34
but that's how London does it just whole companies as opposed to putting people in individually
1:40
it makes so much sense yeah no it's terrific I mean one of the benefits
1:44
also of being a year two cast is we had the we had the joy
1:48
of actually getting to see the show first which I'm so thrilled because I know
1:52
for the Brits in particular they haven't seen it I mean I think
1:56
for the most part so that was huge because we've experienced it as audience members
2:00
and seen how exciting the show is and then to get to meet the people
2:04
you're going to be living with for the next year absolutely it's very exciting
2:09
do you have no you go Okay, well, there's something beautiful that happens in finding it ourselves
2:16
We get to own these characters. So it's not me doing Harry Potter
2:22
It's really getting to find parts of me that link into Harry Potter and find our own things
2:28
I was sitting in on a costume fitting, and I could hear the show going on
2:35
And this was just a few weeks before we were taking over. I said, oh, he's making a different choice than I did
2:41
And I was directed in a completely different direction than that entire scene
2:45
And so it made us feel like it was all new. And that's how Sonya, this is how the directors keep the show fresh and keep it moving
2:54
And it's meant to morph and change. Absolutely, you have ownership. And we've changed, well, the show, I think, changes whenever they introduce new companies
3:03
So we got a bit of what they learned, the new things they learned
3:07
from Melbourne. So we got a bit of that. We're going to give a bit of what they learned
3:11
from us to San Francisco. We know that. I'm really proud of it. We came up with the cloaks
3:17
There was a section where three of us had to walk really closely together and we nailed it
3:22
And do you remember this? I'm really proud of this. And they were like, wait, how did you just do that
3:26
And I was like, well, Matt and I both reached out and lifted her cloak
3:30
as well as our cloak so we could walk smoother. So we weren't tripping over it
3:34
He was like, how did you do that? He was very impressed and then we let him in on the fact that we had just figured that out about seven minutes before
3:40
That being said, now, every iteration of the show, they'll be like, you know what was really great for year two
3:46
Globe walking. Right, for the three of you. Well, homework, so you're welcome
3:50
You're welcome, everyone. These are some of the most sought-after roles, iconic roles
3:54
I'm sure everybody in New York wanted these roles. What was the audition process like for you three
4:01
This is, I think, hands down, the most lovely audition process I've had
4:07
pleasure of being a part of it. I mean, from day one. And that speaks a lot to... I mean, we talk a lot about the family of Harry Potter
4:16
And it's very true, but it feels very much like a top-down thing
4:19
I mean, as soon as you walk in the room... Because, you know, there's masses of people, creatives in the room
4:25
But from the get-go, John Tiffany, Des Canady, Yasmin, all the people who were there
4:33
It's... There's a love of the story. There's a love of storytelling. these people really really know what they're doing
4:41
but they treat you like a person they want to get to know you when you walk
4:45
in the door and that has been consistent throughout and it's if you're dealing with a 15 week rehearsal process
4:51
I think they just want to make sure it was stressful the movement and everything
4:56
you get put under this microscope and I think half of the battle was just seeing
5:01
how we reacted to the stress and whether we'd be someone to be enjoying
5:05
We're supposed to be okay? All right. Okay, great. All right, he's cool. And also how you are in a room with others
5:10
because they want a family. They want a company. You know, and it's like there's no rotten egg
5:15
There's no person who is drawing too much attention. Everybody wants to tell the story
5:20
Everyone's friends are all in it together. And we need everybody. There are 40 people on this stage moving so intricately
5:27
these staircases and the choreography, if you just watch it from the wings, from behind
5:33
there are parts where the turntable is moving and then there are four separate walls
5:38
rotating and hitting spots I mean it's terrifying it's terrifying dare I say magical
5:44
I just want to say something on this person here on the first day James said
5:50
this is an ensemble we're an ensemble and I looked in his eyes and I was like
5:54
yeah you're so cool you're Harry Potter and you're giving us all love
5:59
and I was like we're going to have a good time we're going to have a really good time But I walked in and went, oh, everyone is so fantastic
6:06
I was like, oh, because I think in a broad, I was like, Harry Potter, I'm going to have to be a leader
6:11
I'm going to have to step forward. I've seen Idina do it before. I'm sure I could do it
6:15
And I came in and I was like, oh, I don't have to do a thing except be present and loving with the people around me
6:23
This show is so fluid. You all make it seem so easy
6:27
I know that's the art of doing all the best at what you do. This is your fourth week of the show Like I said I saw the doubleheader yesterday You are all flawless Everything about this production is flawless but you do so much I mean you do magic while you acting You the choreography like you had the cloak walking I mean all this
6:46
incredible stuff that you do. I mean, when did it all come together for the three of you
6:51
It took us 15 weeks. Yesterday, right? You saw the movie. Yeah
6:56
No, but seriously. Well, no, it's because it is such a beast
7:01
It's such a massive experience. And there's so many intricate bits, like you mentioned
7:08
I think there was the getting geared up and being like, okay, okay
7:15
Once we got closer to the 15, we're getting towards it. Because 15 weeks is a long time to rehearse anything
7:20
But it's two plays. Yeah, it's two plays. But still, especially for me and I think for a lot of people
7:26
But then you get, you're like, okay, we're doing this, but we really need that audience to tell us the next things that we need to know
7:36
But we did. I mean, we really used those 15 lines. We did
7:41
It was so long, too. We would work on this little section, and then we'd work our way through the play
7:46
By the time we got back to the beginning of the play, it was like, we haven't been here in three weeks. What is going on
7:52
Another thing that was lovely with that chunk of time. I mean, once we did, because we didn't have any previews. We had our dress rehearsal and then we were off to the races
7:58
So it was lovely in that we were ready to go. It was like, oh, audience, great
8:03
That falls into place. This makes sense. This rhythm is here. I get that
8:07
And it's been a learning process certainly from then. But it's great to have that final piece
8:14
Talk about that first performance with a live audience. What do you remember about – was it a night
8:21
Well, it's an all day. It did it? Yeah. Well, our final dress was on a Tuesday
8:27
Yeah, final dress was on a Tuesday. We had Sunday, Monday off, because they were resetting our schedule to rework it
8:32
So we had two days off, and then had to do it for our audience. But it was all friends and family, but everyone was in the dress circle and the balcony
8:40
So they were all very far away. So it felt a bit like the laughs were like..
8:46
I think they like it. I don't know. We don't know. It was still at Christmas, though
8:52
It was still at Christmas. It was like that next day, like the first big paying audience
8:57
Thursday, right. Thursday, part one. Friday, part two. Yeah. Just the mass of energy
9:06
Yeah. Especially from, I mean, and knowing it was our first go at it for real, for real
9:13
And people in the audience, a lot of people in the audience knowing that too. Yeah
9:17
I mean, they were there for it. Yeah. And that was lovely. And there's a sound, there's this sound that's such a specific sound of people yelling about talking before a show
9:27
Like I always, I just, I know exactly where it lives in my heart. It's actually one of my favorite sounds, I think
9:33
And you can hear people, just the sound of the audience pouring through the legs as I start upstage behind the wall
9:41
And I could just feel, and it's, yeah, I just looked over the stage and I'm Harry Potter
9:46
This is happening. All right. All right. And then all of, yeah, you're all such iconic
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I know. I mean, when you all walk out, you hear these roar of thunder
9:57
Yes. There's Hermione. There's Ron. Yeah. You know. But at the end of the day, it's a great story about families and friends just trying to just do, to be better or understand each other
10:13
And so really we just get to come out and just deal, get out of the way and just deal with the story and deal with each other and what we're trying to find together
10:22
It's one of the brilliant things about the piece too. So I had some friends here last night actually, saw the whole shebang
10:29
She had read all the books, so she was, you know, excited to see these people all grown up
10:34
And then my buddy never touched him. And we were talking about, it's like, you don't need to have them
10:40
It's fun. It's extra fun if you have all the backstory. you get all the easter eggs
10:44
and all the references and why are people awing at this point
10:48
because they're talking about this character it's like you don't know but you still get what's going on and it's still exciting
10:53
and thrilling and all that we're lucky we're blessed we've got an excellent script
10:57
the story is so brilliant and we're playing these iconic literary characters
11:02
so it's like it's Thanksgiving it's Christmas you know what I mean
11:06
it's all of the celebratory days yeah we feel I suppose the sense of responsibility is
11:14
quite high, it's quite great on us we have a responsibility to tell the story
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and be the best we can be every day, so we have to do lots of self-care and keep fit and eat
11:22
right and all the rest of it but it's still, yeah, look at you
11:26
you can't stop smiling, yeah we can't stop smiling it's a mammoth show, but it seems
11:35
so beautifully paced and so beautifully directed and choreographed that I'm sure once you're on the journey
11:40
it's then it's just over for you when I'm sure it's exhilarating and exhausting
11:45
in a great way all at the same time. Yeah. For actors, right
11:49
It's like I say this all the time. It's like hopping on a Hogwarts Express
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It really is. You hop on and you go. And that two and a half hours goes by for part one
12:03
It ends with an unbelievable cliffhanger. Unbelievable. And the sound of people going insane
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once the to be continued sign pops up is, I love, oh, it's such a great feeling
12:18
And then it's like, great, we're going to go grab a bite to eat, maybe take a nap, and then that journey
12:23
the train just keeps chugging on all the way through the end. So what's like in between for all of you
12:29
You get that rush of doing part one, to be continued comes up, you get that break in between
12:33
What do you all do? We eat. Eat, eat. Maybe lay down
12:38
Yeah, maybe talk to people. I've had a ton of people visit
12:42
so like I love these are people that have flown out from California
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so it's like I'm not going to skip dinner, it's kind of the only time I can hang out
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with them so I've been spending most of it so I'm looking for this honeymoon phase to wind down
13:00
a little bit so I can say something it's never going to happen so I usually
13:06
go to Thai food and talk about Harry Potter for dinner with family Yeah and just working with this whole new cast together what that means to you It great
13:21
There are, how many people are made? Six? Seven. Seven. Wow. They're amazing, and they've been so generous
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and they've just literally had the widest arms to greet us. No one is snide or does it
13:33
Everyone is just fabulous. and we as a gang are so grateful
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that we've come in mob-handed in a way that we're all learning it at the same rate
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at the same time because it would be difficult if Harry had stayed
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and we were trying to catch up that's the hardest thing and I've worked on different shows where that's happened
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and then the balance, the power balance shifts because people have to support
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and they have to lift you because the show has to be at a certain rate so it's been really a blessing in a way
14:04
that we've all come in at the same time and learnt it from the floor, from the ground up. Yeah. You know, audiences fly in from all around the world
14:10
Like yesterday, I was meeting people who were from every country, sitting in this house, coming to experience, of course
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this incredible journey of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but seeing the show for the very first time, seeing something live
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I mean, what's it like meeting the fans? I don't take it lightly with this show
14:30
because of how much Harry Potter means to somebody. it means to so many people
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And also that it is a lot of people's first show ever
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This is their introduction to Broadway. Maybe even to theater. Maybe even to theater
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Which is really exciting. So really just to know that how much it means to them
14:53
that we get to live that. I get to live my first theater experience
14:57
which actually was in this theater. My first Broadway show that I saw was in this theater. Was it? Which one
15:01
Ragtime. Yes. starring LaShawn which is crazy we did it then together yeah
15:06
so to think that my first show was in almost the back
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I think I was in almost the last row if not the last row
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of the balcony yeah because I did like I got the cheapest tickets
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I could afford I was you know I was a senior in high school and now you're on stage here
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and now I'm on stage here it's crazy it's great I mean the theater
15:26
looks nothing like it totally yeah what it means to both of you
15:30
just how life changing is for fans that come to see you do what you do
15:35
It's amazing. And as a woman of colour, the women of colour just go
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oh my God, this is incredible. And what's so lovely for me
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is being part of the story of the ownership of these stories
15:49
Yeah, Matt, for you. Yeah, it's just, I mean, it makes me think
15:56
I remember the first time I tried the costume I had to go out here from Chicago for a costume fitting in one day
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and just putting on the sweater and looking down at myself and just be like, this looks like Ron down here
16:08
Which is a ludicrous and amazing thing to be in the position to get to say that
16:13
and have it be a real thing and be fully aware of the enjoyment
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that I hope I get to bring people by doing that. Because it's all the bits
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It's the costumes and the lighting and the script and all of it, but you are hopefully giving people the next chapter of these characters and these people that we've all grown to love if we've had any contact with these books
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And so it's a gift and an honor to get to play these people
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and again like it's I know I keep talking about the audience
16:53
but like it would it doesn't happen without them and so again now now that we have them
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like that's that's where the joy that's where the excitement is so it's you know when you get to see a couple people afterwards
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it's that much more exciting because then you have that one-on-one after it's like you're on it's like yeah I was it was really great
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I hope you liked it it's terrific do you remember the first time you saw yourselves like done up as these characters
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like in a mirror what went through your mind Oh, I do look like him
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We shared a dressing room. We took a picture immediately because we both were like
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we look like them. It's really quite something. Like surprising to see the person who you've known for 15 weeks
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turn into this person in front of your eyes and then look in the mirror and it's the same way for you
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It's really wild. It's really cool. And it also gives you that extra push of like
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oh, I think this is going to work out. The relief. I was like, oh good, oh thank God
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I do look like him Did you think the same thing when you saw yourself done up
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I'm still quite speechless It makes me very shy And I'm not a shy person at all
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And it just makes me go It's quite overwhelming It really is
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In the best possible way Are there specific moments That you watch one of the other ones
18:13
That you do That blow your mind All the time. Every night
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I can't say it because they're going to be thinking about it. I can say it about other..
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Can I say it about other people? Oh, totally. There is a moment every single night in the last..
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Not every single night. Every time we do part two. When something happens and two people come together
18:36
Family members come together and they have a nice embrace. And I nearly burst into tears every night because of the face of one of the actors
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And I'm standing hugging Ron and I'm going, look at that boy's face and it's Bubba
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and Scorpius he's just he's a child and I watch him and Nick
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Bubba and Nick doing Scorpius and Albus every night when things are happening
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and it's a dangerous place and they are children and I want to
19:03
run on stage and say no and say them luckily luckily yeah yeah
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but yeah it's it's extraordinary it's great yeah were you all Potterheads
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before you got connected to this? I was. Oh, yeah? Yeah, yeah
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I just love the stories. I think she's such a brilliant writer. Yeah. So you return onto the books first
19:25
Yes. Okay. You read them to yourself? To my... Yes. To my..
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Yeah, yes. I read them to myself because I was a grown-up. In fact, my husband
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used to abuse me to them. And I'm going to make a confession
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I'm a slow reader. If I'm a slow reader, you can get through
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The Goblet of Fire, which is 4,000... Thank you That the first one where it like ooh this is very thick and then you also realize the typeface is going yeah yeah like that the other thing this is going to take me the rest of my life so my husband had said to me
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you're going to love these books you're going to really like I said how dare you asking me to read children's books
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and of course I started reading them and I was like oh my wow
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yeah and couldn't put them down don't talk to me I have four more books to go yeah
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time for you was it the books yeah absolutely yeah because my little
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My little brother was writing a pocket of... My mom read them to him growing up
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And then so I was... I think it was later in college when I got into them and ate them up
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And actually, because I've gone back since we started rehearsal, I've gone back to reread them
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So I just started book six again two days ago. Yeah. Great
20:36
And it's amazing also reading them now because then you're hearing the people that you've spent 15 weeks with
20:42
It's great. You're saying... Oh, yeah. in the inflection absolutely absolutely when we start when we started the rehearsal process i
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started the books and i slowly was getting through taking my time where i needed to
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either memorize a script i wouldn't read as much or if i felt more comfortable about what was coming
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and yeah and there got to be a point do you remember i came into rehearsal and i was like oh when i read it i now hear jenny's what i hear matt's voice yeah doing like i was like wow i was
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like she is now Hermione he is now wrong like it's it's crazy like I don't hear it any other way
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and uh and that was a beautiful thing and then just to look at what what they went through as
21:20
kids and then how that informed I really was I I don't know how I timed it out but I finished
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right as we were setting the show I finished the books and and everything just I was like oh this is
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when you get to the end of a book I mean Matt came in
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not to out you but he was like dude I was crying I just got a text from Jono too
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who plays Draco I just got a text from him this morning that was like oh I just finished book 5
21:49
I'm a wreck I can start a book 4 or maybe finish 4
21:53
and I was like yeah and to then go and then go through that
21:58
and how often do you get to work on a role that has 7 books of history
22:03
behind it. So it's like, and Des Kennedy knows the reason for all of it
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If I'm like, well, why does so-and-so have, he's like, well, because in book four
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you blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Or it's like, I have one watch I wear
22:18
was given to me by Fabian Pruitt, which was my mother-in-law's brother
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So it's like, it's crazy that even the props that I have
22:26
So he's the keeper of the keys. He knows everything, right? Yes, he does. Yeah. Yeah, he's the art of the keys
22:30
There's a very good resource. my final question is I know this is your
22:36
fourth week in the show but if you could sum up the best part of the experience
22:40
because it's got to be one of the most amazing things you have ever done in your careers
22:43
to be a part of this what's been the best part of the experience so far for each of you
22:51
The people I mean it's just that's all encapsulating I think there's lots of different
22:57
facets of that but it's it's the people it would not it would not be
23:01
this experience without the group that is responsible for it. And it's very special
23:08
Yeah, I agree. I agree. I also think that the audience are extraordinary
23:14
because it feels like the audience are all hot. And I remember when I saw this show last July
23:19
and I was sitting next to some kids and they were talking to their relatives
23:24
about what may or may not happen. And I remember feeling like a Grinch
23:28
with my fingers in my ears going, you're spoiling it! you're just you're
23:32
this is spoiler alert because I start on my own and I
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by the end you know the whole audience the wave of the love
23:40
that comes around the audience for the characters for the story and in the end
23:44
the children I was sitting next to their grandfather leaned over and had a brochure and he said I've got three
23:49
would you like one and I remember my heart just going you're all like this
23:54
it's just full of love that's it is the most loving audience
23:59
I have ever experienced in I've done lots of shows. And some of them have been extraordinary and amazing audiences
24:07
But just in general, people are just coming because they love Harry Potter and they love the stories
24:12
And they want to be there. They want to experience it with us. Yeah. Yeah
24:17
For you. We do a group warm-up as a cast, which is a very British thing to do. Yes
24:23
And every aspect of that is just fun because we all just get into the same page
24:33
We do circuit training because there's a lot of lifting and pushing and all of this
24:38
James Brown III, if we could bring up a photo of James Brown III
24:42
Thank you. So you see how gorgeous he is. He is a model
24:47
He's ripped everything. You're like, oh, yeah, that guy's buff. he's doing his best to make us all
24:51
strong enough to handle how hard this show is but now there have just become
24:59
so many inside jokes like throughout throughout thank you Jono we finished the one
25:08
everyone thank yourselves and Jono Roberts who plays Draco goes thank you Jono
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so now everyone in the cast goes thank you Jono And he's like, no, thank yourselves
25:20
And then that's like it. And run, boy, run. And we do all of these cool little things with music and all of that
25:28
And I think it's, you know, we're all soldiers together, you know
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And so it's not even just that we're family and that we love each other. It's that we work towards this common goal
25:42
And we respect each other so much because of how hard it is
25:46
Yeah, Dumbledore's Army, man. We're Templetor's army, yeah? We really are
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