THE penultimate film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is released on DVD this week, so we hung out with Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy, to find out what it has been like playing the troubled teen, why he’d like to play Hermione and why he dyed his hair ginger! 

What role does Draco play in the final film instalments?

You’ve seen Draco getting slimier and slimier over the last few years and in these last two instalments he actually starts to turn over a new leaf, so to speak. Because he’s surrounded by people who are so evil, he starts to realise that he really doesn’t belong in these realms at all. He gets to the point where he actually wants to help Harry, rather than hinder him. So yeah, you see a real contrast with Draco this time around and a real conflict of emotions: whether to help or to stay loyal to his family. 

How did you feel when you saw Deathly Hallows: Part 1 for the first time?

I was so excited. It’s really hard when you’ve been anticipating it for so long, after months and months of hard work from everyone. It’s always so exciting to see it. I do try and wait for the premiere to try and keep the experience as authentic as possible. I was blown away though, I absolutely loved it. Everyone’s done such an incredible job.

Did you read the last book before filming?

I was one of the few members out of all of the cast and crew who was part of the first two films without any real knowledge of the literature. I was obviously aware of it, but I’d never managed to get my head stuck in to it. I tried a couple of times, but failed miserably. But, on the third film I snapped up The Prisoner of Azkaban and from then on I was a Harry Potter geek. I promised myself when the last book came out that I would only read a chapter a week, so that I could prolong the experience, but that failed and I read it in about two days!

What’s been the best thing about playing Draco Malfoy? 

It’s so nice to play someone so wonderfully written and someone so different from the person I am. I consider Draco to be pretty much a polar opposite of myself. He’s had horrible parents and I’ve had lovely ones, and you know, generally we couldn’t be any more different. It’s so nice to come to work and step in to someone else’s shoes. Daniel Radcliffe and I will be talking about the cricket and then the next minute we’ll be ripping each other’s heads off!

The cast are good friends, was it hard having to act really mean to them on set?

No, that was the best bit! That was so nice! You know, we’re all good friends but in the film they would obviously all go off in their friendly little groups and I was always somewhere else on the evil side. I guess because we actually spent 95% of the time together off the set, we spent more time together as Tom, Daniel, Emma and Rupert than as Draco, Harry, Hermione and Ron. So yeah, I like to think our friendships are much stronger than our on-screen hate for each other.

How did you discover your inner villain?

This is always a troubling question for me, because I initially went for the role of Harry and had about four auditions for that. They dyed my hair brown and then I went for Ron and got my hair dyed ginger and finally they dyed my hair light blonde for Draco. They saw me with that hair and said they could see something really sinister and evil in me!  I guess I can take that as a compliment. I have no idea where that inner evilness has come from. I do have three older brothers, so maybe it came from putting up with them for years!

Did you take any souvenirs from the set? 

I asked a lot. They were incredibly strict when it came to props and where they were going to end up, and understandably so. We’re talking about props that are infamous and will be treasured for decades in museums. The last place they need to end up is in a box in my attic. I did end up getting Draco’s Slytherin ring, however, which was nice. It’s solid silver and it sits on my mantelpiece very proudly.

If you could have played any other role in the films, who would you have been? 

That’s a tough one really, because I can only ever see myself playing Draco. I guess the obvious answer would be Lucius, Draco’s dad, or Voldemort, but I suppose they are a few decades away from me age-wise. I’ve always thought I’d be a great Hermione. I’m surprised I wasn’t cast, to be honest with you. I mean Emma’s good, but she doesn’t quite have that depth that I would have brought to the character… I’m joking!

Now it’s all come to an end, what’s your most treasured memory? 

It’s really quite hard to look back, because I don’t really feel like we’ve stepped away from it yet. I remember going on location for some of the earlier films, that was a lot of fun. It was basically 12 kids being taken up and down the country doing all these weird and wonderful things in castles and cathedrals. There’s so much I’ll miss.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is out now on Blu-ray and DVD.