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If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of chocolate frogs flying through the air on the Hogwarts Express.
hermione granger gasps with pleasure Ron Weasley Harry Potter catches a sweet treat as the trio travel home after an eventful first year at wizarding school.
This isn’t the old, Daniel Radcliffe-era movies anymore, this isn’t a “Cursed Child” drama, nor is this the upcoming hbo TV series. What you’re hearing is a brand new cast in new audio recordings of seven of JK Rowling’s books.
The Harry Potter legacy may have been blurred by Rowling’s comments on gender and the spotlight on trans rights protests, but it hasn’t stopped production on new projects set in the Wizarding universe. associated Press visited London The recording studio for a “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” session in the summer, when young actors Frankie Treadaway, Max Lester and Arabella Stanton play the vola – the background noise used to bring the stories to life. The young trio voiced Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the first three audiobook adaptations, before an older cast member took over.
Instead of having someone like Jim Dale or Stephen Fry narrate the entire story alone, this new audio production – the first book will be released on November 4 – features a full, high-wattage cast. While Cush Jumbo narrates, Hugh Laurie is Albus Dumbledore, Riz Ahmed plays Professor Snape and Michelle Gomez brings to life the Scottish inclinations of Professor McGonagall. Matthew Macfadyen voices Voldemort, and Keira Knightley appears as Dolores Umbridge later in the series.
But it’s Stanton who’s pulling double duty in the Potterverse: 11-year-old Stanton is also starring as the studious and brave Hermione Granger on the HBO show.
“I can’t say much, because they’ve put a Mimblewimble tongue-tying spell on me,” Stanton says apologetically. “But I’ve just started filming, and it’s great at the moment.”
The AP sat down with Treadaway, 14, Lester, 13, and Stanton to find out what keeps them going, their introduction to the magical world and how they feel about acting. The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: How were the auditions?
Treadaway (Harry): You really got to know how it was going to be, both in the studio and even in the scenes.
AP: Have you done anything like this before?
Lester (Ron): Yeah, I did some audio before, but I mean, it’s not as professional.
AP: How does it compare to your stage work?
Stanton (Hermione): It’s very, very different of course, but I think the same thing is that, because you want to make your voice come alive, I think you… kind of act out when you say the lines to give the words some color.
AP: How’s recording going so far?
Lester: Lovely people, great food and a great experience.
AP: What’s your favorite meal when you’re working?
Treadway: Snack cupboard and chocolate fridge.
Lester: The Chocolate Fridge is dedicated to chocolate.
Stanton: It’s full of snacks.
Tradeaway: They have to restock every time I go.
AP: Do you remember when you first heard about Harry Potter?
Treadway: I think it might have been when my sister was watching the movies chronologically and then for some reason I decided to only tag the last one.
AP: Did you go back to the beginning?
Treadaway: I don’t think I did, because I said, “Oh, I can’t watch it, it’s a 12 (rating),” so I had to wait until I was 12 to watch them.
Stanton: My friends started reading all the books and everything and they’re like, “Oh, have you heard of Harry Potter this, Harry Potter that?” And so I thought, OK, I’m going to start reading books. So I think I first started reading when I was 8 years old. I just worked my way through them and yes it was great, I love Harry Potter. I love it.
Lester: I saw this book in Waterstones and everyone said it was very popular. It was like one of the bestsellers. So my mom bought it for me and I read the book and it was awesome.
AP: So what do your friends and family think about you voicing these characters? Have you been able to tell them?
Lester: I haven’t really told many of them, not really.
Treadway: I think people who know will never really know what it really is until they hear it.
Stanton: I think I’ve told pretty close family, to keep it in a bubble. But they’ll never really understand because so much effort – I mean, the teams, all the amazing people behind it, they put so much effort into making the audio series incredible.
AP: Have you got any favorite parts of the stories?
Treadway: I can’t wait to hear how the battle scenes work because of all the SFX and all the sounds and all the grunts and oohs and ahhs and all that because I think it will feel really cinematic. …It was very strange because I stood there grunting for a minute and felt very stupid.
Stanton: I can’t wait to hear all the spells because I think Hermione usually casts a lot of spells and I can’t wait to hear the voices of the people casting them, I just love the spells.
Lester: My favorite part that I’m looking forward to is literally hearing everyone together and everyone talking to each other because I think it’s going to be amazing.
AP: Are you like your characters in any way?
Treadaway: That way I found it pretty easy to step into character because I feel like I connect with them and I’m sure you guys do too. …I’m not the biggest egoist ever. …Sometimes you’re the smaller person in the room and sometimes you just blend in. I feel like I’m connected to Harry in that way.
AP: How about you and Hermione?
Stanton: I love books. I love writing, I love reading, I love doing all that kind of stuff. I mean, I like school, but I don’t like school. And I think…books are the main connection between Hermione and me.
AP: How are you like Ron?
Lester: I think we relate to each other because we’re very picky and we love food. We love food! …In moments, we’re both serious and we’re also not afraid to stand up for the people we love or stand up for our friends because we always do what’s right, and that’s where I relate to, because I get into the darker side of Ron, not just into eating food and ranting.
AP: What is your favorite magical element?
Lester: My favorite magical element is spells. I think they’re really cool. Like “Stupidity” (wonderful spell) – I think it’s very, very cool.
Stanton: One of the main props that Hermione uses is the Time Turner. I love all the magical items like the Invisibility Cloak, the Time Turner, because… (they’re) things you wouldn’t be able to use in real life, but in the magical world, it takes you to a completely different world.
Treadaway: Polyjuice Potion, because when you record it, it’s like you really have to pay attention to the actual sound of turning into someone else, and that was one of my favorite magical parts.
AP: Do you know how much people love Harry Potter?
Treadaway: I think that’s why you feel a little bit proud of yourself, knowing that these big names and characters, you associate yourself with them. It creates a little feeling in your heart, if you know what I mean.
AP: What does representing Ron mean to you?
Lester: Honestly, it makes me feel honored to represent such a great and fun character, but also, I don’t know, it makes me feel… a part of this community.
AP: And how about you representing Hermione?
Stanton: I’ve dreamed of it from a really young age, and I’ve always looked up to all the people who have played Hermione, like Emma Watson and all those people.
AP: Do you know how huge it is around the world?
Treadway: I don’t think we’ll really feel that way until it comes out, because it makes it more surreal.
Lester: It’s so popular around the world, which makes it even more surreal that so many people would be interested in it and we wouldn’t even realize, yeah, we can’t even process it.
AP: So is acting the way forward for you now? Would you like to continue doing this?
Treadaway: Yeah, definitely – I mean on this one, it didn’t really feel like you were pushing yourself to do something, it wasn’t work, it felt like an enjoyable experience and you’ve got something to look forward to at the end of it.
Stanton: I would love to act, yes, definitely. And I think, as Frankie said, I mean, it’s incredible to be a part of an audio series. And yes, can’t wait to do more.
Lester: I think it is for me because I always say if you do something you love it doesn’t work out and honestly I love acting. It makes me feel happy and it makes me feel true to who I am and… I think just moving forward and doing a lot of work is the way forward, hopefully.
AP: And now you’re all tied up, right?
All: Yes.
Lester: Proper trio.