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About auditioning for HP (2007): "It was the first audition I went on. I had no idea of the scale of the film - the fame - or I would have been completely overwhelmed."

Emma and the Torture Scene in Deathly Hallows

Last March various media and fan sites visited the set at Leavesden and interviewed a number of actors, producers and crew members. In an excerpt from Leaky‘s set visit report below, David Yates talks about filming the scene in Deathly Hallows where Emma Watson’s character, Hermione, is tortured by Bellatrix, played by Helena Bonham-Carter. There were some powerful moments where Emma really lost herself in the character, and even though it was just acting, he said Emma’s screams were quite horrible to listen to. You can read Leaky’s complete report here. Warning: Spoilers!

There was a moment with Emma… there’s this torturing with Bellatrix and Emma was really keen to do this torturing scene.  And I said, ‘It’ll be really great, but we’ll have to be really careful how we do it.’ And she completely gave herself to the process.

What we did was we set up a couple of cameras and Helena got on top of Emma, basically, and was writing ‘mudblood’ on her arm.  So she was scoring into her skin. We just let the whole thing roll for three or four minutes… and in those three or four minutes where were some good bits and some not-so-good bits, and there were one or two moments that were really powerful where Emma was just able to let go a little bit and forget, for a moment, that she was acting.

I mean she’s still acting… still performing… but she lost herself in this process for a moment.  The screams were quite horrible to listen to.  You could feel it on the stage, everyone felt uncomfortable, everyone just stepped back a bit.  It was a very odd energy in the room, cause she was exploring, exorcising demons and serving the scene in doing that, and it was really interesting.

Snitchseeker was also present and in their set report, costume designer Jany Temime talks about dressing Emma.

[Emma] went from a child to a teenager to an older teenager, but all the time she kept in mind that she was Hermione. She never asked me for more glamorous clothes. Even when we were doing our cocktail dress, the red dress – she knew that it had to be Hermione’s dress and not something that she would wear herself. [It] would be more simple, and it shouldn’t be as glamorous or as fashionable; something that Hermione would wear. She’s good, she’s a good girl.

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25 Responses to “Emma and the Torture Scene in Deathly Hallows”

  1. Alyssa says:

    Great article. That torture scene sounds disturbing! 🙁 🙂

  2. coco says:

    can't w8 to see t!

  3. Joyce says:

    Damn! Could November come a little faster? Pleasee!!

  4. Kristin M. says:

    I read a lot of reviews online about this scene, and they said it was really uncomfortable to listent to, but they said it was a really powerful scene. I'be been waiting to watch this scene ever since the movie comes out. I mean, it's like a big moment for her character. Dan's done the Crucio torture scene, and he really didn't scream that much, I mean, it wasn't really OMG, he's in horrific pain. Emma's never done anything like this, I'd like to see how it comes out.

  5. jackie says:

    OMG! That gave me the chills!!! I cannot wait to see HP 7!!!

  6. sid says:

    😛 u r so sweet,.,., 🙂

  7. Juzzy says:

    I'd love to see a still from that scene.

  8. Alisha says:

    well like to watch the scene.wonder when November will come i could go and watch the movie

  9. 130671 says:

    Could it be that this description is slightly exaggerated? I mean, what is Bellatrix doing to Hermione in the book? Just poking at her or actually etching/burning the word into her skin with something like acid or glowing iron? 😕

  10. dook says:

    It’s been a while since I read it, but I think we don’t “see” what is happening. We only hear the screaming and talking from Harry’s viewpoint.

  11. Thew says:

    I think she was using her wand to, as the article said, scratch the word mudbloof into her arm. Ron and Harry find that out later when they rescue her, something liket hat, but they hear her scream while they're in the dungeon!!

  12. andrew says:

    That's really sad. But Emma turns out to be ok in the end, which is good.

  13. EmRocksSocks says:

    Sounds amazing. Can't wait to see it.

  14. dook says:

    @Thew, i quick flipped through the pages, and the only thing i found is Hermione showing the scar on her neck while saying she was a mudblood and “proud of it”.

  15. fantasygirl4 says:

    Wow! crazzzy EMMA IS SUCH A GREAT ACTOR! i cant wait to see this movie!!!!!!!

  16. FantasyGirl4 says:

    MARK— 1-your like a dream come true.. 2-just wanna be with you 3-boy its pain to see that your the only one for me and 4-repeat steps one through 3 5-make you fall inlove with me if ever i believe my work is done…then ill start back at one.yyahh ehh yahh. GO TO YOUTUBE and look up "back at one-by brain mcknight!"

  17. andrew says:

    dook, what is the best way to contact Emma Watson?

  18. 130671 says:

    @ andrew Accidentally stumbling over her on a meadow at Brown might work. Otherwise, there is no "known" way.

  19. KS987 says:

    It's going to be amazing and hard to watch at the same time. A lot of screening reports say the same thing about this scene, but it's quite another thing to hear that people on set found it disturbing. Emma really seems to lose herself in her character based on what I have read. I remember reading a story about how she was doing a crying scene(I think it was for HBP) in which she was still crying even after the cameras stopped rolling. Emma is really going to show us how far she has come as an actress in this film, and I can't wait to see it. 🙂 andrew, you can send a message to Emma via her official site, twitter, or facebook.

  20. andrew says:

    Thank you.

  21. Anonymous (mad) says:

    @ Lisa thanks lisa for letting me know to vote for emma…unlike dook (emma-watso.net) at least a fan can let me know. so thanks

  22. herm says:

    she is always very intelligent and poised

  23. Estelle says:

    I can't believe it's going to be in the movie that scene got me crying and angry at Bellatirx. I can't wait to see it Emma must be a brilliant actress not that I'm saying she isn't before I am saying she always so true to Hermione and I love her for that.