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Tom Felton Was 'Devastated' to Be Sorted Into Gryffindor (Exclusive Photos & Interview)

Tom Felton Was 'Devastated' to Be Sorted Into Gryffindor (Exclusive Photos & Interview)

Tom Felton loses his bad boy swagger for the new JustJared.com exclusive portrait session pics.

The 27-year-old English actor, best known for his work as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise, has a new film out right now – Against the Sun!

The adventure flick is currently available to buy or rent on iTunes and follows a WWII pilot, a bombardier, and aradioman who find themselves adrift on a lifeboat without food or water after being forced to ditch their plane during a scouting mission.

In our exclusive interview with Tom, he tells us about the upcoming fan documentary he is directing for BBC Three, the crazy diet he went on for Against the Sun, and how he reacted to being sorted into Gryffindor on the Pottermore website.

Click inside for our complete interview with Tom Felton…

Tom Felton Interview – JustJared.com Exclusive

Just Jared: Could you tell us a about the super fan documentary you’re working on?

Tom Felton: It’s an hour-long one-off that we’re doing with BBC and KR Films. It’s just kind of a chance for me to have a more in depth look at the world of super fans and these people that have followed franchises–kind of at the root of why Harry Potter was so successful. It had such an active fan base. It’s allowed people to be passionate about stuff that maybe they couldn’t be so open with in previous years. It’s kind of a look into that, it’s a road trip journey with me narrating.

JJ: What was your most memorable interview that you conducted?

TF: We’re still editing, but there’s a costume element. This idea that getting into costume (Terminator, comic book characters) and thousands of people that come into convention centers are freed. So I had my little experience with that, which was a bit awkward but fun. We had a guy in Pittsburgh, who’s like the world’s biggest Harry Potter fan, he was head to toe in Potter paraphernalia as I answered the door, which was a bit of an experience.

JJ: Did any of your Harry Potter co-stars take part in your special?

TF: Yeah, I interviewed Rupert [Grint], Daniel [Radcliffe], and J.K. Rowling, which is a huge honor to have those three talk so openly as they have done.

Tom Fletcher as well, many of you know as the lead singer of McFly or McBusted. He’s a huge Harry Potter fan. The documentary isn’t really supposed to be about Harry Potter, but it just so happens the people I’m talking to are related to that.

JJ: Do you know when and where fans will be able to watch it?

TF: It will be on BBC 3, I’m hoping for sometime in April, May. But again, don’t quote me because we’re still cutting it up. And then after that, hopefully later on in the year, it’ll be put up on online. I’m really excited to see what people’s opinion is of it. It was a massive insight for me, going behind the ropes and seeing what people actually do to stand behind a railing at an event. You don’t really think about the three hours it took them to stand there and get the best spot. And there’s a whole bunch of stuff that goes with that.

JJ: What was your favorite prop from the Against the Sun set?

TF: The gun. My inner child was pleased to hold my character’s gun. I actually have a piece of the raft framed, and I put it in my office. Also, my character has a red bandana, and once I finished with it, I put it around Timber, my dog, so she wore it for the last six months of her life. Now it’s really extra valuable now, which is cool.

JJ: Could you tell us about the diet you had to go on for the movie?

TF: Yeah, crazy diet. I didn’t really foresee it being as difficult as it was. I’m a really big eater. So I thought, it’s okay, I’ll skip a few meals. But they give you like five hundred calories a day, and you eat every two hours, on the nose, and they give you like seven almonds or half a broccoli stick. So in a couple days, your metabolism is really fired up and desperate for anything.

And they had to keep the craft services truck well away from the set. It was bad. I didn’t realize as well the calories were taken through liquid as well. The nutritionist came to my hotel room the second day and saw empty beer cans. I was like, “What? I didn’t eat anything.” He was like, “Those are about 150 calories a can!” And I was like, oh sh-t. So yeah, that sucked. I didn’t realize coffee was basically all milk. It’s like 380 calories, a whole day’s calories in a f–kin coffee. It was tough, but it was three weeks.

JJ: What was it like to have three men dieting together? You, Garret Dillahunt, and Jake Abel?

TF: It was actually good because it was the best way to do it. If we were doing it singularly, I don’t think we would have actually held as true to it as we did. We were weighed every morning, in front of each other, in our boxers, on the scales. And you could see the progress, and if you didn’t lose as much as you did the day before, then you kind of felt bad. There was one day when I came in after eating half a pack of Pringles, and I got on the scales, and I only lost like 0.1 pounds. And I just immediately had to tell em, like, “I’m sorry, guys.” That’s how bad you get, you start feeling really guilty about eating five Pringles. But yeah, it was pretty hardcore, we looked out for each other.

JJ: Do you have a favorite moment from on-or off-set with Jake or Garrett?

TF: The last day, we had these golf buggies to get to and from the tanks. Jake put a bicycle in my buggy. So I basically rolled a whole roll of gaffer tape around his golf cart so he couldn’t get back in. Great memories of Jake, he’s still one of my best friends.

There was a four-minute session as well where, Jake started beat boxing, or I did. And then the other one started rapping, some 3-minute terrible British freestyle came out. That was fun!

JJ: In Pottermore, you were sorted to Gryffindor. Could you tell us how you feel about that?

TF: Devastated. Heartbroken. Yeah, I was really not happy. I was filming the end of the documentary and they were like, just tap on something on the laptop so it looks like you’re busy. So I was like, OK. And they opened up Pottermore, and I thought, you know what, let’s do this. In fact, I did try and answer the questions to try and get Slytherin as the answer. And I think the computer saw through my attempt to try. I saw J.K. actually the next day and said there must be a glitch in the system. She guarantees me the Sorting Hat is never wrong.

JJ: If Draco wasn’t a wizard, what would he be doing in the real world as his job?

TF: A thief. Or some sort of shady back-end job. I don’t think he would be ever really good at working. Something definitely illegal.

JJ: What are your thoughts on the new Harry Potter book and have you heard anything?

TF: I haven’t! I know they’re in production. I know [director] David Yates and [producer] David Heyman, and Jo (J.K. Rowling) are back together, which is kind of the old dream team that did it in the first place. It’s kind of amazing that they’re coming back. I’m trying to weave in a little cameo, background extra role for myself. I can be some crazy bum in the back of the pub or something like that. Yeah, it’s exciting. I know lots of people are eagerly awaiting this. I think that it’s great they’re not treading on the toes of things they’ve done previously, and although it is related, I don’t think there’s going to be anything we’ve seen before. There’s not going to be resurfaced old characters or something like that. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it!

JJ: Of your peers, do you have a celebrity crush?

TF: As a kid, it was always Helena Bonham Carter. I just think she’s hot for some reason. More recently? From Gone GirlEmily Ratajkowski. Or Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

JJ: What were the last three things you purchased?

TF: A dart board. I’m trying to bring a touch of England to the house. Golf balls, this morning. And beer last night. Or a burger. Sorry I forgot we went to Counter Burger last night and had a very healthy burger. A burger, dart board, and golf balls, that says a lot.

JJ: What are the next two things you want to check off your bucket list?

TF: I’d like to do like a week-long no electricity camp thing. No phones, nothing. Go back to sort of sticks, and… I’ve said this for a couple of years and not done it. That’ll be fun. That and fly on a private plane. I’d love to do that, I’ve always wanted to do that since I was a kid.

JJ: What do you sing in the shower these days?

TF: Don’t do a whole lot of singing in the shower. I do love that new Sam Smith record. Yeah, Jake Bugg and Ed Sheeran as well, probably one of the best of the last year.

JJ: How did you make your first dollar?

TF: Is it The Borrowers? Yeah, it’s a kids film. I was seven. Then after that, I worked at a fishery for awhile. Yeah, my first dollar was definitely as a seven year old actor.

JJ: What did you do at the fishery?

TF: I was a bailiff. Like I walked around, checked everybody’s tickets. Make sure everyone was parking in the spaces. It was a pretty sh-tty job, really. But I was well into fishing at the time, so I got free fishing with it.

JJ: Pick two celebrities to be your parents.

TF: Jake Abel and Garret Dillahunt, really.

JJ: Vanilla or chocolate?

TF: Chocolate. Actually both! Sorry, I’ve got a thing now. I love getting a bucket of chocolate ice cream and vanilla, and scoop scoop.

JJ: Hugs or kisses?

TF: Hugs.

JJ: Boxers or briefs?

TF: Boxers.

JJ: Lights on or lights off?

TF: Lights off.

JJ: Sunrise or sunset?

TF: Sunset.

JJ: London or LA?

TF: LA right now.

JJ: Gary Oldman or Tom Hanks?

TF: Tom Hanks.

JJ: In N Out or Burger King?

TF: Oh man that’s really pressing me. In N Out.

JJ: Acting or golfing?

TF: Acting.

FASHION CREDITS —

Pictures 1 and 4: Z Zegna suit, Ferragamo shirt

Picture 2: Jil Sander suit, H&M shirt, Dior shoes

Picture 3: Paul Smith suit, Dior shirt

Picture 5: Marc Jacobs trench, Ferragamo shirt, Brioni pants

Producer/Interview: Jared Eng (@JaredEng)
Photographer: Justin Campbell (@justincampbellphotography)
Stylist: Monty Jackson (@MrMontyJackson)
Makeup: Paul Blanch (@paulyblanch)
Hair: Yiotis Panayiotou (@yiotispanayiotou)

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Photos: Justin Campbell for Just Jared
Posted to: Exclusive, Exclusive Photos, Harry Potter, JJ Portrait Session, Tom Felton