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Connect the World
Special: Connectors of the Day
Aired December 24, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR, LONDON: Recognize this iconic entrance hall? This is Celeb Central, otherwise known as Coleridge's Hotel in central London.
Now, I'm here to interview one of our Connectors of the Day, Diane von Furstenberg. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) T.D.s (ph), as we know them here, are the influential and entertaining guests that I have on my show every night. And the questions come from not just me, but from you. Let's find out what Ms. Furstenberg has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG, FASHION DESIGNER: The wrap dress just happened. You know, it's one of those things that happened. Did I know that it would, you know, appeal to so many generations, and that it - no. Of course I didn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Diane von Furstenberg, what a pleasure.
And she is just one of the celebs you'll see in this special program celebrating our Connectors of the Day.
So, in part one, lots more stars from the world of entertainment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
ANDERSON: Guys, do you still get on as well with other?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE FROM BLACK EYED PEAS: Amazingly - amazingly, I swear, we're closer now than we've ever been.
ANDERSON: What do you miss most from the `80s?
BOY GEORGE, SINGER: Nothing.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: You said you'd be celibate on your next birthday. Is that right?
HUGH HEFNER, FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER OF PLAYBOY MAGAZINE: Oh, I will definitely not be celibate, no. I will be celebrating. I am in a very good relationship with a young lady named Chrystal Harris.
ANDERSON: Good.
HEFNER: She's a keeper.
ANDERSON: "The fact is, I absolutely adore you. I'm a Spanish teacher and I'm curious about your Latino roots."
Are you in touch with your Latin roots?
EVA LONGORIA, ACTOR: Oh, my God, am I in touch. Not only am I in touch, I'm, like, contagious. You're going to be Latin after this interview.
ANDERSON: Talk to me about the film "Invictus." Because what does the great Mandela think of the movie?
MORGAN FREEMAN, ACTOR: We screened this for him in Johannesburg, and he was sitting on my left watching the movie. And I was watching him out of the kind of corner of my eye.
But when I came on screen the first time, he leaned over to me and said, "I know that fellow."
ANDERSON: One question from James Carlisle (ph). He says, "Hello, Sienna. I'm just wondering, after your run on Broadway, what do you prefer doing? Acting in theater or film, or doing charity work like you're doing with Haiti?"
SIENNA MILLER, ACTOR AND MODEL: I think, selfishly, a little bit of both - of all, of all three. But there's something more deeply satisfying about humanitarian work.
BEN KINGSLEY, ACTOR: My career-changing role would have been playing the great Mahatma Gandhi, who would - it definitely, in Richard Curtis' film -- have mugged me and cut, torn a rupee note in half, saying, "I will put this to good use."
ANDERSON: Amree (ph) from Nigeria says, she wants to know which movie you love the most amongst those that you've directed.
JAMES CAMERON, FILM DIRECTOR: Oh, you know, anyone with children knows that you can't answer that question. You can't say which child you love more than the others.
ANDERSON: How do you think you've been able to appeal to audiences across generations? Because it is that at this point, isn't it?
KISS, ROCK STAR: If you appeal to the eyes, and you've got the tunes that connect, then it's a full-body experience.
We want to be inside of you, outside of you. We want to envelope you. We want to change this world into Planet Kiss.
Oh, I'm sorry. We already own that trademark.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
ANDERSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Diane von Furstenberg designed rooms at Claridge's, so I've decided to stay for just a little bit.
Now, what you just saw were some of the best moments from our Connector of the Day series.
But not every interview is as smooth-sailing as those. Take a look at what happened when I met L.L. Cool J. after what was an unplanned visit to the dentist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
ANDERSON: Let me get to some viewer questions, L. Damion's (ph) written to us. He says, "How do you feel about a" - let me say that again, because I'm struggling to speak here. Let's get .
L.L. COOL J., RAPPER: Do you know sufferin' succotash?
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Oh, come back. All is forgiven.
L.L. COOL J. (singing): Rhinestone cowboy.
ANDERSON: All right. Let me try that one again.
ANDERSON (voice-over): In the world of celebrities, the brighter your star shines, the bigger your entourage is - and the longer you keep people like us waiting.
EMMA VAUGHN, PRODUCER: It's delayed right now, but we're still hoping everything goes smoothly. And we're going to have both her and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) together, talking about Mac (ph), talking about music. Fingers crossed.
ANDERSON (on camera): Hello. Good to see you. Hi.
Lady Gaga, do you feel a burden of responsibility to how you have influenced a generation of girls?
LADY GAGA, SINGER: It's not a burden. Right? It's not at all a burden. It's a privilege. And I'm so blessed that I am here.
I'm absolutely not one of those people that I'm sort of this self- obsessed, masturbatorial artist that doesn't care about my fans and doesn't care about my effect on my fans. I have a very keen understanding of my - my effect, or my sort of - what I can do.
And when you are in the public eye, you are a role model whether you want to be or you don't. And I want to be.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
ANDERSON: Well, all worth it in the end.
Let's close out this part of the show with a look at a couple of our favorites.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
ANDERSON: Solomon Obee (ph) has written in to you, Justin, and he asks, "How did you feel performing for Obama? Was it different from what would be a normal concert?
JUSTIN BIEBER, SINGER: Yes, definitely. I didn't really hear a lot of loud-pitched screaming when I performed for Obama.
ANDERSON: One from Mujesh Fawaad (ph). She said, "How did such a laid-back individual like yourself become a part of the royal family?"
SARAH FERGUSON, DUCHESS OF YORK: I fell in love with the queen's best-looking son. No question about it. Whoever asks that, he is the best-looking, I have to say.
ANDERSON: And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Sylvester (ph), does she actually like your hair? Because in the show she really - she's quite mean.
MATTHEW MORRISON, ACTOR AND SINGER: How could you not like my hair? I mean, come on.
Feel this thing. Feel it. It's nice. Right? Very soft.
ANDERSON: Rianan (ph) says, "Hi, Paris. I'm a big fan." She says, "What do you do when you are bored?"
PARIS HILTON, MEDIA PERSONALITY: I love to scrapbook, actually. I really - I love just cutting things out and gluing them together, and kind of making art projects, because I'm a very creative person.
ANDERSON: Lucy (ph) asks, "What are your fondest memories of those days?"
RINGO STARR, ROCK STAR: Of those days? Of having three brothers. Hanging out with three brothers was my fondest - and making great music.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE FROM BLACK EYED PEAS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You join us here in what we call the gallery, surrounded by these screens and flashing lights that are our stock-in-trade. This technology helps us bring you a massive amount of interviews from around the world.
And sometimes - just sometimes - it's worth having a little distance from the interviewee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLIVER STONE, FILM DIRECTOR: You know, where do we start here? Somebody's got to be the counter-balance to the madness that's enveloped this situation. Why is it about our Western economies, or our Western media, that needs to attack poor countries when they try for reform? That's what I don't understand.
But, you know, all my life, again and again, it's going on again. And then you talk about fair and balanced, fair and balanced.
Well, it's your fair and balanced. It's not their fair and balanced.
You guys want to drag it down into this place where it becomes a debate. And you nit-pick and you nit-pick. But you miss the big picture. And that's what I'm trying to say.
There is a bigger picture than all the nit-picking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Mr. Oliver Stone, just one of the politicized and controversial guests that we've brought you as a Connector of the Day.
Take a look at some others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Our connector, Saif Gadhafi, is the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. He was in the headlines last year after he was pictured embracing Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing that claimed 270 lives in 1988.
Terminally ill, al-Megrahi was freed from a Scottish prison and sent home to a hero's welcome in Libya.
I asked Saif about his controversial public show of support for the man.
SAIF AL-ISLAM GADHAFI, SON OF LIBYAN LEADER MOAMMAR GADHAFI: I think he's innocent. Second, one day and - one day the whole world will discover the truth about Lockerbie.
Third, he's a very sick man, has cancer. And he's really in very serious condition.
And so, it was really immoral for the people to be unhappy with me and unhappy with his return to Libya.
ANDERSON (on camera): Was his release linked to a trade deal?
GADHAFI: I mentioned this many times before. There is no direct link. And the decision was based on compassionate reasons.
People, they try to manipulate my statements and my words in order to use it for the political fight here in London.
ANDERSON (voice-over): He's regarded as one of the most opinionated people in Hollywood, and has recently taken to attacking capitalism and the health care system in the U.S.
Our connector, Michael Moore, told me exactly what kind of job he'd want in the Obama office.
MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: I'd have to be paid -- $1 a year.
What I would do is, I'd get up every morning. I'd have a whistle around my neck. I'd get him out of bed. We'd do 100 jumping jacks, do some push-ups.
And then we'd run up to Capitol Hill, and we'd knock some heads. And we'd get some fight in him, get some fight in him and the Democrats.
This is disgusting to have to watch this happen over and over again, where the other side has the courage of their convictions and fights to the death to get what they want. And our side is all, "Well, I guess we don't have to cover everybody. We don't really need universal health care." Or, "I guess 70 percent of the people's OK."
You know? Jeez, what if - what if Abraham Lincoln had had that attitude? "Oh, yes, we only need to release 70 percent of the slaves to freedom." Or "We only need to give 70 percent... "
ANDERSON (on camera): All right.
MOORE: " ... of the women the vote."
ANDERSON: For many years, Alastair Campbell was former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's key aide.
Outspoken and occasionally a little indiscrete, he gave us the low- down on Blair's love of the glitz and the glam.
ALISTAIR CAMPBELL, FORMER AIDE TO BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR: I think Tony sometimes (ph) was -- used to be slightly jealous of the lifestyles that rock stars could lead. Once you're in politics, there's just quite a lot of sacrifices you have to make about the things you can and can't do.
ANDERSON: Do you think there would have been different results in the election if Blair was in for the Labour Party in 2010, and not Brown?
CAMPBELL: I certainly think that Tony at his best, and Tony in his prime, he would have destroyed David Cameron. I've got no doubt about that at all.
But, of course...
ANDERSON: Is he past his prime now?
CAMPBELL: Well, it's not a question of being past his prime. It's the fact that he'd done it for so long. And he wasn't going to be there. I mean, he said in 2005, it was his last election. So, therefore, it is one of those interesting hypotheticals.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Our connector, Piers Morgan, is the host of hit shows like "Britain's Got Talent." He never shies away from the limelight. And whether you love him or hate him, frankly, he doesn't really care.
ANDERSON (on camera): What do you say to those who say that these shows are exploitative?
PIERS MORGAN, TELEVISION PRESENTER: Don't watch it. I mean, seriously. If people think it's exploitative, they don't understand the concept of the show.
We're not trying to ridicule people. We're trying to find great starts and have some fun along the way, in a good old-fashioned variety, end-of-the-peer (ph) kind of way, where anyone can turn up, any age, any talent.
And they all think they're the next great thing. And my job as a judge is to maybe reconcile some of them with the reality that maybe they're not the next Frank Sinatra.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to this special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD where your thoughts and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) some of our favorite moments with what are known as our Connectors of the Day.
Well, throughout this year, we've had some of the world's most powerful figures answering your questions. From current heads of state, to controversial former politicians, they've talked openly as your Connectors of the Day.
Check out a few of our strongest ones (ph).
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Can we expect frank and candid reflections on your time with the Bush administration, both successes and mistakes?
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I feel an obligation to be candid. We are human beings. And we did some things well, and some things not so well.
And I have no trepidation about talking about it in that way.
I'm trying to write a book that will be as historically accurate as an observer can possibly make it. And so, in that regard, I think I have to try to be candid.
ANDERSON: Which mistakes would you be referring to?
RICE: Well, I'm not very far into the book yet, frankly.
(LAUGHTER)
But I do believe -- look. I would take Saddam Hussein out of power again. But, of course, in the rebuilding of Iraq, there are things that I would do differently.
I think we put too much emphasis on Baghdad, not enough emphasis on the provinces. Perhaps we didn't fully understand the degree to which the society would start to come apart as a result of having been held in tyranny for all of those years. So, there are many things that we can talk about.
But I'm also a believer that's history's arc is long, not short. And sometimes things that looked terrific at the time look pretty bad in retrospect, and vice-versa.
So, ultimately, this is a story that'll be written by history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You had a lot of very powerful viewer comments asking about the accusations of genocide by your own government in neighboring Congo. I want to read out just what one of our viewers has written.
Aira Razimza Meheegal (ph) has written, "I'm a Rwandan who grew up as an orphan in exile after my parents were massacred by your army in Remera. All Hutus from there -- hundreds of them -- were massacred. I survived by a miracle, and they were killed simply because they were Hutu intellectuals. Is that not genocide?"
Your response?
PAUL KAGAME, PRESIDENT OF RWANDA: Well, if it happened, if they ever happened, that would be a problem. But as far as I'm concerned -- and as I know, and as many Rwandans know -- that it did not happen.
But these stories or accusations come from sections of people who are actually linked in one way or another -- surprisingly, even those who were very young and such (UNINTELLIGIBLE) did not participate -- come under the influence by either of their parents or relatives, or others, who were part of it.
And the argument has been to try and create an equivalence. They have been trying to say, no, actually, there is no -- you know, there are two genocides. There is one genocide of the Tutsis, and there is another genocide of Hutus.
This has been the issue underlying this whole argument about, you know, the RPF or, you know, the Tutsis also having permitted a genocide, and so on.
This is -- this is nonsense.
ANDERSON: I want to press you on this.
KAGAME: This is absurd.
ANDERSON: I want to press you on this, because a new U.N. report accuses you of committing appalling atrocities across the board in the DRC.
So, is the U.N. wrong?
KAGAME: Well, of all the people, U.N.
U.N. has always been wrong on the issue of Rwanda, not only in terms of statements (ph), but in terms of actions they carried out or did not carry out when they were in Rwanda and that (ph) genocide took place.
ANDERSON: I get the sense that you believe the U.N.'s failure to stop the genocide in 1994, to a certain extent invalidates any criticism of you or the RPF.
KAGAME: Oh, the U.N. has nothing to say about genocide or about Rwanda. They should just keep quiet.
In fact, they can't be the ones to, you know, ever accuse anybody for failure or for different things in Rwanda.
How can Rwanda be accused, or RPF be accused, or the troops of Rwanda be accused of genocide in the Congo, when, in actual fact, we repatriated millions of Rwandese, the Rwandans they call Hutus?
ANDERSON: Well, if there was evidence to suggest though that people have been slaughtered...
KAGAME: You can't...
ANDERSON: ... what will you say in the face of that evidence?
KAGAME: First of all, there can't be evidence about genocide in the Congo by Rwandan troops, because that did not happen.
But to say that, in a war situation, that people died, I think you are talking -- I mean, you are saying the obvious.
So, if people died anywhere, do you immediately characterize it as genocide? Does any dying of anybody, irrespective of the circumstances, something you would freely call genocide?
ANDERSON: Let me push you. Are you worried that these accusations are going to lead to the resurfacing of what could be deep ethnic tensions within Rwanda itself and, to a certain extent, de-legitimize your role and your job?
KAGAME: But the issue, you see, should not be just around personalities, or me, or anything. I think -- I want to take this beyond and look at the people of Rwanda themselves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL GATES, CO-FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN, MICROSOFT: A vaccine for AIDS is a very complex thing. It's a disease of the immune system, which is what you stimulate in the case of a vaccine. So, it's made it hard.
There's been some surprising results. Some of those, now, have been surprising on a positive side. The third trial we did had some effect. The second one, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), confusingly, even have a negative effect.
So, taking the information from the trial completed in 2009, there's about three or four trials that'll get started in the next few years. And they won't take as long.
They're designing them to be more like a three- or four-year timeframe. And the data from that will let us do another round. And that's where you get kind of the best case. If you could just do two more rounds, you might have something that would have substantial effect.
ANDERSON: M.M. (ph) has written to us and asked, "If the vaccine were to be available, who would get access to it, and who would control it?"
GATES: Well, vaccines for public health emergencies like AIDS are -- will be made for everyone. And fortunately, vaccine manufacturing is simple enough. All we need to do is invent it, and then we'll get it rolled out.
ANDERSON: And James wants to know where a future vaccine, Bill, would be deployed first.
GATES: Well, there'll be trials to prove it out. And so, you'll have participants in the trials.
But once you had a trial that proved that its safety and effectiveness was very strong, then you'd make it available worldwide.
The places where it has the greatest impact are where you're at the greatest risk, which includes Africa and a lot of other communities around the world. But it would be available to anyone who wanted it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: If you had one message to those countries who appear to be reneging on their commitments, what would it be?
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My message would be, first of all, that if we all do this, the consequences will be calamitous, and you'll spend more money later.
You start having huge numbers of people dying again. You'll have more political instability, more economic collapse. And it's going to cost us more money later. So, it's not only going to be a humanitarian crisis.
If at all possible, hang in there.
The second thing I would say is that we shouldn't be penny wise and pound foolish. In an interdependent world where we worry all the time about terrorism, we worry all the time about violence, we have to spend some money to make good things happen, to give people a chance to live their dreams.
And if you look at it when President Bush's and America's approval went way down all over the world because of the Iraq war, there were three places where it didn't go down -- in India, where we made a deal for peaceful nuclear cooperation; in Central and Eastern Europe, where we continued our -- my policy to expand NATO; and in the 10 countries of Southern and Eastern Africa, where PEPFAR was concentrated and the highest AIDS rates were.
And did they agree with President Bush's Iraq policy? No. A lot of these countries -- Tanzania, Kenya -- have huge Muslim populations.
Why did they still like him? Because they thought he and the United States cared whether their children lived or died. That's why.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: As you launch your new party and bid for leadership once again in Pakistan, do you need the U.S. administration's support?
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, FORMER PAKISTANI PRESIDENT: I think it's a double- edged weapon. U.S. support is seen very negatively in Pakistan, in the public of Pakistan.
ANDERSON: Are you worried that Washington will effectively turn off the aid tap to Pakistan, if it can't show results in Afghanistan?
MUSHARRAF: I mean, again, why -- Pakistan is not responsible for what happens in Afghanistan.
Even the going of Taliban, or the movement of Taliban across the border, everything (ph) of Taliban by Taliban elements in Pakistan. But I would give Pakistan 50 percent responsibility, and the other 50 percent is coalition-Afghan responsibility. So, that 50 percent is ours.
Remaining in Afghanistan to fight them is entirely Afghan and coalition responsibility. Why is Pakistan to be punished for that?
If (ph) you perform well in Afghanistan, you arm Pakistan more, so that we perform better in Pakistan. As it is, I think, on the Pakistan side, Pakistan army is performing much better than the coalition forces are performing in Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Coming up next, it's the series that cast a spell on audiences all over the world. And I had the chance to sit down with the stars of Harry Potter to coincide with the release of the seventh film.
After the break, you'll see how they feel about the end of an era.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to this special hour of Connectors of the Day.
Now, the cast of Harry Potter has grown in age, just as their fans have grown en masse. And this fall, we gave you the chance to ask them your questions.
In this three-part connector special, we hear about the best and the worst moments of playing a wizard, and what the young stars are going to miss most about the franchise.
So, without further ado, the boy wizard himself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): He was just another child actor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harry Potter.
ANDERSON: But his round glasses and shaggy brown hair meant that he was one step closer to landing the role of a lifetime.
And that's exactly what happened when Daniel Radcliffe, at the age of 10, was cast as Harry Potter.
DANIEL RADCLIFFE, ACTOR, AS HARRY POTTER: Can you tell me where I might find platform nine and three quarters?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nine and three quarters? Think you're being funny, do you?
ANDERSON: Taking on the awesome responsibility of bringing to life a character worshipped by millions around the world.
The release of the first film, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," was in 2001.
And since then, the world has watched Radcliffe grow up on screen, fighting every kind of villain imaginable.
RADCLIFFE AS HARRY POTTER: Voldemort is building up an army. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ANDERSON: And even falling in love.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Harry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are coming.
ANDERSON: In "The Deathly Hallows," the final film in the series, Harry puts his life on the line to rid the wizarding world once and for all of the dark lord, Voldemort.
VOLDEMORT: I must be the one to kill Harry Potter.
ANDERSON: The two-part film is the final hurrah to a character Radcliffe has been playing for nearly half his life.
And he talked to me about it coming to an end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job.
DANIEL RADCLIFFE, ACTOR: Oh, I have to be honest. Filming was so exhausting, because we were filming for 18 months, so that by the end of it we were like, "I'm ready for it to end. Are you ready for it to end?"
(LAUGHTER)
But it was -- you know, the last day, when we got to that point, was - - yes, it was quite -- you know, we all wept like kids. Definitely.
And it was -- and it is sad. And -- but it accounts for 10 years of our lives. So, I think, while we were -- while we are all ready to move on and do other stuff, there was certainly an element of sort of slightly painful nostalgia about it all, as well, that we'll never have those years again.
ANDERSON (on camera): Of course.
How much of Harry is there in Daniel?
RADCLIFFE: I mean, I suppose quite a lot. I don't know. But there has been some sort of weird osmosis thing going on where we sort of bled into each other over the last 10 years.
I think it's more -- it was weird. My mum made a point when I -- when she read, I think it was the sixth book, when she said, "It is like J.K. Rowling knows you," or something like that, "because when she writes Harry when he's being petulant and argumentative, she really gets you in there, when you're all -- when you're just really irritating."
And so, I think there are certain elements of Harry when he's cornered and gets defensive.
RADCLIFFE AS HARRY POTTER: Wow. We're identical.
RADCLIFFE: It's particularly -- I think it's a very male thing, as well, is, when you know you're wrong to just become more belligerent about the whole situation.
I think there is -- there is definitely something. They're all having problems...
ANDERSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) both of you.
RADCLIFFE: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
That's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- yes.
ANDERSON: McKenzie (ph) has written to us. He says, "Do you feel as engaged by the character as you did in the first film?"
RADCLIFFE: Much more. Much more so than on the first film. I mean, on the first film I was an 11-year-old kid having a great time on a film set. And it only around the time of the third film when I was about 14 or 15, that I really started taking it more seriously.
And to be honest, the role gets more challenging and more interesting every year. And this and the last film, which is yet to come out, are the most challenging he's ever been. So, the more challenging it is, the more engaged you feel.
So, yes, McKenzie (ph).
ANDERSON: Victoria asks, "How do you fell when you watch the movie for the first time?"
RADCLIFFE: Funny enough, with this film, it was the -- it was the best I've ever felt.
RADCLIFFE AS HARRY POTTER: Are you saying you can (UNINTELLIGIBLE) us (ph) out of this room? Could you take us with you?
RADCLIFFE: I don't like watching the films, and I never watch the films again after, like -- I'll see it at the -- you know, after the New York premier is the last time I'll see this film. And then I won't watch it probably for, I don't know how many years. I've not seen any of the other ones.
I was really -- I really didn't like the sixth one. I was very disappointed on a personal level with that film. I liked the film as a whole, but I, you know, wasn't pleased with myself.
It's pretty -- I think most actors, though, would say it's pretty cringe-worthy watching yourself.
ANDERSON: Brian (ph) asks, "How hard is it to turn your character off?"
RADCLIFFE: For me, it's very easy. I don't -- I'm not a big method actor. I don't -- I don't tend to take too much of the angst and things home.
Occasionally, you know, occasionally if you -- what happens -- well, it's not as much about that. But if you have a day at work where you don't feel that you've done well, that stays with you. That is hard to let go of. That you can just -- you know, that I will lose sleep over.
But if I've really got into a scene and done it well, and I feel I've done it well and I've committed to it, and when it ends I can go, OK, I've done that well and I'm pleased with it, I find it easy to walk away from, certainly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): From protagonist to villain.
In Spielberg's 1993 film, "Schindler's List," Ralph Fiennes showed the world that he could play evil.
The frightening performance earned the British legend universal acclaim and an Academy Award nomination.
RALPH FIENNES AS AMON GOETH, "SCHINDLER'S LIST": You know, when I look at you, I want you. You're never (ph) wrong (ph).
ANDERSON: But today, Fiennes is playing a very different kind of evil.
FIENNES AS LORD VOLDEMORT: I was beginning to worry if you'd lost your way.
ANDERSON: One whose methods are still based on violence, but of the magical kind...
As the dark Lord Voldemort, Fiennes is the arch-nemesis to young Harry Potter.
FIENNES AS LORD VOLDEMORT: I have seen (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and it is mine.
ANDERSON: ... having killed his parents before the series even began.
As the films have progressed, so has their battle.
And in this last episode, "Deathly Hallows," it's a battle to the death.
FIENNES AS LORD VOLDEMORT: Where will he be taken, the boy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To a safe house.
ANDERSON: Fiennes described to me the process of portraying the Dark Lord, and why it keeps getting better.
FIENNES AS LORD VOLDEMORT: I face an unfortunate complication.
RALPH FIENNES, ACTOR: I think I feel more engaged. I think David Yates, who's directed this film, has been brilliant at challenging everyone -- and I felt challenged -- to keep it fresh, to keep discovering, never letting us just do, you know, "There it is, we've done it before. Here it is. You know what it is."
No, no. He would say, "Ralph, you know, go further with this. Really go further." It's, you know, keep digging and keep discovering.
And open, too, to ideas, or if I said maybe I could try it like this or like that, he was -- so, he kept a great -- David Yates kept a great atmosphere of, let's rediscover the part.
ANDERSON (on camera): How do you think this movie stacks up to the last...
FIENNES: Well, I like this one, for me, the most. I like the way that -- it doesn't seem to be one sort of big moment after the next. I think it has the courage to take the time to explore the relationship between Harry and -- I get all the names...
ANDERSON: The others.
FIENNES: ... the others. Rupert and Emma and Daniel, they all are wonderful at, with David's guidance, the tensions between them and the jealousies.
And there's a moment I love in this, which is when Harry -- and Daniel and Emma dance together. And it's this wonderful dance, which is not a dance of romance. It's a dance of friendship and a moment of finding some joy when everything is against them. I thought that was beautifully done.
ANDERSON: You play Voldemort, of course, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). How on earth do you do Voldemort's nose?
FIENNES: Well, it's not -- I don't do it. I mean, I have...
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: But you deal with it.
FIENNES: No, it's done after the event by CGI.
ANDERSON: Oh.
FIENNES: Yes. Yes, yes. No, in the one we're shooting, I have brightly colored dots all over my face, which are called tracking marks. And they are used by the computer guys to create the nose-less face that you see.
ANDERSON: I had no idea.
FIENNES: Yes.
ANDERSON: Ralph (ph) asks, "Is Voldemort the most evil character that you've played? And is it more fun playing the bad guy?"
FIENNES: Well, I find it -- I find playing really good guys is quite hard. I think -- and what's good about Harry is that he has conflict. He's tempted, and he has disturbances. And I think -- I've played some scary guys before, but I think Voldemort is the most (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
He's extreme. He's sort of mythic, isn't he. And as J.K. Rowling has written him, he's sort of -- he's the devil, really. He's sort of -- you're sort of playing the devil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: A brief reminder here. The Harry Potter movies are, of course, made by Warner Brothers, part of CNN's parent company.
Now, if you're a Harry Potter fan, don't go away. Next, right here on CONNECT THE WORLD, we've got two more of this series, superstars, the stunning actress, Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, and the loveable Ron Weasley, or he's known in our world, Rupert Grint.
That's part two of our Harry Potter special.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to our Connector of the Day special here on CNN. And in this part of the year show, we're going to give you a magical treat, the cast of Harry Potter. We've already heard from the boy wizard, so next we've conjured up the glamorous and very talented Emma Watson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): She was the envy of young girls around the world, when, at the age of nine, Emma Watson was chosen to portray Harry Potter heroine, Hermione Granger.
EMMA WATSON AS HERMIONE GRANGER: Mom's right, Harry. You're going to need your strength today.
ANDERSON: At the time, she wasn't sure how much she had in common with the studio's witch.
EMMA WATSON, ACTOR: I'm not top-form, goody two-shoes, no. But I'd like to be top of the form.
ANDERSON: But as the films have evolved, so has Em's character and fame.
She's well known in Hollywood and has become a star in the fashion world.
As part one of the final Harry Potter film comes to theaters this month, Watson will soon have to depart from her character of 10 years.
She spoke with me about the filming process and the most memorable moments.
EMMA WATSON, ACTOR: I guess I'll never forget doing that torture scene with Helena (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE). That will stay with me forever. That was pretty -- pretty intense.
Having to kiss Dan. We never forget that, either.
(LAUGHTER)
And then, more fun moments. You know, like the wedding was pretty lovely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are coming. They are coming.
ANDERSON: Lulu (ph) has written to us, and she asks, "When you were little, you said that you weren't too much like your character. Do you think that's changed?"
WATSON: Yes. I think I've become less defensive about being compared to her, mainly because I think she's awesome. And I think she's an amazing -- amazing character, really. So, I don't mind -- you know, I'm not quite so defensive anymore.
But, I mean, we are different people. We are different people. But I certainly don't mind comparisons being made anymore.
ANDERSON: Charlotte (ph) asks, "Do you get very nervous before watching a film for the first time?"
WATSON: Oh, very. I was -- honestly, I saw the film last Friday. And I was just in bits. I was just kind of like, so nervous.
I think, you know, when you see something that you've been working on for a year-and-a-half, you know, put on the screen in front of you, it's going to be -- it's going to be nerve-wracking.
So, yes, definitely.
ANDERSON: Amy (ph) asks, "Did you read the books, or do you read the books, before filming?"
WATSON: Yes. I read the books before I even auditioned. And I usually read each book before I do each film, just because I'm sort of a book -- I'm a Harry Potter purist. And I think the closer they get to the books, the better, really.
ANDERSON: What's it been like, Emma, switching directors? Does it feel like a different franchise every time?
WATSON: It does. I mean, I think it's been really nice that David did the last -- oh my goodness, he's on four now? It'll be four.
So, I think it's been -- that's been really nice, actually, because there's been like a continuity towards the end. You know, bringing in a director for the last one or two, I think would have been really hard.
But I think it's been nice that, all the way through, we've had different takes on it. Definitely.
ANDERSON: Did you enjoy it this time?
WATSON: I did. It was a very intense film to make. It's really dark.
So, it maybe wasn't the most fun, because it really -- it took a lot out of me to play this role. But it was very rewarding and challenging and interesting. And it really pushed me.
So, it was really good to work on in a different way than the other ones have been.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Harry Potter fans know that where Hermione goes, Ron will soon follow.
Rupert Grint claims he scored the role of beloved Ron Weasley in no small part because of his ginger hair.
RUPERT GRINT AS RON WEASLEY: Do you mind? Everyone else is full.
RADCLIFFE AS HARRY POTTER: Not at all.
ANDERSON: His audition for the original 2001 "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was his first ever film audition. And apparently, he nailed it.
GRINT AS RON WEASLEY: So, it's true. I mean, do you really have the...
RADCLIFFE AS HARRY POTTER: The what?
GRINT AS RON WEASLEY: ... the scar?
ANDERSON: The film and the then-10-year-old Grint a series of awards, and gave millions of fans around the world a face to put to Harry Potter's best friend.
In this last film, Ron and Harry battle jealousies, doubt -- and, of course, the bad guys -- in an attempt to save the wizarding world.
Rupert spoke to me about the greatest challenges and how similar he is to his character.
RUPERT GRINT, ACTOR: I was kind of -- I could kind of relate to him. Obviously, we're both ginger.
And, yes, just having a big family and stuff. And, yes. No, I always -- I always kind of like the kind of underdog.
ANDERSON (on camera): Cindy (ph) asks, "If you should play another Harry Potter character, what would it be? And why?"
GRINT: I don't know. Maybe, like -- maybe Malfoy would be quite cool.
ANDERSON: Why?
GRINT: I don't know. Because just, I quite like the -- I'd quite like to play someone who's quite bad. Yes, or kind of -- maybe Dobby. He's quite cool.
ANDERSON: I like Dobby, too.
Listen, Midgie (ph) has written and asks, "What was the greatest challenge shooting this movie?"
GRINT: Oh, for Ron, there's a lot going on with him, because he's kind of -- he doesn't quite trust Harry. He's kind of jealous, because Harry and Hermione are getting quite close.
RADCLIFFE AS HARRY POTTER: You've got to know how this feels.
GRINT AS RON WEASLEY: No, you don't know how it feels. Your parents are dead. You have no family.
GRINT: And he's losing his family. And, yes, there's a lot of kind of paranoia. And that was quite cool to do all that. Kind of not the kind of a side of Ron we really see that often. And it was nice to do that.
ANDERSON: How do you think these last two films -- which are, of course, the last story -- how do you think these two films stack up against the rest of the franchise?
GRINT: Yes, I think -- I think the decision to do it in two parts, I think was really kind of clever, because I think we can get much more of the book into them.
And yes, I mean, we've kind of all felt quite a bit of a pressure to kind of really make this kind of the best one yet. As it is the last one, we want to kind of go off on high. And, yes, I think it will, it will happen.
ANDERSON: And no one director directing all of the movies. David, of course, has done three.
Is that difficult?
GRINT: Yes, I mean, it used to be kind of difficult having a different director each time. It kind of -- once you really kind of get to know someone, and then each time they go off. That used to be quite tricky.
But yes, I love -- I really love David. He's been great.
ANDERSON: And how in love with Hermione are you?
GRINT: Ron is very in love with Hermione.
Yes, so, that's more kind of part two. We kind of see them kind of really get together.
ANDERSON: And Rupert would take her or leave her.
GRINT: No. Emma's -- yes, we're kind of like sisters, brother and sister.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And don't forget to stay tuned for part three of this epic adventure. We've got two more stars who probably aren't the most beloved characters in the books. The Malfoys, father and son, will be answering your questions -- up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, there is no getting away from it, is there. The Harry Potter franchise is a phenomenon without equal, transcending the boundaries of age, race, gender and nationality.
Now, finally installments of our three-part special. We're going to hear from some of the darkest, most evil characters in the film, the Malfoys.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Voldemort might be the chief villain of Harry Potter, but that certainly doesn't mean he's the only one.
Second in line would be the Malfoy father and son duo. Played by Jason Isaacs and Tom Felton, these two are the blond villains, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at anything and everything to deliver Harry to their dark lord.
For Isaacs, the Potter series is one of many blockbusters he's played a role in, including hits such as "The Patriot," and "Green Zone."
But Felton was just a kid when he landed the role as a Hogwarts bully. And for many around the world, he'll always be the boy tasked with killing Albert Stumbledoor (ph).
I asked the devilish duo whether it was hard playing these evil but conflicted characters.
JASON ISAACS, ACTOR: No, it's not. It's a gift. I mean, we get to play -- I don't want to speak for Tom -- but I get to play something that I've not played before.
We see Lucius as one color, really. And now we see him crushed and broken from prison. And you see him humiliated at his own dining room table in his own house in front of his son and his wife.
And actually, he thinks he's about to be slaughtered by Voldemort, and terrified. So, he's a -- he's a shadow of a man.
And that is not just not difficult, it's juicy for an actor.
ANDERSON (on camera): And none too confusing.
ISAACS: No.
TOM FELTON, ACTOR: And certainly I can second that. I mean, if it was as much fun as it is to play just the evil guy, it's always nice to have the back story, as well, of why potentially it's feeling like that. So, yes, we thoroughly enjoy this one.
ANDERSON: We're coming towards the end of the franchise, guys. Do you have any favorite moments in this film or the franchise as a whole?
FELTON: It's so hard to pick individual -- I know I should have some good ones ready for you.
Jason, do you have any on the tip of your tongue?
ISAACS: They introduced on the fifth film, free Green & Black's chocolate in the canteen for the actors.
FELTON: I remember.
ISAACS: And that for me was the turning point of the whole experience.
FELTON: Fateful day it was, yes.
ISAACS: Every time they say, you can go back to your trailers for a while -- which is most of the time on a big special effects film like Harry Potter -- I took a family-sized bar as big as my leg of butterscotch chocolates.
FELTON: Sure...
ISAACS: And that will be the...
FELTON: ... I can second that.
ISAACS: ... overriding memory for me.
FELTON: Well, that's a -- what a great memory that is.
Actually, I can remember, we had -- we used to have lots of snacks and food for the children when we were young, but they actually banned that. I think we were getting a little...
ISAACS: Their teeth were all dropping out.
FELTON: Teeth dropping out. We were getting a bit hyperactive as well, yes. They banned that for healthy substitutes.
ANDERSON: What was it like knowing that you were filming the last story?
FELTON: (An) epic, really. I mean, it's hard to -- hard to master the words.
ISAACS: It doesn't actually feel real. It doesn't, you know -- at some -- it's only real when it's no longer in your life. It's like someone saying, bye-bye, I'm going away to live in Australia for 10 years. You see them at the airport, and you haven't missed them yet.
So, you only start missing it when it gets to summer, and then another summer. And you go, blimey. I'm not going back there. I'm not going back to that party anymore.
FELTON: Yes, sure. I mean, at the time I just remember, you know, trying to enjoy every moment and revel in it, really. It was very different from anything previous.
I really felt like the passion level had -- not that it was ever the low part, but it really felt like it was -- everyone on the set -- cast, crew, the lot -- wanted to make sure this was the, you know, our finest hour. And I think they achieved that.
ANDERSON: If J.K. Rowling were to write another book, and she certainly hasn't closed the book entirely, as it were...
ISAACS: Aha.
ANDERSON: ... would you want to be involved again?
ISAACS: Can you imagine asking that question to anybody saying no?
FELTON: No.
(CROSSTALK)
FELTON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
ISAACS: Absolutely no choice. She's clearly got no talent, and it would never sell.
(LAUGHTER)
She doesn't (ph) know (ph) how (ph) to tell a story. That's her main problem.
FELTON: She struggles with that, yes.
Obviously, it goes without saying. She...
ISAACS: I hope she does. I hope she's watching.
FELTON: Yes, please, please, Jo. I feel very lucky that she's written several...
(CROSSTALK)
ISAACS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). She (UNINTELLIGIBLE) pays for. Yes.
FELTON: We'll see. We'll see. You never know, right?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): From acting the part to directing it. As we end our special connectors on Harry Potter, who better to close out with than the man bringing the magic to the screen.
David Yates is the director for four of the films.
He took on the franchise with the fifth installment, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," and for obvious reasons hasn't left since.
In this last film, Yates has the difficult task of spreading it out over two feature-length productions. He also bears the burden of disappointing millions of fans who probably wouldn't mind it being spread out over six.
He spoke to me about what it was like to put the lid on this giant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID YATES, DIRECTOR: This one stands out, because we're away from the school. The school is such an important character in these movies. It's this place of magic and safety.
And you take these three iconic characters, you take them out of their safety zone and their comfort space, and you put them in a place of real jeopardy and danger. And something really interesting happens.
And that's what is exciting about this film, is that they're on the run. And they're in a very threatening world, and they have to learn to survive and trust each other. And in that journey that they take, there's a kind of breaking of innocence. They do things that they would never have done at Hogwarts.
And that's what's fun about it.
ANDERSON (on camera): Leanne (ph), one of our viewers, asks whether you worry that what you've done now can match up to the success of this incredible franchise.
YATES: Do you know, in a way, I'm going to finish -- I finish in about six months. I deliver part two, which is this big spectacle. And in a way, I don't -- every day I go to work, I pour myself into it. You have to as a director. You make so many choices and decisions.
But in a weird way, it doesn't belong to me. I don't identify myself with it in a strange way, because Harry Potter is oddly -- everybody owns it. Everybody belongs to it. Everybody has an opinion about it.
And I'm very proud to have made four films and delivered my vision of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Tune into CONNECT THE WORLD in 2011, where once again we'll put your questions to some of the world's biggest newsmakers and celebrities.
From all of us on the team here at CNN, happy holidays and good-bye.
END
