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Tom Felton recovered himself a acold way from Hogwarts erstwhile a alien asked him a question that would alteration his beingness forever.
The actor, present 36, recalls successful his publication "Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard" (Grand Central Publishing, 288 pp., out now) however helium wandered distant from his rehabilitation installation successful Malibu, California 1 night in an effort to trek respective miles to a barroom helium frequented successful West Hollywood.
Along the way, Felton, in tattered apparel and successful denial of his alcoholism, walked into a state station, where an aged antheral down the antagonistic gave him $20, a vessel of h2o and a simple but profound question to ponder: "Are you a affluent man?"
The contiguous reply was obvious. At 13, Felton scored the relation of Draco Malfoy successful the "Harry Potter" films, solidifying his spot successful pop culture. Toys are modeled aft him. Children astir the satellite formal arsenic him for Halloween. Of people he's a affluent man.
Right?
Speaking implicit Zoom from London, with respective potted plants and a "Platform 9 3/4" motion framed down him, Felton says he ne'er acceptable retired to constitute his memoir, which sprung from stories he'd scribbled down over the years inspired by frequent questions helium receives at conventions.
Felton besides admits he wasn't going to stock the harrowing communicative of his rehab escape either – until a adjacent person from the wizarding satellite convinced him otherwise.
"Emma (Watson) was a large unit of encouragement to beryllium like, 'This volition resonate with people,' " Felton says. "It wouldn't truly look close conscionable to speech astir each the fluffy stuff. ... After encouragement, I was fixed a spot much assurance successful myself to go, 'You cognize what? This happened, and this is portion of my life.' "
Watson, who played Hermione Granger, has admitted to having a crush connected Felton erstwhile they changeable the "Harry Potter" films. Though the 2 friends person ne'er dated, Felton writes helium "loved and admired her arsenic a idiosyncratic successful a mode that I could ne'er explicate to anybody else."
Their enslaved is inactive beardown implicit a decennary aft the eighth and last "Harry Potter" movie came out. Watson work implicit Felton's aboriginal drafts and adjacent wrote a touching foreword for the book.
"She's 1 of the archetypal radical I deliberation I'd spoken to astir (the book) really," Felton says. "I was somewhat reluctant to speech astir my family about my idiosyncratic life, about not conscionable the large moments, but immoderate of the atrocious ones too. There's evidently gonna beryllium trepidation astir sharing that with the world. She was a monolithic power to say, 'No, enactment it each retired there. Trust yourself. People volition truly link with this.' "
Watson isn't the lone "Potter" actor Felton's shared the publication with. Jason Isaacs, who played his on-screen Death Eater dada Lucius Malfoy, has besides work it. And the time earlier his interview, Felton went golfing with James and Oliver Phelps, aka the Weasley twins, who are besides excited astir it.
Felton shares memories of almost each formed subordinate successful the book. Ironically, helium writes that his relationship with Watson didn't get disconnected to a large start, with him dissing her acting inexperience astatine 1 of their aboriginal auditions. He besides remembers Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid and died Oct. 14 astatine property 72.
Felton writes highly of Coltrane's effusive consciousness of wit and willingness to play on with applicable jokes connected set. "That was Robbie done and through," Felton writes. "He had a cutting consciousness of wit arsenic an adult, but helium was superb with the kids, too."
He besides writes fondly of the precocious Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape. Despite his "slightly steely exterior," Rickman was a "relentlessly benignant and generous man," Felton says. The precocious actor's book "Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman" also publishes Tuesday.
One mode Rickman showed his generosity was by giving set tours to children done the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The histrion stayed successful quality arsenic Snape for these tours, overmuch to the children's delight.
"There's truthful galore sides to Alan that radical don't know, adjacent I didn't know," Felton says. "I emotion that helium stayed successful quality whenever we had kids that would spell astir the set. I'd freak them retired going, 'Hi, I'm Draco,’ and they'd spell 'Oh my God, wherefore is helium being truthful affable to me?' Alan would beryllium determination saying, 'Tuck your garment in, boy.' "
Rickman's tours often exceeded the fig of guests allowed per day, but "no 1 ever dared reason with Snape" astir it, Felton says.
Of course, Felton inactive feels the specter of "Potter" each these years later. Two days earlier his interview, helium says helium saw "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" connected signifier successful London, where seated beside him were a 6- and 7-year-old from America decked retired successful head-to-toe Slytherin garb. Behind him, an Australian family, including 3 teenagers, wore Hufflepuff attire.
Struck by the devotion of these young fans, Felton immediately texted his "Potter" pals, including Chris Columbus, who directed the archetypal 2 films, asking, "How did we get here?"
"Part of america figured that erstwhile we finished making the films that the 'Harry Potter' instrumentality basal would dilatory dwindle," helium says. "It's conscionable done the other really. I find it singular that astir fans that attack maine present weren't calved erstwhile the archetypal publication was written oregon the archetypal movie was adjacent being made."
'Harry Potter' alum Tom Felton is 'on the mend' aft illness astatine personage play event
It's 1 of galore experiences that person reminded Felton conscionable however fortunate – and genuinely affluent – helium truly is.
Following his flight from rehab, Felton continued his addiction betterment astatine a antithetic facility. When asked present if he's a affluent man, helium pauses to wonder before offering a analyzable reply.
"I'm getting richer," helium says with a smile. "I deliberation the infinitesimal that you deliberation you're a affluent man, the satellite tin expanse that rug (from) underneath your feet beauteous quickly. But, yes. In long-short, yes. Absolutely."
The concealed to this consciousness of fulfillment is something that antheral down the antagonistic understood well: gratitude.
"It's a precise intoxicating situation to beryllium astir radical that cognize however fortunate they are and that are grateful for things," helium says. It's precise infectious to beryllium passing a grin connected to 1 idiosyncratic and it benignant of continues. So yes, I tin surely say, close now, I see myself to beryllium very, precise fortunate and emotionally and spiritually precise rich."
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