Harry Potter

			British Actors’ Equity

How Much Magic Can One Person Get Into?

In summer of 2006 David was chosen to be ‘Young Peter Pettigrew’ stand-in/ double on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He was fitted with wig and costume at Leavesden Studios. Costume had to pad David out a bit for the role; David even gained a few extra pounds to fit into the role better (after filming he got back to the gym and lost it).

This particular scene in the film was shooting on location at Blenheim Palace in Oxford. The cast and crew were lucky as it was a very hot summer! Lots of filming took place by the Blenheim Palace lakeside and on the water in boats.
The scene was a flashback scene of Snapes student days at Hogwarts. It provided brilliant character development for Snape, James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Remis Lupin and Lily. The flashback scene was of James Potter (Harry’s father) bullying Severus Snape by the Black Lake. Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin were present. Harry's mother Lily then intervenes to stop them. Lily defends Snape and then you see Snape's reaction to her. It makes Harry start to view his father in a different light and you feel sympathy for young Snape.

James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remis Lupin also went by the name of ‘The Marauders’: known as Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail and Moony. The nicknames for the four students came from their identities as Animagi. James transformed into a stag, hence the name "Prongs". Sirius became a large dog (Padfoot) while Peter became a rat (Wormtail). Remus was not an Animagus; he was a werewolf; it was his monthly transformation into a wolf that earned him the nickname "Moony" and provided the impetus for the others to become Animagi. They were all in Gryffindor House.




		Click on the Potter (above) to download. 17.5MB FULL Trailer

From 2003 David was chosen to be a Stand-In for Ron Weasley (actor Rupert Grint). David’s first day was the Dark Arts classroom scene in which Professor Snape (actor Alan Rickman) is teaching the charateristics of a Werewolf. David read lines with Alan Rickman during the rehearsals in the mornings. David was in a lot of other scenes, here are just a few he recalls, ‘‘I remember being totally drenched with a giant rain machine on the blue screen stage and the Director Alfonso Cuarn was asking if the rain was too hard on our faces - which it was; the scene was Ron Weasley and Hermione watching Harry Potter falling from the sky after he had been attacked by the Dementors. Another scene I remember well was the Big Black Dog pulling Ron down the hole under the Whomping Willow. They had a man dressed in a tight blue outfit, Spider-Man style, who dragged me with rope by my ankle across the grass; he would be replaced by a graphic of the Dog’’ The scene with the Dog was filmed at Shepperton Studios UK.

Rupert Grint with David Decio (In full Rupert Grint double makeup). David is the one in the grey top. David also seen here in Hogwarts School Uniform.

In 2005 David was the official stand-in and driving double for actor Rupert Grint again. This was on the film ‘DRIVING LESSONS’ also staring Julie Walters and Laura Linney.

Download this 8.62MB Driving Lessons trailer (right).
All the driving you see in the trailer is done by David.

In 2002 David was chosen to be a Hogwarts student wizard shopping in Diagon Alley. In March ’02 David was fully fitted in all the Wizard gear and in June ’02 he was on set at Leavesden Studios UK (Leavesden Studios are the main filming location for every Harry Potter movie). ‘‘I remember standing at the very top of Diagon Alley looking down and admiring all the wondrous live owls being brought onto set and then the Director, Christopher Columbus, asking me my name and introducing himself. Then he said what he wanted to do with my character. This was a great start to have with a Director because sometimes on big budget films you get Directors who don’t talk directly to you, they message through their assistant directors and production assistants; yet here is one of the biggest film franchise directors who doesn’t need someone else to pass messages on for him, he was a really hands-on director which I respect. What I was directed to do was walk into ‘Wiseacres Wizarding Equipment’ shop as Hermione comes out of to greet Harry. I was given a potion vile and I had to walk in carefully as if it would be a disaster if I smashed the bottle and the potion came out causing all sorts of trouble, the joke being Hermione almost knocks into me because she’s so distracted by seeing Harry. Also there was an actor, who was built like a wrestler, who was the ‘Wiseacres Wizarding Equipment’ shop keeper and he would welcome me into his shop’’. Unfortunately this scene was never used and they used a alternate scene in which Hermione exits the shop and goes direct to Harry (they probably didn’t want to distract the eye from her); although if you look carefully you can still see the big burly shopkeeper as Hermione exits the ‘Wiseacres Wizarding Equipment’ shop.

David was asked to come back to be one of the selected customers at Gilderoy Lockhart’s book signing but unfortunately David had other work commitments he could not get out of. To this day he regrets not being able to take up the invitation to go back.

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