Up from the ashes comes the latest Harry Potter movie and Steve Pratt talks to its young stars, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint about spending all their teenage years making movies... and their chances of survival

HAVING seen his previous work on Sex Traffic and Girl In The Café, Emma Watson admits to being "quite nervous" at working with director David Yates on the latest Harry Potter movie.

"The performances that he seems to get out of everyone that he works with are just incredible. I just hoped that I could live up to his standards," says the actress who plays Hermione.

"It's scary working with a new director each time. At least with Chris Columbus I had the confidence that he'd seen me through all my auditions. He'd chosen me, he'd believed in me and thought I was good.

"When you get a new director, you wonder if they like you, if they think you're any good. But I actually really enjoyed this particular story. It was more like Azkaban in the sense that Hermione and Ron are part of the action again, whereas in the last one we kind of watched Harry go through his trials and were there backing him up."

On the new film, Order Of The Phoenix, she had some stunts to perform, including one where she had to dive through one of the Ministry of Magic doors. "We were on a harness and they dropped you, stopping it just before you hit the ground. I did that a couple of times, which was scary," she says. She hopes the rumour that Hermione might not survive the final book isn't true. "I really hadn't contemplated that," she says.

"In my mind, I felt she was going to be off protesting for House Elfs rights or doing something worthy with her time and making the world a better place. She'd marry Ron and have babies and everyone would live happily ever after."

She's as eager as anyone to read the final Harry Potter book. "I think we're all getting it sent to us, and as soon as it arrives through the door I'll be reading it. I can't wait, I so want to know what happens, I really do," she says.

Watson is used to meeting fans from around the world and by now can almost tell which part of the world they come from by the way they respond to her.

"Americans are very friendly, very open. They'll ask for a hug and me being very British and reserved that used to take me aback a little. The Japanese just love it, they're such big Harry Potter fans. They love it so much. The French are very cool and calm and don't overreact at all, but in the nicest way because they love it too."

She hopes to continue acting after Harry Potter. "I'm really open-minded. There are so many things that I love to do. I'll just go with the flow and see what I'm offered," she says.