I interviewed him at the junket in New York on Sunday and I told him I’d be in his face the next three days because on Monday there was the NYC premiere and then on Tuesday he’d be in Toronto to promote the film and etalk had exclusive access at the after party. He was really sweet about it. I think he even said something nice about it while we were rolling and when Laura gets back to the office I’m going to make her put that part on a dvd for me so I can add it to my personal collection.

I got up early for my flight yesterday out of La Guardia because I had a hit to do at CNN and decided to go straight to the airport and do some work in the airline lounge – free wireless! While I was buttering my bagel, Neville walks in with his friend, both wearing shades, both dressed like schlubs. I guess I should switch to his real name now. It’s just so hard to not call him Neville.

Anyway, Matthew Lewis was wearing a grey t-shirt and track pants. And... still looked really cute, even though I was afraid to walk by him because people who are hung over sometimes smell and especially a young man of 22. We ended up talking and he was rather groggy from the New York party the night before – as you can see he and Tom Felton seemed to be having a really good time – and I told him it would be the same tonight, Tuesday night. A little more small talk, and then I had to rush out the SJP article before boarding so I went writing and he left for a while and when he came back he had a large shopping bag with him and the next thing I know he was standing beside me offering me adapters. Like when you go to Europe you need another kind of adapter to use to charge your phone? He had a pack of 5 or 6 extra ones.

Me: What am I going to do with all of these? (laughing)

Him: You can use them when you travel! (also laughing)

I think he was still drunk. Also he didn’t smell. I was so relieved.

So we landed in Toronto and I had to book it to get my sh-t together before the party, and he had to hit up various local media outlets, one of which was MuchMusic, and check the photos, how f-cking cute was he on MuchMusic?, but then the party happened and perhaps of all the different looks we’ve seen from Neville the last week or so, this was the very best. Black tie on black shirt. SO hot.

They went bananas for him outside the castle. And it was pretty funny to see old Neville being surrounded by 5 or 6 security walking him from end to end of the carpet. Neville? Is that you?

Then a huge crowd followed him inside the party where etalk had a tricked out stage mounted for our interview and he told me he was much more alert than the last time I saw him, and I teased him about offering me adapters, and then Ben Mulroney and I sat down for the interview, which we started to do...until Laura jumped in to tell him he was shiny and needed to be powdered down. It would have been a total pain in the ass but I decided to do it for him. And there we were, me with a brush in my hand, and a compact, gently powdering Neville’s face. Like, as part of my JOB. He has very nice skin.

The interview will air on etalk over the next few days. We talked about Neville, and about the last 10 years, and about the Battle of Hogwarts, and about his very first scene in the Philosopher’s Stone, and about crushing on Emma at first, but now seeing her as a little sister and having to inspect all her boyfriends. He’s also looking at some scripts, hoping to get more work post-Potter. Um, yeah. Please do. More Matthew would be good.

Am attaching some shots of Matthew from the NY premiere of HP7B the other night. And one of him with Ben and me taken just after the interview from Christina’s iPhone that hilariously makes it look like we’re all three just cardboard cutouts propped up beside one another. Weird, right?

Before Matthew left we said goodbye and he kissed me on both cheeks. In that moment I wished I was 20. If I were 20 I would have followed him to the VIP area and made some sh-t happen. With Neville Longbottom. Can you imagine? Ten years ago would you have ever thought that after a decade of this, it would be Neville you’d want the most???


Photos from Wenn.com and Stephen Lovekin/STAN HONDA/Gettyimages.com