Clemence Poesy in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

It was an ad that her father saw on TV and suggested she give it a shot. That?s how Clemence Poesy?s journey began for the role of Fleur Delacour, a student from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic chosen to pit her wits against Harry Potter, Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum in the Triwizard Tournament.

?I hadn?t done any acting beforehand, so I was a bit reluctant. But I went down anyway. And I stood for hours and hours, and I finally got in. Then they just took a Polaroid and said they?d call me back if they were interested. So, I got a call a few weeks later, and they told me to go down for a workshop. That involved a lot of improvisation, and a few scenes from the movie with Harry and Fleur. And then they called me back for a screen test at the Leavesden Studio, where they filmed the movies. And just from there I got the part,? says Clemence.

The 23-year-old French girl has recently given a powerful performance as Mary Queen of Scots in the BBC?s successful mini-series Gunpowder, Treason & Plot.

But Clemence?s English diction is more Brit than French. ?I?ve been a very lucky girl. My parents put me in a school where you learn English a lot more than you?d be doing in a normal French school. And I went on an exchange programme to Toronto when I was 13, spent two months there, going to school, and I had no choice but speak English. It started from there, and then I?ve been working in England a bit. I?ve been working with Americans a bit. So, each time, it?s another set, and you actually work on your actions and try to improve it,? says Clemence, a fan of the Harry Potter films.

She had read the first three books before getting the part. And then the other books, which she was more involved in. ?I did read the sixth book as well. But she?s (Fleur) mentioned really briefly,? says Clemence.

?Fleur is the kind of girl that we?ve all had in our school. She?s Ms Perfect ? kind of annoying at the end, being perfect, but always well-dressed, and good at sports, good at school, good at everything. So, she appears like the kind of image that I guess people have of a French girl, and then she reacts as a normal girl to what?s happening,? adds Clemence, who would want to switch parts with her ?favourite character? from the series ? Dumbledore.