Sideshow

Harry Potter and the aging process

At 14, Daniel Radcliffe, far right, is still recognizable as the star of the first two Potter movies. But as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban prepares to open June 4, fans might have to do a double take for co-stars Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), 15, left, and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), 14, who joined Radcliffe at Prisoner's U.S. premiere Sunday at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

To compare/contrast, check out the three as they appeared in the first film, 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, at top: from left, Watson, Radcliffe and Grint.

HARRY POTTER AND THE RAGING HORMONES: Screaming teenage girls were out in full force for the premiere. They started gathering about 4 a.m., 12 hours before the movie's starting time, and they made up a good portion of the crowd of about 500, New York's Daily News said.

They emoted desires for specific actors: "All I want is for him to acknowledge that I exist. That would make my life!" said Emily Cooper, 15, of Oakland, N.J., about Radcliffe to the Daily News. They critiqued the casting: "They pick the hottest actors," said Brielle Garttner, 14, of Garden City, Long Island. And they had signs, among them "Boxers or Briefs?" from Sarah Huang, 15, of Queens, N.Y., spotted by Cox News Service, and several saying "Marry us, Dan!"

HARRY POTTER AND THE MAGIC OF MUCH SHORTER HAIR: Also hard to recognize, mainly because he doesn't have his gelled-back Draco Malfoy mane, is Tom Felton, 16, who walked the red carpet and gave this assessment of Prisoner of Azkaban to the Associated Press: "It's more dark. A bit more edge of your seat. You might want to go with your mum." There were no reports of Felton attending with his mum.

HARRY POTTER AND THE LUSTFUL GROWNUP: Not all the expressive females were teens. Alan Rickman, 58, who plays Severus Snape, the Hogwarts professor with major personal growth issues, got a marriage proposal from a woman the Associated Press described as "somewhat older" than a teen. "She must be desperate," Rickman responded dryly.

Sharon Fink can be reached at 727 893-8525 or fink@sptimes.com

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