We’ve been looking forward to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 DVD/Blu-ray for many of its features. But chief among them is the one-on-one conversation between Dan Radcliffe and J.K. Rowling.

We received an advance copy of the set and found this nugget.

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Early on in the conversation Dan explains to Jo that when he was first cast he was told they were to shoot six films in the United States. Upon hearing this, Rowling says to him in a surprised tone, “They didn’t tell me that!” “That’s probably why it stayed in the United Kingdom, you put your foot down,” Radcliffe replies.

Rowling then goes into when and where she saw Dan for the first time:

“The first time I ever saw you was in my home, on my television screen. They sent me a video of you. I saw you on that audition video. I don’t think I ever really told you I found it incredibily moving. [Because] at that moment I didn’t have a son. I phoned David up and said ‘He’s great, he’s fantastic.’ It was like watching my son on the screen. Harry feels like this ghostly son I’ve had in my life. To be honest, you and Rupert and Emma are all too good looking. The characters were geeky and you –” Dan: “Did you know that was going to happen?” Rowling: “I’m not an idiot. It was really lucky – I spoke to Emma first before I met her. I fell absolutely in love with her. She said to me, in a rushed tone, ‘I’ve only ever acted in school drama plays before! And my god! I just can’t believe I got the part!’ She spoke 60 seconds without drawing breath and I just said to her, ‘Emma, you’re perfect.’ I just kinda had to go, “It’s film, go with it. I’m still going to see the geeky, ugly duckling Hermione in my mind.”

Do you think it was right for Warner Brothers to cast actors who certainly weren’t handsome or pretty?