Harry Potter stars to stick with film after academic break

Jul 6, 2009, 15:20 GMT

   London - Britain's Harry Potter actors, who have grown up to become teenage millionaires, hope to pursue acting careers after the release this week of the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the penultimate adventure in the seven-book series.

   'I'm off to university in August, but that does not mean that I'll never be acting again,' said 19-year-old Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger in the world-famous series of British writer JK Rowling.

   Watson, who had an offer to study English Literature at Britain's Cambridge University, has chosen to go to a top US university to further her education.

'I just want to be more of a teenager and be more normal again,' she said at a news conference in London Monday, hinting at the 'celebrity' status the Potter stars have achieved in Britain.

   Meanwhile Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry, rejected as 'really incestuous' the idea that he should have had a fling with Watson.

   Radcliffe, whose estimated fortune of 30 million pounds (48.6 million dollars) makes him Britain's richest teenager, Monday dismissed ongoing speculation of a relationship between him and Watson.

   'There was never anybody I fancied that much in the cast, though conspiracy theorists always like to say that Emma and I are dating. Sorry guys, it's not happening, it's just not,' he said.

   Radcliffe, who has already appeared on the theatre stage in London, said he is learning ballet to equip himself for a 'future without Potter.'

   'I need to make myself as viable a choice for any part as I possibly can,' he said about his future.

   Rupert Grint, who plays Harry's friend Ron, also said he would like to stay with film. 'If it works out, I would like to stay with film. Let's wait and see.'

   The 6th film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has its world premiere in London Tuesday.