Alfonso Cuarón Calls ‘Harry Potter’ Years “Two of the Most Beautiful” of His Life

Alfonso Cuarón says making Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was one of the most rewarding experiences of his career.

Speaking at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea on Thursday, Cuarón said the film gave him “two of the most beautiful years of my life.” He admitted he was “a little reluctant to do it” when the opportunity first came his way.

“I learned so much,” Cuarón said. “I had no idea about visual effects before, but then after Harry Potter it was like second nature.” He credited working with top production designers and cinematographers for the experience.

Cuarón also said the industry cachet he earned from the franchise allowed him to make Children of Men, one of his most acclaimed films.

“I had written Children of Men before, and nobody wanted to do it,” he explained. “Then I did Harry Potter, and after, I was able to make Children of Men. So, I have nothing but gratitude towards Harry Potter.”

“I have nothing but gratitude towards Harry Potter.”

The director was at the Busan festival alongside his filmmaker son Jonás Cuarón, who is presenting his latest feature Campeón Gabacho. After an Imax screening of Gravity, Cuarón joined a master class moderated by Korean director Yeon Sang-ho.

During the conversation, Cuarón discussed his preference for long takes, which he says create space for instinct and “cinematic miracles.”

“You prepare and you control in order for the unexpected to happen and to allow it to come to life,” he said. He noted that time flows differently in each take and that he favors natural light for its “accidents of light, the accidents of weather.”

Cuarón said he measures a film’s success by what it teaches him, not by box office or reviews. He pointed to Children of Men, which received “very mediocre reviews” on release and was a box office flop, but is now widely discussed.

“Success has nothing to do with the results at the box office, or with critics or awards,” he said. “It’s about what you learned and how you grow as a filmmaker.”

The director reflected that making films has made his view of the world “more ambiguous, thank god.”

“When I was younger, film was everything, and life was only part of film,” he said. “I guess, now, I embrace life more. Life is just incredible. Film, for me, remains a very important part, but it’s just a part.”

• Alfonso Cuaron
• Busan International Film Festival
• Children of Men
• Harry Potter
• Prisoner of Azkaban
• Yeon Sang-ho