CAN there be a child in Britain who hasn’t yet read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone? Yes, but it didn’t stop him getting a part in the film.

“I find it more exciting waiting for the film to come out,” said 13-year-old Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy, the Hogwarts school bully and Harry’s arch-rival. “At the audition I sort of blagged my way through - I knew the storyline and as soon as I got the script, I read it and found out who I was playing.

“I’m quite active and after school I’d rather play sport. I don’t read that much.”

He does plan to catch up with JK Rowling’s books once the film opens on November 16. For the young actors playing the budding wizards and witches in Christopher Columbus’s Harry Potter movies, Hogwarts is a welcome respite from normal school life.

“The best thing about Hogwarts is that there are no rules because you’ve got magic,” said Tom. “That’s why kids like Harry Potter, it takes them away from their normal school routine.

“It’s not meant to be taken that seriously - you’re not meant to go to school and try to fly. After school you can go home, read the book and pretend you’re in it.”

Draco is an insufferable snob as well as a bully: he picks on Harry because of his mixed (wizard and non-wizard) parentage and on Harry’s friend Ron because his family is poor.

“I’ll probably be the most hated kid in Britain after this, but I’m looking forward to it,” said Tom, who’s hair has been dyed blond for the part.

He has already appeared in The Borrowers, Anna and the King, and the UK television series, Second Sight and Bugs, and is used to being the only child on set.

Harry Potter marked a welcome change. Aside from the main cast, there are more than 2,000 school-age extras. Matthew Lewis, who is as timid in person as his on-screen character Neville Longbottom, the class wimp whose spells keep going wrong, said acting was easier than being at school.

The 12-year-old said Columbus, who directed Mrs Doubtfire and Stepmom, was down-to-earth and added: “If you mess up your lines he doesn’t scream at you. He just says to calm down and do it again.”

Alan Rickman is the young actors’ undisputed favourite among the adult players. Not only is he spine-tinglingly good as the seemingly evil Professor Snape, but he gave the young actors tips on playing nasty characters.

Tom and his two henchmen, 12-year-old Jamie Waylett as Crabbe and 14-year-old Joshua Herdman as Goyle, were impressed.

“He helped us make our characters look more evil, to use our voices, to stand the right way,” said Tom. “The best place on the set was Snape’s class,” said Jamie. “It was a really small cave, with bits of rat and everything in jars - eyeballs, hands, freaky stuff, cultures of dry ice to cook up your potions.”

But was it for real?

“They said one of them was actually a baby pig,” said Jamie.

Josh retorted: “I think they were winding you up.”