THE climax of the Harry Potter series marks the end of an era for audiences who have loyally read the books and followed the movies.

But it is also a watershed for the cast and crew who have brought eight films to the screen, not least the young cast members plucked from primary school obscurity 10 years ago to portray the characters created by JK Rowling’s novels.

Emma Watson, who has grown from a shy young schoolgirl into a modern style icon over the decade in which she has played Hermione Granger, sums it up eloquently when asked what her characters means to her.

“What doesn’t she mean to me? I think of her like a sister, she feels so real to me. When people ask what I’ll miss most, of course I will miss the people, but I will actually miss being her most of all.”

Daniel Radcliffe, who took time out from performing on Broadway to attend the UK premiere last week, has mixed emotions about the end of Harry Potter – sadness that it’s finally over but proud at what they’ve all achieved.

“I’m so thrilled with this film,” he beams. “I think of it as being light years ahead of any of the other films in the series. I suppose I’ll miss the crew most of all, really. And the cast. I’ll also miss getting to do some of the stuff that I get to do as Harry.

“I don’t really have the natural frame and stature of an action hero, so it’s kind of a gift for a young actor to be able to do all that stuff. I got to do a 40 foot freefall down a roof when I was 15, and all the underwater stuff. Bursting out of the water, surrounded by a ring of fire. I’ll never get to do that again in my career. So I’ll miss the opportunities that playing Harry affords you.”

Radcliffe, Watson, Rupert Grint and the rest have all grown up before our eyes through this epic series of films, maturing into young actors who are both financially secure as a result of Harry Potter but also eager to move onto the next challenge.

And in many ways Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a fitting end as it provides not only their most grown up acting challenges – from snogging to fighting to parenthood – but also sees each of their characters stand at the crossroads of their own destinies.

“We’ve all grown up so much and we all just learned by doing and by being around each other,” Radcliffe adds.

“I think the bond between me and Rupert and Emma is pretty unbreakable because I don’t think anyone knows what it’s like to go through this craziness.”

The flipside of the bonds between the younger cast members is the effect these films have had on the already successful careers of more senior actors in the cast. The likes of Robbie Coltrane, as Hagrid; Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy; and Michael Gambon, who took on the role of Dumbledore from the late Richard Harris.

“This is one story that has taken 10 years to tell so beautifully,” nods Isaacs, “and it seems to me there’s not a drop of cynicism in anyone’s participation. It’s an odd thing to be asked how it affected your career because I don’t know what it would have been had I not been in these films.

“I just know that I’ve loved every second of my participation in the films. I don’t normally care what happens after I do my job, which is the acting. I love that part of it, but very unusually for me I love being part of everything to do with Harry Potter. And seeing that it’s received with as much love as we made it is a very rare experience.”