'Harry Potter's Matthew Lewis: 'Press attention made me uncomfortable'

Matthew Lewis has revealed that he felt "uncomfortable" with the media attention he has received for his physical transformation.

The Harry Potter star plays Neville Longbottom, who went from being a shy student to a hero in the final instalment of the franchise.

"It was a pretty daunting experience, to be honest with you. The film came out while I was flying to Australia," Lewis shared to The Telegraph. "When I landed there was all the news about [box office] records being broken, and various bits of press about me - all the headlines about how I'd been 'transformed'.

"I called [my publicist] Will and said, 'I don't like this'. It was very, very weird, and I suddenly felt very exposed. People started focusing on my appearance rather than my work, and I was uncomfortable with it.

"It was all very nice things they were saying, very flattering and humbling, but it was very odd. I just wanted to get back to [my hometown] Leeds and focus on work."

Lewis also confessed that he hated the false yellow teeth, fat suit and ear prosthetic he wore in the movies.

"When I was about 15 or 16, I hated it. I thought this is what the rest of the world thinks I am, what I really look like," he added. "I was so sick of the fat suit I used to take it off as soon as I came off set even if it was only for 20 minutes."

"Then I started to appreciate what it was all about. Becoming a character was important, and by the end I had a whole new appreciation of it. That fat suit and the make-up did help me get into the role. I'm glad I stuck with it."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was was released on DVD, Blu-ray, Triple Play and Digital Download last week.

Watch a 'Look Back' at the eight Harry Potter films below: