Staunton Says Playing Umbridge is Tough Balancing Act

In a recent article posted on Time's website, actress Imelda Staunton had some interesting things to say about playing 'New Resident Evil Person at Hogwarts' Dolores Umbridge:

As Dolores Umbridge, the bureaucrat from the Ministry of Magic in this summer's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Imelda Staunton is a little bit priestess, a little bit villainous. Staunton, the latest in a line of top British thespians to visit Hogwart's, found it a tough balancing act: "The character has to be ridiculous and yet real and frightening. She has to be silly and yet not cartoony. It's difficult to gauge." The performance and the couture established an ostensibly soft side to Dolores. "She wears cardigans and pinks. She threatens, but if you don't listen to the words it's just a pleasant sound. She's gentle and pleasing. If she seemed hard, there would be no surprises."