Tried-and-true 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' trio Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson found drier ground at the New York City premiere of their new movie, and they talked about Michael Jackson's memory to ET.

"There's a generation of people for whom his music marked a moment in their lives, presumably," says Daniel. "He provided … happiness for many people around the world."

"For me, it hasn't really sunk in that he's really gone," says Rupert. "He's such an icon and it doesn't really seem real."

"He was a magnificent figure of the century," says Sir Michael Gambon, aka Dumbledore. "He was so young, and it's terrible."

"I think it's really sad what happened," says Emma. "I had tickets to his last performance."

In what could be the darkest, scariest and most exciting 'Potter' movie yet, 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' finds the specter of the evil Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) hanging over Harry (Radcliffe) and the students of Hogwarts as Dumbledore (Gambon) sets out to prepare our hero for the final battle.

"Previously [Harry's] always had a student-teacher relationship with Dumbledore," explains Daniel. "This year it's turned into a relationship of a soldier with his commanding officer. It's a big difference from last year."

Directed by David Yates ('Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'), the film also stars 'Potter' perennials Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Dame Maggie Smith, David Thewlis and Helena Bonham Carter. The film is in theaters everywhere July 15.

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