If you haven’t watched the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Reunion: Return to Hogwarts then look away now! You’ve been warned that spoilers are ahead.
The highly-anticipated reunion between the beloved actors was what dreams are made of. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) all featured in the reunion, as well as several other popular cast members such as Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood).
The cast talked about their most memorable moments on the set of Harry Potter that they worked on for a full decade at Leavesden Studios. Fans were in for a treat as the actors covered several things, whilst reminiscing, that they hadn’t necessarily spoken publicly about. Behold seven things (it made sense to choose seven things since it’s such a significant number in the franchise) we learnt from the Harry Potter reunion
1. Emma Watson was tempted to quit
Emma Watson revealed that there was time, after Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where she seriously considered quitting playing Hermione Granger.
Emma talked about how she was “lonely” while filming as she was the only girl who was always on the set and she was also the youngest. Luckily, she agreed to continue filming after realising “the fans genuinely wanted you to succeed”.
2. Daniel Radcliffe sent Helena Bonham-Carter a love letter
Daniel Radcliffe sat down with Helena Bonham-Carter to talk about their characters Harry Potter and Bellatrix Lestrange. But the chat took an unexpected turn when Helena made Daniel read out a love letter that he once sent her.
The letter, that was written during the filming of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, said: “I do love you, and I just wish I’d been born ten years earlier, I might have been in with a chance.”
3. Emma Watson and Tom Felton have a mutual platonic love
For years romance rumours have always swirled around Potter co-stars Emma Watson and Tom Felton. Though the pair played sworn enemies on-screen, off-screen they have a “lot of love” for each other.
Emma revealed that she “fell in love” with Tom during a task in school where they’d been asked to draw what they thought God looked like and Tom had drawn “a girl with a backward hat on a skateboard”. Tom says he knew of her crush and that he “always had a soft spot for her, and that continues to the day”.
Emma made sure to express that “nothing has ever, ever, ever, ever happened romantically” but that they “just love each other”.
4. Rupert Grint only knew how to play Ron
Rupert Grint played Ron Weasley for ten years of his life so it’s no surprise that when Harry Potter drew to a close, it was hard for him to accept.
Rupert confessed to Emma and Daniel that he “lost track” of who he was as all he’d ever known was how to play Ron. He said that he even questioned himself “Who am I? What do I like to do? What is important to me?”.
5. Jason Isaacs auditioned for another role
It is extremely hard to imagine anybody else playing Lucius Malfoy but there was a possibility that could’ve happened. Jason Isaacs revealed in his interview for the show that he auditioned for Gilderoy Lockhart.
Jason told the story of how he first auditioned for Gilderoy Lockhart and then Chris Columbus asked him to read for Lucius Malfoy instead. He didn’t want another villainous role so was hesitant to audition but gave it a go anyway. Jason chuckled as he said “I’m convinced I ended up playing Lucius because I didn’t want to”.
6. Oliver Phelps broke Mike Newell’s rib
In typical George Weasley style, Oliver Phelps admitted to breaking Mike Newell’s ribs. Mike, who directed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, talked about how the Weasley twins had to wrestle each other in one scene and he decided to show them how to do it.
Mike demonstrated to James and Oliver how he wanted it to look, by wrestling Oliver on the floor. He said he “really shouldn’t have done it” since he broke a few of his ribs in the meantime. James laughed, poking fun at his twin and said, as he pointed at Oliver, “You know when you shouldn’t break a director’s rib?”
7. It took a while to cast the Harry Potter
Chris Columbus, the director of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, said that it was “insane” to cast Harry Potter. The struggle was definitely real for the crew.
Chris said he was watching the BBC version of David Copperfield and spotted Daniel Radcliffe, he was determined to cast him as Harry but Daniel’s parents refused. David Heyman, producer of all the Potter films, finally convinced Daniel’s parents to let him audition and the rest is history.
I absolutely loved the Harry Potter reunion, I was looking forward to it for so long and it really didn’t disappoint. One of my absolute favourite parts was the actors paying tribute to those wonderful actors who are no longer with us. I thought it was such a beautiful, fitting and emotional tribute.
What was your favourite part of the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Reunion: Return to Hogwarts? Let me know in the comments below.
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