The cast of Harry Potter have been reflecting on the franchise’s most iconic on-set moments ahead of an upcoming HBO special to mark its 20th anniversary.
The films’ titular star Daniel Radcliffe, who was just 11 when he was cast in the movie’s first instalment Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, couldn’t help but reflect on his first kiss during filming.
He said in the reunion on the set in Leavesden “Every part of my life is connected to Potter and to Leavesden. My first kiss is connected to someone here, my first girlfriends were here… It all spirals out from the Potter set somewhere.”
Daniel also recalled how he and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) hated being told to grow their hair out for a shaggier look in later films in the series.
He said: “We’re like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. You’re not leaving us like this? We’re supposed to be becoming teenagers and dating girls in this film! That’s not what it’s going to be, is it?’
(Image: HBO MAX)
“So, I think we were pretty devastated as we realized that it was.”
The highly-anticipated special – Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, reunites the actors and filmmakers from the eight-movie series that captured the hearts of fans across the world.
The three main characters are joined by a whole host of familiar faces, including Robbie Coltrane who played Hagrid, Lucius Malfoy star Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), and Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange).
(Image: HBO MAX)
Emma Watson, 31, said she was overwhelmed with emotion at the reunion having not seen cast-mates for so many years.
“Some of us haven’t seen each other for years. So it’s just been a joy. An unexpected joy,” she said.
For Gary Oldman, meanwhile, reuniting was a “weird experience because you met them as kid, and now some of them are married and they’ve got kids of their own.”
(Image: Tamworth Herald)
Since the franchise began in 2001 it has taken in around £10.59 billion at the global box office.
Author J.K. Rowling does not make a personal appearance on the reunion special but will show up in archive footage.
Rowling’s opinions on transgender issues in the last year have been a cause of controversy, with some in the LGBTQ community accusing her of transphobia.
Critics accused her of transphobia for mocking a headline about “people who menstruate.”
The 56-year-old posted an opinion article about creating equality for “people who menstruate” following the coronavirus pandemic, sparking backlash from fans of the franchise
The special will stream on Jan 1 on HBO Go.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
