“You’re a wizard Harry,” Hagrid says to Harry proudly, standing in the doorway he has just battered down.

“I’m a what?” stutters a nervous looking, eleven-year-old boy.


They were the words to change the wizard’s life and thrust him, and us the reader/movie watcher, into an enchanting world of awe and mystery.

Well just like Harry didn’t know he was a wizard, there are plenty of things most viewers/readers still don’t know about the Harry Potter franchise.

Here are 33 fascinating facts you might not have known about JK Rowling’s immensely popular series. Enjoy!

Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone

1. Emma Watson Didn’t Want To Audition

If it was up to actress Emma Watson, she would have never been Hermione Granger at all.

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The casting team held auditions at schools across the country, and when they got to Emma’s, she had no wish to audition.

In fact, it was Emma’s teacher who convinced her to go for it, and she was the last girl seen that day.

Something about her must have caught the attention of casting directors because she was immediately called back for more screen testing.

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In fact, Watson had to go through a whopping eight(!) auditions before she found out she had bagged the role of Hermione Granger. The actress said, “I did eight auditions, and I would literally sit by the telephone in my house and wait for each call.” After the last audition a photo of Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint surfaced on the internet and the media went crazy. They were the first Harry Potter actors made public.

“They took a photograph of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and me, and it was broadcast on the Internet that we had been cast in HarryPotter.

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“By the time I got back to my house, there was press waiting outside. We moved straight into a hotel.”

2. Privet Drive Was Originally Shot On An Actual Street

The scenes at Privet Drive were first shot on an actual street, called Picket Post Close.

However, things didn’t go to plan when the cast and crew needed to do reshoots.

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The studio ended up having to build identical model houses for future films because they couldn’t get access to the house for reshoots.

Imagine living on the street where they first filmed Harry Potter?!

The real street is located in the quiet village of Bracknell, Oxfordshire and Warner Brothers had to pay residents a large fee in order to get permission to film there.

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It was actually cheaper to move production to Leavesden Studios as the people who lived there kept demanding fees for each shoot.

In the end, Picket Post Close only appears in the first and fifth movies.

Have you ever made a pilgrimage to the birth place of Harry Potter? Plenty of fans enjoy travelling to the house to try and get a selfie outside Privet Drive!

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We’re sure the neighbours love it…

3. Every Hogwarts letter written to Harry had to be handwritten – twice!

You know all of those Hogwarts acceptance letters that Harry received?

The ones the owls carried and shoot through Harry’s post box?

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Each one of them was carefully hand written in green embossed lettering and sealed ready for the owls to pick up.

However, producers quickly hit a snag when they realised that the letters were too heavy for the owls to carry!

Instead, all of those letters had to be rewritten again on smaller envelopes. Yikes!

We’re really glad we weren’t part of the props department when that mistake came to light.

If you want a piece of the action, you can now get your very own Hogwarts letters sent through the post.

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We were so disappointed on our eleventh birthday when we didn’t get our letter!

Still, we can’t believe that the prop designers had to rewrite all of those hundreds of letters before filming could begin. Doh.

Harry looks delighted to find out that he’s going to Hogwarts though…

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We’re so jealous!

4. J.K Rowling Was Offered The Role Of Lily Potter

J.K. Rowling could have had a minor part in her own film franchise.

The best-selling author herself was offered the part of Lily Potter in the scene where Harry sees his parents in the Mirror of Erised.

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Rowling has later stated that this was one of her favourite chapters in the books, so producers were convinced that she would accept the role.

However, the author turned it down and the part went instead to Geraldine Somerville.

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Rowling explained that she turned down the role of Lily because she wasn’t cut out to be an actress and was convinced that she’d mess up the scene somehow.

Instead Somerville did an excellent job in the role so we think everything worked out for the best!

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J K Rowling would probably agree too.

Instead she’s continued to write and has gone on to produce several books outside the Harry Potter universe.

Good for her!

5. Rowling Invented Quidditch After A Row With Her Then-Boyfriend

Quidditch was initially created under very tense circumstances!

Rowling has revealed that she invented Quidditch after having a big argument with her boyfriend.

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“If you want to create a game like Quidditch, what you have to do is have an enormous argument with your then-boyfriend,” Rowling said in an interview in 2003.

She quickly went on to explain:

“You walk out of the house, you sit down in a pub, and you invent Quidditch.

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“And I don’t really know what the connection is between the row and Quidditch except that Quidditch is quite a violent game.

“Maybe in my deepest, darkest soul I would quite like to see him hit by a bludger.”

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Yikes! Rowling must have been daydreaming about her boyfriend falling off his broomstick from a great height…

6. The American Edition of The Philosopher’s Stone Was Nearly Called Something Different

The US release of the movie nearly gave it a very different title.

The proposed title for the American edition of the first book was called “Harry Potter and the School of Magic.”

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Rowling turned it down, saying: “No—that doesn’t feel right to me … What if we called it the Sorcerer’s Stone?” We’re really glad she did, because it just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Rowling later revealed that she had been frustrated by the name change but didn’t feel as though she was in enough of a bargaining position at that point in time.

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The movies have been translated into a whole host of foreign languages too, including Welsh, Latin and even Ancient Greek!

In French, it is called Harry Potter a L’ecole Des Sorciers.

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This translates to Harry Potter and the School of Wizards, which is a bit different from its British title.

7. Steven Spielberg Nearly Directed The Film

The Harry Potter films might have looked very different indeed.

The acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg actually spent about five or six months developing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone before dropping out of the project.

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The director explained his decision at the time, stating “I just felt that I wasn’t ready to make an all-kids movie and my kids thought I was crazy.

“And the books were by that time popular, so when I dropped out, I knew it was going to be a phenomenon.

“But, you know I don’t make movies because they’re gonna to be phenomenons.”

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“I make movies because they have to touch me in a way that really commits me to a year, two years, three years of work.”

Fair enough! One of the ideas Spielberg had was to have the films animated and combine a few of the books.

We’re glad they didn’t do that!

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Instead Chris Columbus of Home Alone fame took on directing duties and the rest is history.

8. Tom Felton had never read the books before auditioning for the role of Draco

Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy, had never read any of the books before his audition.

Little did he know that veteran director Columbus was asking each potential actor what their favourite part of the Harry Potter books was! Oops.

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When it got to Felton’s turn, he simply repeated what he had heard the last person say about the scene in Gringotts.

Felton didn’t manage to get away with it and Columbus quickly saw through his obvious lying!

However, the director thought it was hilarious and clearly took a shine to Felton, because he was rewarded with the role of Harry’s nemesis, Draco.

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Apparently Felton had already auditioned for the parts of Harry and Ron before becoming the Slytherin student.

Felton has since said that he is extremely grateful he never got the chance to play Harry or Ron, because Radcliffe and Grint did an excellent job.

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Felton said he couldn’t have handled the pressure of playing a lead role.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

9. Lots Of Cars Were Harmed In The Making Of The Film

The Chamber of Secrets film should have come with a safety warning.

There were plenty of cars harmed in the making of the second film.

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In total, 14 Ford Anglias were completely wrecked during the scene where Harry and Ron crash Mr Weasley’s flying Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow!

They had to keep doing takes to get the shot just right.

That’s a lot of Anglias! Also, apparently one particular cast member was very fond of the cars and just had to take one home as a souvenir.

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That’s right – Rupert Grint reportedly owns one of the 1966 Ford Anglia Deluxes.

The motor is now on display in the National Motor Museum in Hampshire.

So any hardcore Potter fans out there can go and have a look at one of the real cars that weren’t destroyed during filming!

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Just don’t expect it to be flying around or anything…

10. Hugh Grant Was Originally Cast As Gilderoy Lockhart

That’s right, Hugh Grant was originally cast as the dashing wizard, Gilderoy Lockhart.

He had to pull out, however, due to scheduling conflicts.

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Jude Law was also considered but it was thought that he was too young at the time to play the dashing wizard. Funnily enough, Law has recently bagged a prominent role in one of the Harry Potter spin-offs.

This is perfect really, because he will now be playing young Dumbledore in the second Fantastic Beasts film.

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He is seen in the trailer standing in the very classroom that Lockhart famously frequented in the Chamber of Secrets.

It all comes around eventually in the world of lucrative franchises.

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The new film is set for release in November this year. All you hardcore Potter fans – keep an eye out!

11. Rupert Grint Had A Real Fear Of Spiders

Any arachnophobes, look away now!

Unfortunately poor old Rupert Grint is absolutely terrified of spiders, so he found the scenes involving Aragog in the Forbidden Forest extremely traumatising.

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When you see him looking scared when they go into the forest to meet the huge spider, Grint didn’t have to do much acting at all.

Grint is so terrified of the eight-legged creatures that even thinking about them makes him feel uncomfortable.

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In fact, his arachnophobia is so severe that he’s never been able to rewatch the scene where Harry and Ron go and talk to the flesh-eating spider (we can’t blame him!).

We bet he was relieved when filming wrapped on that particular scene!

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Personally I can’t think of anything worse than having to film opposite some massive hairy spiders.

Not for all of Rupert Grint’s Harry Potter salary…

12. Jason Isaacs Requested That Lucius Malfoy Have Long Hair

Nowadays we couldn’t imagine Lucius Malfoy without his iconic silver hair.

But originally the character wasn’t supposed to have long hair at all.

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Once Jason Isaacs was cast in the role, he requested the longer hair so that he could be properly distinguished from his silver-haired son, Draco.

Producers loved the idea and the prop department quickly made a glossy wig.

However, the hair kept falling in front of Isaacs’ face, which meant that during filming he had to keep his head tilted back.

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In fact, this worked out well for his portrayal of the Malfoy patriarch because it added to the air of snobbishness around Lucius. That’s why Lucius always seemed as though he was “looking down his nose at everyone.” Who knew?!

Who knew that such a little detail could make such a big difference to a character?!

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It definitely helped Jason Isaacs to become a memorable star in the series.

It’s stuff like this that make the performances in the Harry Potter franchise so memorable – props(!) to the costume department for coming up with that one.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

13. Alfonso Cuarón Ditched The School Robes

Alfonso Cuarón took over directing duties for the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004.

The new director to the franchise thought that it was unrealistic that students would wear their school robes all the time.

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As such, we see our characters in normal clothes much more than the previous two films (he has a point, you wouldn’t wear them after school.)

He also wanted to capture what a real school was like, so some students can be seen with their ties off, their shirts untucked and not looking their best.

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This makes a lot of sense, especially if you remember your old school days when most people paid no attention to following uniform rules.

Harry, Ron and co suddenly became a lot more casual in later films thanks to Cuarón.

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Did you notice the change to the costume department?

We think it was a great touch on the director’s part and really helped viewers to relate to the main characters more.

14. Ian McKellen Was Offered The Role of Dumbledore

Veteran actor Richard Harris sadly passed away in 2002.

After the unfortunate death of Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the previous two films, the role was offered to Ian McKellen.

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However, he turned down the part because Harris had previously been critical of him as an actor, and he couldn’t take over a part from an actor who didn’t approve of him.

Also it would have been very confusing seeing him as both Dumbledore AND Gandalf.

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Apparently Harris had once called veteran actors McKellen, Derek Jacobi and Kenneth Branagh “technically brilliant but passionless”. Harris was clearly a hard man to please!

Instead, Michael Gambon took over the role from Harris starting with the Prisoner of Azkaban.

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McKellen simply stated, “I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I know disapproved of me.”

15. Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley) Had To Wear A Fat Suit

Harry Melling wasn’t always as thin as he is now.

In the first couple of Harry Potter films, the actor who plays Dudley Dursley is noticeably rather chubby, which is in-keeping with his character in the books.

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However, he shed a tonne of weight in between the Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban films, leaving producers with a dilemma.

Eventually Melling had to wear a fat suit for the movie.

The actor later explained his decision to lose weight: “I was just starting drama school, and found I was moving around a lot.

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I also started to eat sensibly. The weight just dropped off. I went from 16st to 11st 5lb.”

Melling said that the weight loss helped him to get the roles he wanted, rather than just playing clownish characters all the time.

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The move definitely earned him a whole new set of female fans anyway! Dudley Dursley was arguably an unlikely lust object by the end of the series.

16. The director asked each of the three lead actors to write a personal essay about themselves

Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón had some very original ideas about how to coach his actors.

When the director first arrived on set, he wanted to get to know Radcliffe, Grint and Watson better so he asked them each to write a personal essay about themselves in their respective characters.

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Watson went into full-on Hermione mode and wrote a whopping 16-page essay.

Meanwhile, Radcliffe tried to copy what Harry would do by writing a simple one-page summary of himself.

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Grint clearly had no problems getting into character because he pulled a classic Ron move and didn’t bother turning the assignment into Cuarón at all.

It must have helped their relationship because Cuarón’s version of the Prisoner of Azkaban is one of the most popular films in the franchise!

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

17. Alan Rickman Wore Black Contact Lenses For His Part As Snape

Another film, another new director. How many is that now? This time, Mike Newell took over the helm.

However, it naturally took him a little while to get acquainted with his actors and once complimented Alan Rickman on his eyes.

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After he commented on Rickman’s amazing eye colour for Snape, the actor popped out his contact lenses there and then.

Mike didn’t realise that he wore contact lenses for his role!

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Rickman wore black contact lenses the whole time he played Snape, which really is true dedication.

The actor had to pop in the lenses for seven weeks each year that the Harry Potter films were shooting.

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It was worth the pain though, because it really gave Snape that dark and brooding look.

The potions master always looked slightly grim.

18. Daniel Radcliffe Didn’t Rehearse For The Yule Ball

Daniel Radcliffe was understandably one of the busiest actors on set.

The infamous Yule Ball scene shows Harry dancing with his date in front of the entire Hogwarts school (plus some other wizarding schools as well).

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Most of the actors were given three to four weeks of intensive dance training to practice for the Ball scene.

However, Radcliffe had a particularly hectic schedule during that particular filming period and as a result, the lead actor only managed to squeeze in a measly four days of dance lessons.

As such, they only really filmed Harry from the waist up because of his stumbling feet.

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That’s also probably why he looks so nervous during the actual scene.

Radcliffe really didn’t have to do much acting that day!

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Nice to know your performance will definitely come across as natural, anyway.

Look how disinterested Rob and Harry look in Padma and Parvati Patil!

19. Rita Skeeter had Icelandic Harry Potter fans laughing in the cinema

Harry Potter fans in Iceland got the giggles during Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

In this film we meet gossiping journalist Rita Skeeter for the first time.

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She first appears around 40 minutes into the movie, and Icelandic cinema audiences were treated to a good laugh when the character’s name is first introduced.

This is because it means something very different in Icelandic…

Apparently ‘Skeeter’ is pronounced exactly the same as the Icelandic verb “skīta” which actually happens to be a very rude word for defecating.

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Whoops!

We’re sure Rowling wouldn’t have minded the association because Skeeter does spew a lot of verbal diarrhoea in the books and the films.

We’ve all learnt a little bit of Icelandic thanks to that fun fact!

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It might not come in that useful though…

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

20. The Black Family Tree Was VERY Detailed

The Black Family Tree tapestry was actually extremely detailed.

We only see parts of it in the movie, but did you know that J.K. Rowling actually provided over 70 different names for the Black family tree seen hanging in 12 Grimmauld Place?

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Rowling also included details of the relationships between all of the family members.

If you want a closer look at the tapestry then never fear – the entire prop is available to view in all of its glory at the Harry Potter World in London.

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The actual design was based on the real-life Devonshire Hunting Tapestries which have been displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The tapestries are owned by the Duke of Devonshire.

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They also own Hardwick Hall – the real-life model for the Malfoy’s manor.

21. Arthur Weasley Was Supposed To Die

Arthur Weasley nearly met a very grisly fate.

Rowling originally intended to kill Arthur Weasley after he is attacked by Nagini in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She opted to save him because there were very few good fathers in the book.

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She also seriously considered killing Ron, but then thought better of it.

Instead, Lupin and Tonks kicked the bucket in the last book in an echo to Harry losing his parents in the first wizarding war (Tonks had not long given birth to their son Teddy Lupin).

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Teddy was raised by his Grandmother, Andromeda Tonks, with the help of the Potter and Weasley families.

Still, the loss of the tragic lovers was a hard one for Harry Potter fans to watch.

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They definitely provided a great side plot to the main Potter story.

22. Evanna Lynch Designed Her Own Props

The prop department were given a bit of a break when the role of Luna Lovegood was cast.

The actress who played Lovegood, Evanna Lynch, designed and made her own radish earrings for Luna to wear.

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Evanna got the role of Luna after open auditions were held and thousands of eager blonde-haired girls turned up to try and bag a part in the Harry Potter franchise.

But it turns out that Lynch might have been at an advantage compared to everyone else… Why?

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She already knew J K Rowling.

Before getting the role, Evanna had previously written to Rowling about her struggle with anorexia and J.K. Rowling replied, so they had previously spoken through letters.

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Lynch has stated that Rowling’s contact helped her to get over her eating disorder at the age of 11 years old.

23. Stephen King Thought Umbridge Was One Of The Best Literary Villains

Stephen King is a massive fan of the Harry Potter franchise.

And he has paid Rowling a lot of compliments in the past.

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In his review of Order of the Phoenix for Entertainment Weekly, King said, “The gently smiling Dolores Umbridge, with her girlish voice, toadlike face, and clutching, stubby fingers, is the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter.”

That’s quite a compliment coming from one of the most celebrated horror/thriller writers of all time.

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King has also put forward his own reasons as to why Rowling can’t seem to stop tinkering with the world of Harry Potter.

“I think she likes the Harry Potter people, and it’s a little bit hard for her to let go.

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“And she’s aware that there are millions and millions of people who loved those books.” We’ll say!

24. Alan Rickman banned Matthew Lewis and Rupert Grint from going near his BMW

Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis got up to some antics on set.

But sometimes that ended up annoying their fellow cast members!

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In fact, during filming of the Goblet of Fire, they managed to seriously wind up Alan Rickman.

After Grint and Lewis got into Rickman’s BMW and spilled milkshake all over the inside of the car, the actor was not amused.

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In fact, Rickman was so annoyed about his beloved BMW that he banned Lewis and Grint from coming within five metres of the vehicle!

 

Grint also once drew a caricature of Rickman as Snape when they were preparing to shoot a Potions class scene. Grint didn’t realise that Rickman was stood right behind him…

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However, Rickman thought it was hilarious and asked Grint to sign the picture so he could keep it. Nice!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

25. The Actor Who Played Young Voldemort Is Related to Old Voldemort

Remember the scenes with young Voldemort?

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin plays a young Voldemort in the film, when Dumbledore goes to visit his orphanage.

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This is a fitting casting choice, because he is actually the nephew of Ralph Fiennes, who plays Voldemort. Looks like they were keeping things in the family with this one.

Hero’s mum is Martha Fiennes, who is an award-winning director. Seems as though the Fiennes really love the world of cinema!

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Hero is now 20 years old and seems to be pursuing a career in modelling.

 

He certainly looks a lot different now! Very grown-up…

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He has been spotted walking down the runway for big-name designers such as Dolce & Gabbana during Fashion Week.

26. The Script Originally Had Dumbledore Talk About A Girl He Liked

The film script originally included Dumbledore remembering a girl he used to fancy.

But as we all know now, Rowling was forced to drop a bombshell about the headmaster’s sexuality after she read the script and realised that people had to know.

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J.K. Rowling had to reveal to the writers that Dumbledore was gay and had only ever liked the dark wizard Grindelwald.

Rowling made the shock revelation in 2007.

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She said that he was gay before adding that “Falling in love can blind us to an extent.”

She said that Dumbledore was “horribly, horribly let down” and felt that his love for Grindelwald was his biggest tragedy in life.

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Grindelwald is played by Jonny Depp in the movie franchise.

27. Chris Columbus was amazed at how well the three main actors matured

Chris Columbus has a lot of experience working with child actors.

He’s always had a reputation for keeping things nice and clean on-set, with many people praising him for the atmosphere he creates for his young stars.

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However, even Columbus wasn’t prepared for just how well Grint, Radcliffe and Watson had matured over the course of their many films.

Columbus later confessed that he was amazed at how well they had grown-up.

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Columbus was impressed at how well-adjusted they all were in spite of their fame.

This comes in sharp comparison to some child actors who start out as adorable young kids and then become difficult to work with or lose their way with drugs/alcohol.

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That’s a very high compliment for the three English actors!

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

28. Father And Son Play Different Parts In The Film

Did you spot this father and son duo?

Domhnall Gleeson, who plays Bill Weasley in the film, is actually the son of Brendan Gleeson, who plays Mad Eye Moody.

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The Irish actors both appeared in the same movie together, although their roles were very different.

Since then Domhnall has gone on to experience a lot of success in Hollywood.

 

He’s now part of another big franchise – Star Wars – but his dreams came true during filming for Harry Potter after he got to act alongside his dear old dad.

Speaking about the effects of his career on his family, Brendan recently stated in an interview that:

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“You have to be true to the work but at the same time I don’t want to lose my family.”

“If you are working with family, well you have to put the family at the top of the tree.”

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“You don’t want the work to suffer and so it can get a bit ropey.”

29. Jason Isaacs Almost Didn’t Sign On For The Film

Jason Isaacs nearly didn’t sign up to the film because he was worried about his involvement in the main storyline. Imagine that!

Fans will remember that, at the end of The Order of the Phoenix, Lucius Malfoy is in prison.

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Therefore Jason Isaacs feared that he wouldn’t get much screen time.

Instead he went straight to the source and reportedly begged J.K. Rowling to write him back in!

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The author subsequently reassured him that he’d be out of prison before the end of the first chapter.

Luckily in real life, the actor wasn’t overstepping his mark because the pair are actually quite close and Isaacs refers to the author as ‘Jo’.

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We’re definitely glad that he got more screen time as Lucius!

30. Radcliffe Appears In The Film As A Different Character

You have to watch carefully for this one!

Radcliffe technically appears in the film as two different characters.

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In the scene where the gang are in a London cafe, a poster on the wall is of Daniel Radcliffe’s play Equus, in which he gets his wand out. Did you spot it the first time round?

The posters for the movie looked so intense!

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Radcliffe ended up appearing in the play in 2008, and the play generated a lot of attention due to the fact the former child star was appearing in a full-frontal scene.

It helped to establish Radcliffe as a serious actor outside of the franchise.

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Did you go and see Equus? At least you can boast that you got to see Harry’s magic wand…

31. It Was Nearly Harry Who Fought Snape

This would have been a serious change to the plot…

In the scene in the Great Hall, where McGonagall faces off against Snape, things could have gone a whole lot different.

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The film scripts nearly gave the role to Harry and changed the dynamic between the pair.

However, Rowling had a lot of influence over what happened in the movie.

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J.K. Rowling, who was credited as a producer for the first time in the film franchise, insisted that it remained McGonagall because it was an integral part of her character.

Instead we were treated to a powerful scene between the two co-workers facing off against each other.

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We’re glad Rowling was on hand to have her say and keep the original storyline in place.

32. J.K. Rowling Had Sketched Out The Ending To The Deathly Hallows In Her First Year Of Writing Potter

There were rumours that Rowling long had the first chapter of the Deathly Hallows written and locked in a safe for a while.

She said these were rubbish but that she did have a sketch for the ending of the Deathly Hallows.

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“I had, very early on—but not the first day or anything, probably within the first year of writing—I wrote a sketch for what I thought the final chapter would be,” she told Harry Potter’s big screen portrayer, Daniel Radcliffe.

“I always knew—and this was from really early on—that I was working toward the point where Hagrid carried Harry, alive but supposedly dead, out of the forest, always.

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“I knew we were always working towards a final battle at Hogwarts, I knew that Harry would walk to his death, I planned the ghosts—for want of a better word—coming back, that they would walk with him into the forest, we would all believe he was walking to his death, and he would emerge in Hagrid’s arms.”

And that mental image is what kept Hagrid alive, despite the fact that he “would have been a natural to kill in some ways,” Rowling said.

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“But because I always cleaved to this mental image of Hagrid being the one carrying Harry out … That was so perfect for me, because it was Hagrid who and took him into the world, and Hagrid who would bring him back …

That’s where we were always going. Hagrid was never in danger.”

33. The music playing at the end is the same track used at the end of The Philosopher’s Stone

Remember the music playing right at the end of the franchise?

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Maybe not, but we’ve still got a fascinating fact about it you might not have realised…

In a heartbreaking twist, it’s actually the same track used in the last scene of the Philosopher’s Stone when Harry waves goodbye to Hagrid on the Hogwarts Express.

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The song is entitled “Leaving Hogwarts” and brings an end to the entire franchise.

Did you know all of these Harry Potter film facts?

Let us know in the comments section below!