“Harry Potter”: Unusual Facts About The Movies

“Harry Potter”
Unusual facts about the movies

20 years ago the sorcerer’s apprentice Harry Potter enchanted the German cinema screens for the first time. On November 22, 2001, the first film in the hit series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was released. The film grossed around $ 975 million worldwide – subsequent films reached similar amounts. Real “Potterheads”, as fans of the series call themselves, have seen the films several times and know almost all the details about the characters and actions. But bet these facts about the film franchise will surprise die-hard “Harry Potter” fans too?

These stars almost played in the films

A British handsome with a mischievous grin – hardly anyone would have been as suitable for the role of Gilderoy Lockhart as Hugh Grant (61). In fact, the actor already had the role for the magic teacher in his pocket. However, the shooting of the second “Harry Potter” film in 2002 clashed with that of “A Boss to Fall in Love with”. Jude Law (48) is also said to have been in conversation for the role. In the end, Kenneth Branagh (60) won the game.

Robin Williams (1951-2014) was also determined to get a role in the film series. He was considered a big fan of the books and allegedly had his eye on the role of Remus Lupine. For writer JK Rowling (56), however, it was a condition that every actor in the films is British. As an American, Williams therefore had no chance of the role.

Peeves, the Poltergeist was subsequently cut from the film

One of the characters who exists in the book but doesn’t appear in the films is Ghost Peeves. He’s the only poltergeist at Hogwarts and always in the mood for pranks. Although Peeves is part of every “Harry Potter” book, he is completely ignored in the film adaptation. The now deceased comedian Rik Mayall (1958-2014) was supposed to embody the poltergeist and was part of the filming of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” for a few weeks. Director Chris Columbus (63) was unhappy about the appearance of the character and cut the material and thus Peeves’ existence from the films. Mayall got his fee anyway.

Hidden Character: Who is the “Ginger Witch”?

But there was also a character who doesn’t appear in the book, but who smuggled himself into some “Harry Potter” films. The “Ginger Witch”, in German the red-haired witch, was probably only noticed by particularly attentive viewers. Because the graphic designers at House of MinaLima made fun of inventing a new character for the animated newspaper articles in the films. Headlines about the mysterious criminal witch can be read in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” as well as in the two “Fantastic Beasts” films.

Evanna Lynch designed jewelry for Luna Lovegood

The character of Luna Lovegood is not only characterized by her lively and eccentric manner, but also her very own style. Costume designer Jany Temime (62) revealed in an interview with “Inside” in 2020 that Lovegood actress Evanna Lynch (30) helped design the jewelry for her role. Lynch even made the famous radish earrings, which Luna Lovegood wears in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, among others.

One-Direction-Star secures a special prop

What happened to the props in the “Harry Potter” series? Anyone who thinks that they all ended up in museums is wrong. One can be found, for example, in the garden of ex-One Direction star Liam Payne (28). In a 2015 interview with Radio 1, the singer revealed that he had secured one of the cars Ron Weasley and Harry Potter used in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in the area. “Do you know the blue car, the flying car? I bought one because I’m a little nerd,” he confessed at the time. It is said that he paid a six-figure sum for the special purchase.

A bunch of kittens for Umbridge

Professor Umbridge was a big fan of china plates with cat motifs. The extraordinary decoration also adorned her office in the films. In order to bring the motifs to life, the film team bought hundreds of plates, painted them green and organized a very special day of shooting: over 40 kittens were filmed in different situations and with all kinds of objects, to later be animated with visual effects on the plates will. The whole thing also had a happy ending for the baby cats: They were all successfully conveyed after the shoot.

JK Rowling almost played his mother

In the first film in the series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, the deceased parents of the sorcerer’s apprentice can be seen for the first time. A look into the magical mirror Nerhegeb shows Lily and James Potter, played by Geraldine Somerville (54) and Adrian Rawlins (63). On her website, author JK Rowling revealed that film producers had originally offered her the role for the famous mirror scene. However, she turned down the offer because she was “not made as an actress”. “I would have screwed it up somehow,” she admitted.

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