10 Times “Harry Potter” Actors Improvised and Made the Scenes Way Better

The fans of Harry Potter books often complain that many important scenes weren’t in the films. But nobody talks about the scenes that weren’t in the book or the script. They appeared in the film thanks to the actors’ improvisation skills.

We at Bright Side decided to talk about 10 times actors of the Harry Potter series decided to try something that wasn’t in the original script, and the movies became even better for this.

Luna’s dance

Actress Evanna Lynch, who portrayed Luna Lovegood, knows how unusual her character is. So, in order to show her extraordinary behavior and manners, she made up a dance she did with her father during Bill’s and Fleur’s wedding. The director liked the ridiculous moves so much that he decided to keep them in the film.

“Holy cricket, you’re Harry Potter!”

This is the phrase that Hermione Granger says when she meets Harry for the first time. And it was Emma Watson’s improvisation. Director Chris Columbus asked the young actress to say the first thing an 11-year-old girl would think of when she saw the legendary Harry Potter. And she did! She said, “Holy cricket, you’re Harry Potter!”

How Helena Bonham Carter got carried away

It’s really hard to imagine anyone but Helena Bonham Carter in the role of Bellatrix. She was so good in her role that the actor who portrayed Neville Longbottom almost lost his hearing. In the fifth film, when Bellatrix takes the boy hostage, she got so carried away that she damaged his eardrum when she put her wand into his ear. Later, Carter admitted that it was a bad idea.

The meaningful handshake between Hermione and Ron

Now everyone knows where Hermione’s and Ron’s friendship leads, but at the beginning, even J. K. Rowling didn’t know how things would end. At the end of the Chamber of Secrets, when Hermione gets discharged from the hospital wing and runs toward her friends, she hugs Harry and shakes hands with Ron. It wasn’t scripted, and the young actress said she was embarrassed about hugging both boys. The scene was so cute that it was kept in the film — and Emma Watson proves to have been a bit of a prophet.

Clicking of the tongue

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr. has a creepy habit of clicking his tongue and licking his lips. This behavior wasn’t described in the books or the script — it was David Tennant’s idea. Very attentive viewers could guess that Moody wasn’t real because he had the same mouth movements as Crouch.

Dream tandem

Who would have thought that Helena Bonham Carter and Emma Watson’s tandem is exactly what we needed? When we watch the scene that takes place at Malfoy’s Manor, where Bellatrix tortures Hermione, it makes our blood run cold. The actresses improvised in this scene after getting the green light from the director.

“What, exactly, is the function of a rubber duck?”

In the second film, when Harry arrives at the Burrow and meets Arthur Weasley, he asks him the absurd question, “What, exactly, is the function of a rubber duck?” This line wasn’t in the script, and it was improvised by Mark Williams. In each new take, he would ask an even odder question. But in the end, the rubber duck question is what was kept in the film.

The Dark Lord’s hug

One of the most awkward scenes in the Harry Potter movies is the one where Voldemort asks Draco to come up to him and hugs him. Draco was supposed to walk past the Dark Lord, but Ralph Fiennes decided to hug actor Tom Felton. This turn of events really surprised Felton, and the emotions you can see on his face are completely real.

Lucius Malfoy almost made the second part of the film final.

Jason Isaacs (the man who portrayed Draco’s father) almost used “Avada Kedavra” on Harry. The actor improvised and started saying something like, “Avada...” but Dobby stopped him in time.

Another Voldemort secret

Most of Voldemort’s final speech after conquering Hogwarts was Ralph Fiennes’ improvisation. The actor was changing the original text on the fly and said things differently in each new take. That day was long and tiring, and Fiennes did this to make the scene feel more energetic.

Whose acting from the Harry Potter series did you enjoy the most?