10+ Magical Facts You Might Not Know About the Cast of “Harry Potter”

The Harry Potter series has captured the hearts of generations of children and adults alike. For one, the series is full of strong and exciting female characters that have inspired girls to be brave and to love themselves. And the behind-the-scenes facts about the cast show us the magic that goes into making our favorite movies, and the ways that things could have been different but ended up just right.

We at Bright Side also love the Harry Potter franchise, so we’re sharing these facts about some of the cast members that might surprise you.

Emma Watson

Emma Watson grew up in Oxford and took part-time theater classes alongside school, as she wanted to be an actor from a young age. It was, in fact, her theater teacher who recommended her to the casting directors of Harry Potter. They were impressed by her confidence. 8 auditions later, she was told she had won the beloved role of Hermione!

Helen McCrory

The incredible British actress Helen McCrory played Narcissa Malfoy, Draco’s mom, in the final movies. Her one regret was not being able to join the franchise earlier.

She was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange. But when she became pregnant, the role was recast and Helena Bonham Carter took it on. The fact that she came back in a later movie in a different role just shows how some things are just meant to be.

Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith was a true fighter during the filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The actress was sadly diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing treatment while filming the movie.

It is a testament to her incredible strength that she not only delivered a brilliant performance but beat her illness at the same time. No wonder she is one of the best actors in the world — she has even earned the triple crown of acting by winning an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony award.

Gary Oldman

This master of acting is apparently a master of music as well! On the set of the third film, Daniel Radcliffe started learning to play the bass guitar, and Oldman taught him how to play “Come Together” by the Beatles on his fourteenth birthday. Talk about a magical moment.

Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson contributed more than just her acting skills to her role as Professor Trelawney. The eccentric teacher behaves and dresses very strangely, and Emma had ideas to contribute. She sent some costume sketches to the director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Alfonso Cuarón, and the costume designer. They ended up incorporating her ideas.

Stanislav Yanevski

Stanislav Yanevski played the dashing Quidditch player, Viktor Krum, in the fourth movie, who swept Hermione off her feet at the Yule Ball. The actor was born and raised in Bulgaria, but he was spotted by the casting team while studying in England at the same school as the actor who played Dudley Dursley (Harry’s cousin).

Evanna Lynch

For the role of quirky student Luna Lovegood, the producers were looking to cast a newcomer. The young Evanna Lynch was a huge fan of the franchise, so she auditioned. When she was 14 years old, she was cast in the role. She beat 15,000 other girls in an open casting to win the coveted role in the series.

Alfred Enoch

Alfred Enoch played Dean Thomas in the franchise, but his casting was complete fate. In fact, he initially declined to go to an audition when they held an open casting call at his school. But he was later spotted at age 10 by the casting team while performing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. He has certainly kept busy since the series ended, graduating from the University of Oxford and landing many other major TV roles.

Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter was certainly committed to her role as the villain, Bellatrix Lestrange. She even practiced a duel scene’s wand choreography for 3 weeks prior to filming it. Sadly, however, the scene was ultimately cut. Carter was disappointed, as she had been looking forward to the scene.

Tom Felton

The Draco Malfoy actor had sneaky tricks of his own. The robes they had to wear had such large pockets, he used them to sneak food and drink onto set. After the third film, the costume team started sewing the pockets of his robe shut to prevent this sneaky behavior.

Bonnie Wright

Bonnie Wright’s casting as the youngest Weasley sibling was complete fate. She wasn’t even aware of the series, but her brother was a fan.

He felt that his little sister’s personality was similar to Ginny Weasley’s. He convinced their mother to let his sister audition when casting began for the first movie. She succeeded in getting the role and the rest is history.

Which of these facts did you find the most surprising? Who is your favorite of these characters in Harry Potter?