Harry Potter Rumors & Stories That Return To Hogwarts Proved Were True
Harry Potter’s decade-long franchise left plenty of mysterious rumors and stories from behind-the-scenes that fans long believed to be true, and Return to Hogwarts finally confirms many of them as the cast reminisces. While the biggest draw for the 2022 Harry Potter reunion was seeing Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint (along with the rest of the returning cast) back in a room together, Return to Hogwarts also revealed several anecdotes about the actors’ experiences and behind-the-scenes shenanigans that had never been heard. However, the dual openness and secrecy of the cast throughout the Harry Potter franchise’s era led numerous stories to be held as true for many years, but without much concrete confirmation by those involved.
HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary special was a heart-warming return to the magical world that has captivated audiences on-screen since 2001, making viewers eager for the possibility of a Harry Potter 9 or Cursed Child movie. While Return to Hogwarts typically avoided discussions of the present or future prospects for Harry Potter’s franchise, the reunion heavily focused on some of the most special and reality-checking memories of the cast from the original era. As such, some stories were new to viewers, like James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) pranking Rupert Grint about having to learn an entire dance routine ahead of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’s Yule Ball.
Other anecdotes from Harry Potter’s first eight movies have long circulated the internet and fandoms, though it’s been difficult to surmise the reliability of such tales until confirmation by the actors themselves in the reunion. Some of the biggest secrets recalled in Return to Hogwarts took footage directly from the Harry Potter movies’ DVD extras, though the reunion allowed for much more detail and clarification on such situations. Here’s a breakdown of the major rumors and stories from Harry Potter’s movies that the Return to Hogwarts reunion finally proved true.
One of the most widely circulated stories from Harry Potter’s set comes from the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The rumor had it that new Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuarón required Dan, Emma, and Rupert to write essays on their characters, with various accounts suggesting that Dan wrote half of a page, Emma wrote 16 pages, and Rupert didn’t do the assignment. The original Harry Potter stars have been asked about this rumor over the years, but a concise story from all parties had yet to be revealed. Return to Hogwarts finally provides answers to the essay anecdote, with Cuarón, Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint all sharing their memories of the task. Cuarón assigned the project because he believed Harry Potter’s big three actors knew their characters better than he ever could, and each submitted their responses in perfect accordance to their characters. Rupert Grint admitted that he never wrote his essay nor bothered to turn anything in, later making the excuse that Ron Weasley wouldn’t have done it either.
Considering wide-spread rumors of Emma Watson retiring from acting in 2021 were debunked, many had similarly taken the suggestion that Harry Potter's Hermione Granger actress wanted to quit the franchise with a grain of salt. It had long been believed that Watson wanted to leave Harry Potter around the time she was set to go to college, as she was taken aback by the life-changing fame from the movies and wanted to focus more on her schooling. Since Watson hadn’t spoken much on the subject, it wasn’t clear whether this rumor could be held as true or not. Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts proved the more than decade-long rumor to be true, as Watson remembered nearly calling it quits ahead of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Rupert Grint said he remembered her considering bowing out, and she admitted that this was true, as “the fame” truly got to her at such a young age and made her feel so lonely. Ron Weasley's Rupert Grint and Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe each shared that they had considered leaving as well due to the unavoidable fame that came with Harry Potter, and had known about Watson’s reservations but regrettably never said anything at the time. As history can tell, Watson continued to play Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger in the remaining movies, partially because of the vast support system from the fans, crew, and acting family.
It’s long been storied that Harry Potter author JK Rowling told Alan Rickman about Snape’s backstory before the final books had even been released, and Return to Hogwarts confirms that he was the only actor privy to such information. In Return to Hogwarts, Daniel Radcliffe and Gary Oldman reminisced about their time on set with Alan Rickman, particularly about how Rickman knew Snape’s backstory and spoilers but wouldn’t share the information with anyone, not even Chamber of Secrets director Chris Columbus. The director would ask Rickman why he performed a Snape scene in a certain way, and Rickman would only respond by saying he would tell him later. Radcliffe and Oldman recalled being jealous that they weren’t able to know such information about their own characters that far ahead of time, but realized how important it was for Alan Rickman to portray Snape in a way that aligned with the revelations of his character in Deathly Hallows.
As with most fandoms, Harry Potter lovers typically kept up-to-date on the personal lives of the movies’ stars, particularly if any engaged in a behind-the-scenes romance. While the Harry Potter crew kept clear of any major romances or breakups, the cast and crew admitted that hormones were raging around the filming of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, similar to the teenage trends of their characters. It was long rumored that Emma Watson had a major crush on Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton when she was younger, but Felton never reciprocated any romantic feelings as he was three years older. Fans have known that the two have had a close relationship for years as they have been seen together long after Harry Potter ended, but Return to Hogwarts finally saw the two confront their youthful crushes.
Watson admitted that she “fell in love” with Felton when he was asked to draw a picture of what God looked like and he drew a girl on a skateboard with a backwards hat. Felton never actually had seriously romantic feelings for Watson on Harry Potter, but loved her back in a platonic manner, often feeling protective over her in a “little sister” type of manner. Harry Potter's Draco Malfoy actor and Watson shared a heartwarming moment in Return to Hogwarts where they admitted they shared a love for each other, but nothing romantic has ever happened between the two, thus both confirming and dispelling long-believed rumors.
While Harry Potter fans had been eagerly waiting for Ron and Hermione to finally kiss and confirm their relationship in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were completely dreading it. Much like Daniel Radcliffe being uncomfortable by kissing the younger Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Watson and Rupert despised their kiss scene because they felt like siblings. It’s long been storied that Rupert Grint hated having to kiss Emma Watson because of how close they were, but Return to Hogwarts gives many more details on just how all three actors nearly ruined Ron and Hermione's dreaded kissing scene. Watson called the Deathly Hallows scene was "the most horrifying thing either of [them] ever had to go through,” revealing that while she didn’t “blackout” like Grint, she was glad to get it over with. While their descriptions of the scene sound brutal, it comes from a level of familial love that makes complete sense as the two watched each other grow up on Harry Potter since the time Watson was 9 years old.
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