It would be a massive understatement if we said that Harry Potter is a huge franchise. It’s ginormous.
The crew of three and everyone else on the cast has found its way into fans’ hearts to what has now become much more than just a couple of movies.
But with so much happening in the wizard universe, there is always something that even the biggest fans don’t know, or just miss, no matter how much they immerse themselves into the books and movies.
So, let’s go over some pretty magical Harry Potter facts, some from the backstage, some from the plot of the books and films, and maybe you won’t know a few of them. Who knows, after reading you might be able to ace every Harry Potter house quiz ever.
1. Schoolwork and the cast
During the filming of a couple of first movies, the main cast was still going to school. Normally, they had to meet deadlines, turn in homework and oftenly, catch on schoolwork on set, just so they can keep up.
2. Who was the first to be cast?
While it would make total sense for the first person to be cast for the movie to be Daniel Radcliffe, it really wasn’t! The first actor to score a role was Robbie Coltrane, or you may better know him as Hagrid.
Fun fact, Rupert Grint didn’t audition normally. Instead, he recorded a tape rapping about why he would be a great fit for the role of Run Wisley. Emma Watson, however, auditioned for her role at her school.
3. Who played Hedwick?
It’s always fun when a movie has animals on set, but it’s definitely challenging. In total seven different owls played the role of Hedwick throughout all movies. Not to disappoint, some of them had pretty cool names like Oh Oh, Oops and Swoops. All owls were from Massachusets. Maybe they were siblings?
4. Dementors are mainly based on J. K.’s battle with depression.
This would make so much sense. In an interview, J. K. Rowling herself made it known that Dementors, as creatures, are based on her own experiences with battling depression through the years.
Now you will look at the soul-sucking creatures in a different light.
5. All of the food in the grand hall was real!
During some scenes, there was a lot of food on set. So much so, that it would make a lot of sense if the crew used props instead of real food.
But everything was real! We’re talking hundreds of people on set, everyone having a full-sized meal in front of them. Now that’s attention to detail and devotion to make everything look amazing.
6. Alan Rickman knew more than other actors on the cast
When you have to build a character, you as an actor need to know the full picture. Unlike Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who grew as characters throughout the movies, Alan Rickman had to play Snape, which was an already established character. While Snape did grow during the movies, he played such a crucial role, that J. K. Rowling, let Alan Rickman in on a lot more stuff than anyone other in the cast, helping the actor give a true representation of the character.
7. Keep out
A little known fact is that if muggles stumbled upon Hogwarts, they’d see a building in pretty bad shape with the sign “Keep out! Dangerous”.
8. Unlikely fit
We all know who Draco Malfoy is. The slick-back blonde played his role so well, we hated him since the first movie. But at first, Tom Felton auditioned to for the role of Harry. Can you imagine him playing the lead?
9. Platform 9 ¾ is a real-life location
Yup, you can find it in King’s Cross station and even get yourself some memorabilia. They even have the trolley halfway in the bricks for your to snap a cool photo with!
10. J.K. Rowling and Harry share a birthday date
This is a pretty cool fact! We can only guess how much Rowling has incorporated of herself into Harry, but giving the main character the same birthday as yours must mean that it’s a lot.