Harry’s Eyes Were Supposed To Be Green, But The Contacts Irritated Daniel Radcliffe’s Eyes
J.K.
Rowling agreed to let Harry have blue eyes in the movie after it was discovered the colored contacts irritated the actor’s eyes.
Real Food Was Used During Great Hall Feasts In The First Movie
The production crew cut no corners when it came to accurately portraying the books, and even though it was costly, real food was used during the Great Hall feast scenes.
The Food Spoiled Quickly Under Hot Production Lights And Created Bad Smells
Because the food was real, it quickly spoiled under the hot lights and created foul odors.
In the next movies, they used fake molds of frozen food to avoid the bad-smelling problem.
The Actor Who Played Dudley Dursley Lost Too Much Weight In Between Movies
The transformation of Dudley from overweight to fit is included in the books. However, actor Harry Melling lost so much weight in between movies that the makeup crew had to create a fat suit and special face prosthetics.
Still, most of his scenes had to be cut due to his extreme weight loss.
Daniel Radcliffe Went Through 160 Pairs Of Prop Glasses Throughout All Of The Movies
He also went through 60 or 70 wands during the series production.
Arthur Weasley Was Originally Supposed To Die In ‘Order Of The Phoenix’
Instead, J.K.
Rowling killed off Sirius Black when Bellatrix hit him with a curse, which knocked him through the veiled archway.
Casting Director Susie Figgis Left Production Of ‘Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone’ Because Of Director Chris Colombus
Susie Figgis was working as a casting director for the first movie, however, she left after Chris Colombus was “too picky” about casting the roles.
It’s said Colombus found none of the thousands of children who auditioned to be worthy of playing the parts.
The Thousands Of Boxes Of Wands In The Ollivanders Wand Shop Scenes Were All Decorated By Hand
There were over 17,000 hand-decorated wand boxes for the scenes at Ollivanders Wand Shop
Hermione Didn’t Have Buck Teeth In The Movie Because Emma Watson Couldn’t Talk With The Fake Teeth
Hermione had buck teeth in the book series, but not in the movies because Emma Watson had trouble speaking with the fake teeth in her mouth.
The British Film Industry Changed Child Labor Laws To Accommodate Filming
With a cast of 10 and 11-year-olds, the production was limited to four hours of filming a day with a minimum of three additional hours dedicated to schoolwork.
However, British officials changed the child labor laws to add a few more working hours to the week and to make on-set classes more flexible.
The Cast Had Weeks Of Dance Practice In Preparation For The Yule Ball
The actors attended nearly three weeks of dance classes for the Yule Ball scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, except Daniel Radcliffe. Because of his heavy acting schedule, Radcliffe was only able to attend a few classes.
He’s mostly filmed from the waist up during the Yule Ball, so viewers can’t see his awkward motions.
The Real Duke Humfrey’s Library Allowed Production To Use A Flame During A Scene, Which Broke Their Rule Of No Fire For The First Time In Hundreds Of Years
Duke Humfrey’s Library is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, and it has a strict “no flame” policy.
However, they allowed production to use a flame in the lantern Harry uses while sneaking into the forbidden section.
J.K Rowling Was Tired Of Explaining How To Say “Hermione,” So She Had The Character Teach Readers How To Pronounce It
Author J.K Rowling said she was constantly asked how to pronounce Hermione’s name, so she had the character teach Viktor Krum how to say in it in Goblet of Fire.
The Actors Ad-libbed Lines When They Forgot Their Real Ones
Once they were comfortable with their characters, the actors started adding improvised lines to scenes.
In one scene, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) ad-libs the line "I didn't know you could read" to his friend Goyle, because he forgot the real one.
Dumbledore’s Telescope Was One Of The Most Expensive Props
The telescope is engraved with the signs of the zodiac and was one of the most expensive props used during filming.
The Movies Went Through A Lot Of Directors
Chris Columbus directed the first two movies before becoming “burned out.” Alfonso Cuaron directed the third, Mike Newell stepped in to direct the fourth, and David Yates directed the last four.
Each time a new director took over, they would all get together to ensure the movie flowed.
American Versions Are Called “Sorcerer’s Stone” While All Other Versions Are “Philosopher’s Stone”
Scholastic bought the rights to the book for the American market and didn’t like how Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sounded.
So, the company had it changed and all the scenes of the movie that contained the phrase “philosopher’s stone” had to be re-shot with the actors saying “sorcerer’s stone.”
Apple Juice Was Used In Place Of Butterbeer
The actors were actually drinking apple juice during the butterbeer scenes.
Daniel Radcliffe Was Discovered In A Movie Theater
Daniel Radcliffe was first discovered by producer David Heyman and writer Steve Kloves as he attended a movie.
Heyman first noticed Radcliffe looked the part, then convinced his parents to allow him to audition for the role.
Steven Spielberg Was The First Choice For Director
Spielberg was first approached to direct Harry Potter, but after some consideration, he was found to not be the right fit for the job.
It’s said he wanted the movie to be animated with actor Haley Joel Osment voicing the main character.