TV Shows & Movies
25 Great Movies That Are Hard To Recommend
25. Tom Felton improvised His Best Line
One of Draco Malfoy’s most savage lines, “I didn’t know you could read”, was improvised. Tom Felton forgot his original line and just went with it, and it ended up being one of his most iconic moments. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
24. Radcliffe Tried Green Contacts For The Role
In the books, Harry has bright green eyes, but Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t. They tried giving him green contacts for the role, but his eyes reacted badly, so they just let him keep his natural color. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
23. Name For The First Harry Potter Book Was Almost Different
The first Harry Potter book almost had a different name in the U.S.—Harry Potter and the School of Magic. But Rowling suggested Sorcerer’s Stone instead, and that’s the title that stuck. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
22. Quidditch Was Inspired By Real Fight
Quidditch was born out of a bad breakup. J.K. Rowling came up with the idea after a fight with her ex. She once joked she didn’t remember the exact link, except maybe that "in my deepest, darkest soul I would quite like to see him hit by a bludger." | © Warner Bros. Pictures
21. Scar On Harry's Head Changes
Look closely and you’ll spot it - Harry’s lightning scar isn’t in the same place in the books and the movies. On the book covers, it’s right in the middle of his forehead, but in movies, it’s off to the side. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
20. J.K. Rowling And Harry Potter Have Same Birthday
Harry Potter and his creator share more than just a story. J.K. Rowling gave him her birthday, July 31. It’s a fun little detail that ties them together forever. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
19. Dumbledore Saw His family
When Dumbledore tells Harry he sees a pair of socks in the Mirror of Erised, he’s not being honest, but he is being Dumbledore. J.K. Rowling later revealed he saw his family, alive and whole, a quiet wish he rarely let anyone see. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
18. Hidden Motto Meaning
The Hogwarts motto, Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus, sounds serious until you find out it means "Never tickle a sleeping dragon." It’s weirdly perfect for a school where danger is just part of the curriculum. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
17. Harry, Tom Riddle, And Snape Are Three Brothers
Many fans believe that Harry, Snape, and Voldemort mirror the three brothers from The Tales of the Three Brothers. Voldemort chased power, Snape was driven by lost love, and Harry accepted death like an old friend, just like in the story. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
16. Franchise Is Sometimes Autobiographical
Parts of Harry Potter were pulled straight from J.K. Rowling’s real life. The Dementors were inspired by her battle with depression, and Hagrid was based on a giant biker she once met, scary on the outside, but full of heart. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
15. Ron’s Patronus Is A Jack Russell Terrier
Ron’s Patronus is a Jack Russell terrier — a dog breed known for chasing otters. And guess what Hermione’s Patronus is? Yep, an otter. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
14. Emma Watson Auditioned For The Role Of Hermione At School
Emma Watson’s big break didn’t happen in some flashy studio; it happened at school. Casting agents came looking for a Hermione, and Emma auditioned right there in class, just another day at school that changed her life. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
13. Dumbledore Could See Harry When Harry Was Using The Invisibility Cloak
Dumbledore wasn’t fooled by Harry’s invisibility cloak because he could still see him. He quietly used a spell called homenum revelio to sense people nearby, which is how he always seemed to know more than he let on. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
12. Goblet Of Fire Nearly Became Two-Part Movie
Goblet of Fire was almost split into two movies because of how packed the book was, but the filmmakers decided to keep it as one. If they’d gone the two-part route then, we might’ve ended up with a much longer series, not just a split Deathly Hallows. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
11. Deathly Hallows Has A Real-Life Story Inspiration
The idea for the Deathly Hallows came from a real medieval story, The Pardoner’s Tale from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. It’s a short moral fable about three men trying to cheat death, which fits perfectly with the Hallows' theme. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
10. Alan Rickman Knew Some Story Secrets
Alan Rickman was told early on that Snape had secretly loved Harry’s mom, a detail most of the cast didn’t know. It helped him play the role with just the right mix of cold and conflicted, and once you know the backstory, his performance hits way harder. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
9. Only Two Of The Three Protagonists Auditioned
Of the main trio, only Emma Watson and Rupert Grint actually auditioned for their roles. Daniel Radcliffe was handpicked by director Chris Columbus after seeing him in the BBC's David Copperfield. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
8. Harry Potter Wasn't The Debut Film For Radcliffe
Sorcerer’s Stone may have introduced the world to Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, but it wasn’t Daniel Radcliffe’s first time on the big screen. Two years earlier, he played Geoffrey Rush’s son in the spy thriller The Tailor of Panama. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
7. Real Homework Was Done At Hogwarts
To keep things feeling authentic on set, the young cast did real schoolwork while filming scenes at Hogwarts. So when you see them bent over parchment in class, they weren’t just pretending, they were making real assignments between takes. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
6. Ron Weasley Actually Had Fear Of Spiders
Ron’s fear of spiders is one of his most memorable traits, but Rupert Grint didn’t have to do much acting to pull it off. He’s genuinely terrified of spiders in real life, so when you see him flinch or panic in Chamber of Secrets, that's not Ron, it's Rupert being Rupert. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
5. Only 14 Actors Appeared In All Movies
Out of the massive cast across all eight Harry Potter films, only 14 actors stuck around from start to finish. Alongside the main trio, that group includes fan favorites like Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, and even the twins who played Fred and George. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
4. No Magic In The First Film
Harry doesn’t cast a single spell in The Sorcerer’s Stone, not one. He spends the whole movie discovering he’s a wizard, but the magic doesn’t really start until his wand chooses him at Ollivander’s. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
3. Dobby Is Based On Putin
After Chamber of Secrets came out, Russian lawyers threatened to sue Warner Bros, claiming that Dobby looked suspiciously like Vladimir Putin. No lawsuit happened, but the comparison still stuck years later. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
2. The Knight Bus Was Real
The Knight Bus in Prisoner of Azkaban was an actual triple-decker built for the film. It looked like it was tearing through London traffic, but in reality, the bus cruised slowly while the surrounding cars crawled even slower. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
1. Tom Felton Wanted To Be A Harry Potter
Tom Felton originally auditioned to play Harry Potter and then Ron Weasley before landing the role of Draco Malfoy. Imagine the twist: the future Slytherin villain almost became Harry’s red-haired best friend. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
