Harry Potter: 9 Obscure Movie Secrets That Took Years To Discover

Australian Cinephile

One Slytherin member managed to get past McGonagal but not the law.

Transcript

00:00Whether it be easter eggs that were simply overlooked, or secrets that were unveiled

00:04via J.K. Rowling's Twitter account, Harry Potter has plenty of untold secrets across

00:08the film series. From secret perforated eardrums to the troublesome Slytherins, Rowling has

00:14had plenty of fun slowly leaking some of the Potter-trudes over the years. Her Twitter

00:20account as well as the Pottermore page has served as the ultimate fountain of mythology

00:24for fans around the world. In a made-up world filled with fantastical beasts and freaky

00:29moving staircases, there are bound to be a few unexplained elements. The secrets that

00:34Hogwarts contains are bountiful, but over the years the drawbridge has been lowered slowly,

00:39revealing the truth behind the mystical and magical world of wizarding and what goes on

00:43behind closed set doors. Let's take a look at some of the sneaky secrets that have managed

00:49to slither out of the Hogwarts set over the years. Hold on to your broomsticks because

00:53what we're about to tell you might just blow you away. And with that in mind, I'm Ellie

00:58with WhatCulture here with nine obscure Harry Potter movie secrets that took years to discover.

01:05Number 9. Rupert Grint wasn't acting during the Aragog scene. It turns out wizards aren't

01:11the only ones who are scared of spiders. In an interview to the world, what you may have

01:17thought was excellent acting in the Aragog scene was actually a genuine phobia that the

01:22actor was attempting to harness. His fear goes as far as making him check his shoes every morning

01:27to make sure there are no spiders in there. Maybe he checks his coffee for slugs too.

01:32Which is worse, filming a scene with a bunch of spiders or having to throw up a whole load

01:36of slugs? Poor Rupert did not have it easy on the set of Harry Potter and he probably came

01:41away with a few new fears on top of the already existing ones. As it turns out, Weasley's

01:46fear of spiders stems from Rowling's fear of spiders in real life. Could there be a spell

01:51for curing arachnophobia?

01:53Number 8. Harry's broken glasses weren't a prop. Daniel Radcliffe was made to play Harry

01:59Potter. He's just as clumsy when it comes to his glasses and ended up needing over 100

02:05pairs to get through the filming. If he wasn't losing them, he was sitting on them, stepping

02:10on them or simply taking them home for his own little Harry shrine. At first, he claimed

02:15to have stolen a few pairs, but he revealed in an interview that they were actually given

02:18to him as a gift after filming. The broken glasses in the film were a very real prop and

02:23had over 160 stunt doubles. That's 160 pairs of broken glasses for 8 films. 20 pairs for

02:31every movie. If only Oculus Rupert works in real life.

02:35It has also since been revealed that at first, Radcliffe was unable to wear the iconic glasses

02:40without breaking out in a mysterious rash. The frames of the glasses contained ingredients

02:45known as nickel that can be found in a lot of cheaply made jewellery and eyewear. It took

02:49them a while, but they figured it out and Harry was given a very special pair of hypoallergenic

02:54glasses and the rash went away.

02:56Number 7. Wizarding is international. The American sibling of the prestigious school

03:02for magic was already hinted at during the Harry Potter film series, but Rowling has since

03:06revealed that there are 11 wizarding schools worldwide and that they are all registered with

03:11the very important sounding international confederation of wizards. The fourth installment of the series,

03:16The Goblet of Fire, revealed two of the 11 schools, naming them Durmstrang and the same

03:21magnifique French school known as Boe. But it has been revealed that wizarding is a worldwide

03:26thing and is taught all over the globe in countries such as Japan, Uganda, Brazil and Northern Europe.

03:32And each of the schools has its own specialities such as Quidditch or Herbology and Magizoology.

03:38The Pottermore site now has an in-depth section regarding the schools for curious fans to study.

03:43Would you attend one of the others or would you stick to the classic Scotland-based school

03:47of Hogwarts? Apparently they do look at your proximity to the schools so you might not have

03:52a choice in the matter.

03:53Number 6. The books weren't actually floating. It can be tough to find a troll to act in your

03:59movie or a freakishly large spider willing to retake scenes, so a lot of the visual effects

04:04in the film series are done using CGI, but on the odd occasion the director will employ

04:09a very simple trick to achieve the desired effect. The books in the Hogwarts library are

04:14known for rearranging themselves, but they aren't doing it all by themselves. What actually happened

04:19is that there was a huge behind-the-scenes team consisting of green-gloved individuals.

04:24The green gloves work in the same way as a green screen would, and the post-production

04:28team just had to edit the hands out of the shot. The result is a fantastic shot in which

04:33it appears that Hermione is grabbing a book from the air as it floats past and replaces

04:38it with a different book. Now, this is some real-life magic that needs more appreciation

04:42than it gets. There are so many moving parts in these movies that there are bound to be

04:47a few little tricks here and there so that they could achieve the perfect moving staircase

04:52or talking hat.

04:53Number 5. Vincent Crabb was fired. Have you ever wondered where the third member of the

04:59Slytherin posse went? Turns out he was just as much trouble on set as he was in the movie.

05:03Actor Jamie Whalett was fired from the film set after being arrested for growing marijuana

05:08back in 2009. The character who stepped in to take his place was Blaze Zabini. Blaze was,

05:14however, featured in the books, but not meant to appear in the Room of Requirements scene,

05:18causing fans to question what had happened to the original member of the trio. Losing the role

05:23in the movie obviously wasn't enough to set the actor on a straighter path, and he was arrested

05:28again in 2011 for stealing from a shop during the London riots. You can take the boy out of Slytherin,

05:34but you can't take the Slytherin out of the boy, it seems.

05:37Number 4. Warner Bros. Couldn't Afford Madam Hooch

05:41Another secret that only the keenest of fans would have noticed is the absence of Madam Hooch from the

05:46films. The Hogwarts flying instructor and Quidditch coach played a significant role in the books,

05:51but didn't feature as much as fans expected in the movies. We are first introduced to the

05:56character played by Zoe Wanamaker in The Philosopher's Stone. Her role is to teach Potter how to fly and

06:02how to win. She is written into the story throughout the books, but doesn't make an appearance past the

06:07first film instalment. Zoe puts the lack of her character being in the movies down to the fact that

06:12Warner Bros. didn't want to increase her salary. In an interview, she said that she had asked for a

06:17pay rise for the remainder of the series but was turned down. Clearly, Warner Bros. either weren't

06:22a fan of her acting or of her character. Maybe the lack of Madam Hooch was for the better. Who knows?

06:29Number 3. Radliff, Watson, and Grint were just being themselves

06:33When filming for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the director at the time, Alfonso Cuaron,

06:38asked the main trio to write an essay about their characters for homework. In true Harry, Hermione,

06:44and Ron's style, the trio tackled the task appropriate to their characters. Emma Watson

06:49wrote a 16-page essay going into detail about her role. Daniel Radcliffe kept it short but deep and

06:54wrote a meaningful piece that would have received top marks if they were being graded. Rupert didn't

06:59do anything and turned up to set empty-handed, claiming that his character would have done the

07:03same and therefore he had nailed the homework assignment. This lesser-known behind-the-scenes

07:08secret captures just how perfect the casting was for the movie and explains why the actors nailed their

07:14characters and the chemistry on set so well. The film's series ever affected how the actors

07:20interacted on screen. Daniel, Emma, and Rupert are highly skilled at what they do and were able to

07:25maintain their character's identity despite the disruptions along the way.

07:29Number 2. Alan Rickman had a soft spot for Snape

07:32Rumour has it that Alan Rickman was informed of his character's loyalties right from the start.

07:38Apparently, when the actor was cast as Snape, JK Rowling told him about his love for Lily and that

07:43no one else knew. As he was the only one to know this very important piece of information,

07:48he would often reject direction from the directors on set. But he also couldn't let anyone in on the

07:53secret, but it was all made clear when his broken heart was revealed in the Deathly Hallows.

07:59Many on set thought that he was simply embodying his character's sass when the cameras weren't rolling,

08:04but it turns out he had good reason for being as stubborn as he was about his character.

08:08David Heyman, the producer of the Harry Potter film series, claimed that there were multiple times

08:13Rickman refused to do as he was told and that it all made sense when the reveal happened.

08:18Alan Rickman is another good example of excellent casting. Rickman understood the assignment and kept

08:24his major secret until the very end, adding to the impact on everyone involved and everyone watching.

08:31Number one, Helena Bonham Carter didn't know she'd stabbed a co-star.

08:35Helena Bonham Carter is known for her method acting techniques and has a long history of giving

08:40herself wholly to the role at hand. Fortunately for the viewers, but unfortunately for some of

08:45her co-stars, her role as Bellatrix Lestrange was no exception. While they were filming for the

08:51Deathly Hallows, Helena let things get a little bit out of hand while acting in the scene where

08:55Lestrange has Neville at wand point. Thinking that the wand was soft and cotton-bad like,

09:00Helena went to stick the wand in his ear just as he moved his head towards her. The small movement

09:06unfortunately meant that Matthew Lewis's eardrum was stabbed, perforating it in the process.

09:11Playing it off as if it were nothing due to politeness and fear for the character,

09:15Lewis only fessed up to the injury weeks later. Bonham Carter was apparently mortified and very

09:21apologetic. I mean, who can blame Lewis for not fessing up sooner? Would you complain to Bellatrix

09:26Lestrange that she'd poked a little too hard at your eardrum? I mean, Lewis really is a sweetheart

09:31in real life, and he fits his character so well. And that concludes our list. If you can think of any

09:37that we missed, then do let us know in the comments below, and while you're there don't

09:40forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification bell. Also head over to Twitter and follow us there,

09:46and I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.

09:50I've been Ellie with WhatCulture. I hope you have a magical day and I'll see you real soon.

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