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

WhatCulture

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 what

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

00:59WhatCulture 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 that took place after the release

01:16of the film The Chamber of Secrets, Rupert Grint had a secret of his own that he revealed

01:21to the world. What you may have thought was excellent acting in the Aragog scene was actually a genuine

01:27phobia that the actor was attempting to harness. His fear goes as far as making him check his

01:32shoes every morning to make sure there are no spiders in there. Maybe he checks his coffee for

01:37slugs too. Which is worse, filming a scene with a bunch of spiders or having to throw up a whole

01:41load of slugs? Poor Rupert did not have it easy on the set of Harry Potter and he probably came away

01:47with a few new fears on top of the already existing ones. As it turns out, Weasley's fear of spiders

01:53stems from Rowling's fear of spiders in real life. Could there be a spell for curing arachnophobia?

01:59Number 8. Harry's broken glasses weren't a prop. Daniel Radcliffe was made to play Harry Potter.

02:06He's just as clumsy when it comes to his glasses and ended up needing over 100 pairs to get through

02:12the filming. If he wasn't losing them, he was sitting on them, stepping on them or simply taking

02:17them home for his own little Harry shrine. At first, he claimed to have stolen a few pairs,

02:22but he revealed in an interview that they were actually given to him as a gift after filming.

02:26The broken glasses in the film were a very real prop and had over 160 stunt doubles. That's 160

02:33pairs of broken glasses for eight films. 20 pairs for every movie. If only Oculus Reparo worked in real

02:41life. It has also since been revealed that at first, Radcliffe was unable to wear the iconic

02:45glasses without breaking out in a mysterious rash. The frames of the glasses contained ingredients

02:51known as nickel that can be found in a lot of cheaply made jewellery and eyewear. It took them

02:56a while, but they figured it out and Harry was given a very special pair of hypoallergenic glasses

03:01and the rash went away. Number 7. Wizarding is international. The American sibling of the

03:07prestigious school for magic was already hinted at during the Harry Potter film series, but Rowling

03:12has since revealed that there are 11 wizarding schools worldwide and that they are all registered

03:17with the very important-sounding International Confederation of Wizards. The fourth installment

03:22of the series, The Goblet of Fire, revealed two of the 11 schools, naming them Durmstrang and

03:27the same magnifique French school known as Beaubaton Academy of Magic. Since then, it has been

03:33revealed that wizarding is a worldwide thing and is taught all over the globe in countries such as

03:38Japan, Uganda, Brazil and Northern Europe, and each of the schools has its own specialities such as

03:44Quidditch or Herbology and Magizoology. The Pottermore site now has an in-depth section

03:50regarding the schools for curious fans to study. Would you attend one of the others or would you stick

03:54to the classic Scotland-based school of Hogwarts? Apparently, they do look at your proximity to the

03:59schools, so you might not have a choice in the matter. Number six, the books weren't actually

04:04floating. It can be tough to find a troll to act in your movie or a freakishly large spider willing

04:10to retake scenes, so a lot of the visual effects in the film series are done using CGI, but on the

04:17odd occasion, the director will employ a very simple trick to achieve the desired effect. The books in the

04:23Hogwarts library are known for rearranging themselves, but they aren't doing it all by themselves.

04:27What actually happened is that there was a huge behind-the-scenes team consisting of green-gloved

04:32individuals. The green gloves work in the same way as a green screen would, and the post-production

04:37team just had to edit the hands out of the shot. The result is a fantastic shot in which it appears

04:43that Hermione is grabbing a book from the air as it floats past and replaces it with a different book.

04:48Now, this is some real-life magic that needs more appreciation than it gets. There are so many moving

04:54parts in these movies that there are bound to be a few little tricks here and there so that they could

04:58achieve the perfect moving staircase or talking hat. Number five, Vincent Crabb was fired. Have you ever

05:06wondered where the third member of the Slytherin posse went? Turns out he was just as much trouble

05:11on set as he was in the movie. Actor Jamie Waylett was fired from the film set after being arrested for

05:16growing marijuana back in 2009. The character who stepped in to take his place was Blaise Zabini.

05:23Blaise was, however, featured in the books but not meant to appear in the Room of Requirements scene,

05:27causing fans to question what had happened to the original member of the trio. Losing the role in the

05:32movie obviously wasn't enough to set the actor on a straighter path, and he was arrested again in 2011

05:38for stealing from a shop during the London riots. You can take the boy out of Slytherin, but you can't take the

05:44Slytherin out of the boy, it seems. Number four, Warner Brothers couldn't afford Madam Hooch.

05:50Another secret that only the keenest of fans would have noticed is the absence of Madam Hooch from the

05:55films. The Hogwarts flying instructor and Quidditch coach played a significant role in the books but

06:00didn't feature as much as fans expected in the movies. We are first introduced to the character

06:06played by Zoe Wanamaker in The Philosopher's Stone. Her role is to teach Potter how to fly and how to win.

06:12She is written into the story throughout the books but doesn't make an appearance past the first

06:16film instalment. Zoe puts the lack of her character being in the movies down to the fact that Warner

06:21Brothers didn't want to increase her salary. In an interview, she said that she had asked for a pay

06:26rise for the remainder of the series but was turned down. Clearly, Warner Brothers either weren't a fan of

06:32her acting or of her character. Maybe the lack of Madam Hooch was for the better. Who knows?

06:38Number three, Radliff, Watson and Grint were just being themselves. When filming for Harry Potter and

06:43the Prisoner of Azkaban, the director at the time, Alfonso Cuaron, asked the main trio to write an essay

06:49about their characters for homework. In true Harry, Hermione and Ron style, the trio tackled the task

06:55appropriate to their characters. Emma Watson wrote a 16-page essay going into detail about her role.

07:01Daniel Radcliffe kept it short but deep and wrote a meaningful piece that would have received top

07:06marks if they were being graded. Rupert didn't do anything and turned up to set empty-handed, claiming

07:11that his character would have done the same and therefore he had nailed the homework assignment.

07:15This lesser-known behind-the-scenes secret captures just how perfect the casting was for the movie and

07:21explains why the actors nailed their characters and the chemistry on set so well. The film series

07:27went through quite a few directors but none of the changes ever affected how the actors interacted on

07:32screen. Daniel, Emma and Rupert are highly skilled at what they do and were able to maintain their

07:37character's identity despite the disruptions along the way. Number two, Alan Rickman had a soft spot for

07:43Snape. Rumour has it that Alan Rickman was informed of his character's loyalties right from the start.

07:50Apparently, when the actor was cast as Snape, JK Rowling told him about his love for Lily and

07:55that no one else knew. As he was the only one to know this very important piece of information,

08:00he would often reject direction from the directors on set. But he also couldn't let anyone in on the

08:05secret, but it was all made clear when his broken heart was revealed in the Deathly Hallows.

08:11Many on set thought that he was simply embodying his character's sass when the cameras weren't rolling,

08:16but it turns out he had good reason for being as stubborn as he was about his character.

08:21David Heyman, the producer of the Harry Potter film series, claimed that there were multiple times

08:25Rickman refused to do as he was told and that it all made sense when the reveal happened.

08:30Alan Rickman is another good example of excellent casting. Rickman understood the assignment and kept

08:36his major secret until the very end, adding to the impact on everyone involved and everyone watching.

08:421. Helena Bonham Carter didn't know she'd stabbed a co-star

08:47Helena Bonham Carter is known for her method acting techniques and has a long history of giving herself

08:53wholly to the role at hand. Fortunately for the viewers, but unfortunately for some of her co-stars,

08:58her role as Bellatrix Lestrange was no exception. While they were filming for the Deathly Hallows,

09:04Helena let things get a little bit out of hand while acting in the scene where Lestrange has Neville at

09:09Wand Point. Thinking that the wand was soft and cotton bad-like, Helena went to stick the wand in

09:14his ear just as he moved his head towards her. The small movement unfortunately meant that Matthew

09:20Lewis's eardrum was stabbed, perforating it in the process. Playing it off as if it were nothing

09:25due to politeness and fear for the character, Lewis only fessed up to the injury weeks later. Bonham

09:31Carter was apparently mortified and very apologetic. I mean, who can blame Lewis for not fessing up sooner?

09:37Would you complain to Bellatrix Lestrange that she'd poked a little too hard at your eardrum?

09:41I mean, Lewis really is a sweetheart in real life and he fits his character so well.

09:46And that concludes our list. If you can think of any that we missed,

09:50then do let us know in the comments below and while you're there don't forget to like and

09:53subscribe and tap that notification bell. Also head over to Twitter and follow us there,

09:58and I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.

10:02I've been Ellie with WhatCulture. I hope you have a magical day and I'll see you real soon.

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