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

WhatCulture

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

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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 WhatCultureHere with nine obscure Harry Potter movie secrets that took years to discover.

01:059. Rupert Grint wasn't acting during the Aragog scene

01:09It turns out wizards aren't the only ones who are scared of spiders. In an interview that

01:15took place after the release of the film The Chamber of Secrets, Rupert Grint had a secret

01:19of his own that he revealed to the world. What you may have thought was excellent acting in

01:25Aragog scene was actually a genuine phobia that the actor was attempting to harness.

01:29His fear goes as far as making him check his shoes every morning to make sure there are

01:34no spiders in there. Maybe he checks his coffee for slugs, too. Which is worse, filming a scene

01:39with a bunch of spiders or having to throw up a whole load of slugs? Paul Rupert did not

01:43have it easy on the set of Harry Potter, and he probably came away with a few new fears on

01:48top of the already existing ones. As it turns out, Weasley's fear of spiders stems from

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

01:588. Harry's Broken Glasses Weren't a Prop

02:02Daniel Radcliffe was made to play Harry Potter. He's just as clumsy when it comes to his glasses,

02:09and ended up needing over 100 pairs to get through the filming. If he wasn't losing them, he was sitting

02:15on them, stepping on them, or simply taking them home for his own little Harry shrine.

02:20At first, he claimed to have stolen a few pairs, but he revealed in an interview that they were

02:24actually given to him as a gift after filming. The Broken Glasses in the film were a very real

02:29prop and had over 160 stunt doubles. That's 160 pairs of Broken Glasses for 8 films. 20 pairs for

02:37every movie. If only Oculus Rupero worked in real life. It has also since been revealed that at first,

02:44Radcliffe was unable to wear the iconic glasses without breaking out in a mysterious rash.

02:48The frames of the glasses contained ingredients known as nickel that can be found in a lot of

02:53cheaply made jewellery and eyewear. It took them a while, but they figured it out, and Harry was

02:58given a very special pair of hypoallergenic glasses, and the rash went away.

03:027. Wizarding Is International

03:05The American sibling of the prestigious school for magic was already hinted at during the Harry

03:10Potter film series. But Rowling has since revealed that there are 11 wizarding schools worldwide,

03:15and that they are all registered with the very important-sounding International Confederation of

03:20Wizards. The fourth installment of the series, The Goblet of Fire, revealed two of the 11 schools,

03:25naming them Durmstrang, and the same magnifique French school known as Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

03:32Since then, it has been revealed that wizarding is a worldwide thing, and is taught all over the globe,

03:37in countries such as Japan, Uganda, Brazil, and Northern Europe, and each of the schools has its

03:42own specialities, such as Quidditch or Herbology and Magizoology. The Pottermore site now has an

03:49in-depth section regarding the schools for curious fans to study. Would you attend one of the others,

03:54or would you stick to the classic Scotland-based school of Hogwarts? Apparently, they do look at

03:58your proximity to the schools, so you might not have a choice in the matter.

04:02Number six, the books weren't actually floating. It can be tough to find a troll to act in your movie,

04:08or a freakishly large spider willing to retake scenes, so a lot of the visual effects in the

04:13film series are done using CGI, but on the odd occasion, the director will employ a very simple

04:19trick to achieve the desired effect. The books in the Hogwarts library are known for rearranging

04:25themselves, but they aren't doing it all by themselves. What actually happened is that there

04:29was a huge behind-the-scenes team consisting of green-gloved individuals. The green gloves work

04:34in the same way as a green screen would, and the post-production team just had to edit the hands

04:38out of the shot. The result is a fantastic shot in which it appears that Hermione is grabbing a book

04:45from the air as it floats past and replaces it with a different book. Now, this is some real-life

04:50magic that needs more appreciation than it gets. There are so many moving parts in these movies that

04:55there are bound to be a few little tricks here and there so that they could achieve the perfect

05:00moving staircase or talking hat. 5. Vincent Crabb was fired

05:05Have you ever wondered where the third member of the Slytherin posse went? Turns out he was just as

05:10much trouble on set as he was in the movie. Actor Jamie Whalett was fired from the film set after being

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

05:21Blaze Zabini. Blaze was, however, featured in the books but not meant to appear in the Room of

05:26Requirements scene, causing fans to question what had happened to the original member of the trio.

05:32Losing the role in the movie obviously wasn't enough to set the actor on a straighter path,

05:36and he was arrested again in 2011 for stealing from a shop during the London riots. You can take

05:42the boy out of Slytherin, but you can't take the Slytherin out of the boy, it seems.

05:454. Warner Bros. Couldn't Afford Madam Hooch

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

05:54Madam Hooch from the films. The Hogwarts flying instructor and Quidditch coach played a significant

05:59role in the books but didn't feature as much as fans expected in the movies.

06:04We are first introduced to the character played by Zoe Wanamaker in The Philosopher's Stone.

06:08Her role is to teach Potter how to fly and how to win. She is written into the story throughout the

06:14books but doesn't make an appearance past the first film instalment.

06:18Zoe puts the lack of her character being in the movies down to the fact that Warner Bros. didn't

06:22want to increase her salary. In an interview, she said that she had asked for a pay rise for

06:27the remainder of the series but was turned down. Clearly, Warner Bros. either weren't a fan of her

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

06:373. Radliff, Watson, and Grint Were Just Being Themselves

06:42When filming for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the director at the time, Alfonso Cuaron,

06:47asked the main trio to write an essay about their characters for homework. In true Harry,

06:52Hermione and Ron style, the trio tackled the task appropriate to their characters.

06:57Emma Watson wrote a 16-page essay going into detail about her role. Daniel Radcliffe kept it short but

07:03deep and wrote a meaningful piece that would have received top marks if they were being graded.

07:07Rupert didn't do anything and turned up to set empty-handed, claiming that his character would

07:12have 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

07:20the movie and explains why the actors nailed their characters and the chemistry on set so well.

07:26The film's series went through quite a few directors but none of the changes ever affected

07:31how the actors interacted on screen. Daniel, Emma, and Rupert are highly skilled at what they do and were

07:36able to maintain their character's identity despite the disruptions along the way.

07:412. Alan Rickman had a soft spot for Snape

07:44Rumour 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 that

07:55no 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

08:15rolling but it turns out he had good reason for being as stubborn as he was about his character.

08:20David 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.

08:34Rickman understood the assignment and kept his major secret until the very end,

08:39adding to the impact on everyone involved and everyone watching.

08:431. 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

08:52herself wholly to the role at hand. Fortunately for the viewers, but unfortunately for some of her

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

09:03Hallows, Helena let things get a little bit out of hand while acting in the scene where Lestrange

09:08has Neville at wand point. Thinking that the wand was soft and cotton-bad-like,

09:12Helena went to stick the wand in his ear just as he moved his head towards her. The small movement

09:18unfortunately meant that Matthew Lewis's eardrum was stabbed, perforating it in the process.

09:23Playing it off as if it were nothing due to politeness and fear for the character,

09:27Lewis only fessed up to the injury weeks later. Bonham Carter was apparently mortified and very

09:33apologetic. I mean, who can blame Lewis for not fessing up sooner? Would you complain to Bellatrix

09:38Lestrange that she'd poked a little too hard at your eardrum? I mean, Lewis really is a sweetheart

09:43in real life and he fits his character so well. And that concludes our list. If you can think of

09:49any that we missed, then do let us know in the comments below and while you're there don't forget

09:52to like and subscribe 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. I've been Ellie

10:03with WhatCulture. I hope you have a magical day and I'll see you real soon.

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