Harry Potter Behind-the-Scenes Secrets (5 of 5)

That’s A Lot Of Makeup

Movie sets always have a lot of makeup involved but this sounds unreal. Imagine having to go every day on set and sit in a makeup chair for hours. We’re sure the makeup artists were under a lot of pressure to make sure that the scar looked the same every single time. One slip up and they’d be hearing from angry fans about their lack of consistency. People can be very serious about the movies they love.

They have a certain level of expectations when they pay to see the movies in theaters. The scar on Harry’s head wasn’t even visible during most scenes in the movies. It’s almost ironic, isn’t it? 
  

Acting Is A Dangerous Job

Helena Bonham is a very enthusiastic actress. She really puts herself into her roles and it brings her characters to life. Her part in Harry Potter was one of the more memorable ones. Her crazy behavior makes it easy to believe that she’d accidentally injure a fellow cast member. While this was a freak accident, it fits well with her character, so we’re sure there were no hard feelings involved.

Matthew Lewis probably knew what he was getting into when he was told he’d be doing a scene with Helena. An ear injury is nothing if it means he gets to work with such an iconic actress!
  

An Unlikely Thief

The set of Harry Potter was probably riddled with fun props. Any fan of the movies would feel like a kid in a candy shop if they had a chance to rummage through all the stuff lying around on set. The cast understandably wanted to keep some souvenirs from the movies. Obviously to remember how great it was to be a part of something so legendary. 

We’re sure that if he just asked for the props he’d get them. It’s hard to imagine Rickman as the sticky fingers type, unless he was just trying to keep in character. In the end we’re sure each cast member was given some kind of prop as a keepsake.
  

Multi-Talented Actress

Luna Lovegood is our favorite quirky character in Harry Potter. Her soft voice and bubbly personality make her stand out from the rest of the characters. Her wardrobe was just as unique as her personality. Her earrings were pretty bold, it’s incredible she made them herself. We wonder if she was able to take back her earrings after filming.

It’d be pretty weird if they considered them set property. We’re sure if she were to sell these earrings now she’d make a good chunk of change. Harry Potter fans would pay anything to get their hands on original Lovegood jewelry.
  

He Didn’t See That Coming

In all of our years watching Harry Potter, we never realized that Snape had black eyes. It makes perfect sense, yet it never occurred to us. It’s one of the subtle details that make the character complete. He’s already menacing and dark so why not give black eyes? While it makes sense to not know, it’s pretty crazy that the director of the movie wasn’t aware of it!

That set was probably so huge that he never watched Rickman get ready. The difference from brown to black eyes is pretty small, so we’re sure plenty of others neglected to realize he was wearing contacts.
  

No Fire Allowed!

The Harry Potter series is so iconic that this library probably didn’t want to be known as the one that didn’t let them film. They put a lot of trust in the actors. One drop of a lantern and ancient books would be up in flames. With all the CGI technology we have today, we’re sure that they could’ve gotten away with a fake flame. Sometimes making things authentic just isn’t worth the risk. We’re sure that Daniel Radcliffe felt extra nervous.

He can now say that he was the last person to ever hold a lantern with a flame in the Duke Humfrey’s Library! That might be a cool thing to brag about, but being Harry Potter gives you a lot more cred.
  

No So Gibberish After All

There are plenty of non-English phrases used in the Harry Potter series, but who knew they actually meant something? It’s easy to miss this fun fact while watching the film. Without paying attention, this phrase just looks like some fictional language that was invented for the film. It makes you wonder how many other hidden gems are to be found in the movies. 

We’re sure there are plenty, but to find them would require a good few hours and a magnifying glass. With so many films, there are dozens of opportunities to add hidden tidbits. We’ll just stick to watching the movies without looking for Easter eggs. 
  

A Very Nice Gesture

If you didn’t already know, Richard Harris was only Dumbledore for the first two seasons of the series. Unfortunately, he passed away right after filming the second movie. This might explain why he couldn’t always remember his lines. It’s nice to see that Radcliffe cared enough about his co-star to help him out behind the scenes.

We love that he pretended to have trouble with his lines as to not embarrass his older co-star. That shows a level of respect that is very admirable. We’re positive Harry would’ve done the same good deed for anyone else. Just goes to show how perfect the casting was for the films!
  

Off-Set Extracurricular Activities 

While the cameras were off, the actors were making good use of their time. You’d think after working hard on set that they’d want to go home and sleep it off. Well, not Oldman and Radcliffe. They spent their time together playing guitar! We wonder if this was their strategy to make the relationship between Sirius Black and Harry Potter more convincing. Actors need to really dig deep sometimes to make their characters feel real.

We’re sure that these bonding sessions between them only made them work better together on screen. It would’ve been great if Radcliffe could show off his new skills in the actual movie!