Harry Potter will be turning 40 tomorrow (July 31)! It has been a major part of our childhood, whether through books or through the film series. It doesn’t matter if you are one of those ‘Potterheads’ who swear by the books and take pride in having the complete collection in your bookshelves, watching the films all over again is a guilty pleasure that most of us take. The films have been the topic of major debates and quizzes over the years but there are always mind-boggling facts that keeping popping up now and then.
Here are some interesting facts about the Harry Potter films:
- J K Rowling was offered the role of Lily Potter
Yes, the author was approached by the producers to play the role of Harry’s mother but she declined the offer stating that she is not fit for acting and that she afraid of messing up the scenes.
- Steven Spielberg nearly directed the first film
Director Steven Spielberg had spent around five to six months developing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone before dropping out of the project stating that he was not ready to make an all-kids film.
- Multiple cars were damaged while making the second film
Everyone remembers the scene from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry and Ron crash Mr. Weasley’s flying Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow. A total of 14 Ford Anglia cars were completely damaged before getting the desired scene.
- Ian McKellen was offered the role of Dumbledore
Producers approached McKellen for the role after actor Richard Harris who played Dumbledore in the first two films passed away. McKellen declined the offer due to the previous feud with Harris and the role eventually went to Michael Gambon.
- Daniel Radcliffe went through 160 pairs of glasses throughout the films
While the ‘Reparo’ spell might have saved Harry from the effort of changing his glasses on screen, the numerous stunts made Daniel change a total of 160 glasses.
- The Black Family Tree was extremely detailed
J K Rowling had apparently provided 70 names for the tree including the relationship between each family member and the design was based on real-life Devonshire Hunting Tapestries.
