“Harry Potter” is a magical book series that many people have read and love. When the movies came out, they were a hit, and everyone wanted to see them. Every event involving the movies or books was packed, including the auditions. Everyone wanted to be a part of the famous “Harry Potter” franchise. Now, 20 years later, “Harry Potter” is still a hugely impactful book and movie series. The cast had a 20 year reunion that aired on HBO on January 1, 2022.

The most memorable scene from the “Harry Potter” reunion was the connection between the Golden Trio of Harry Potter, Ron Wealsey and Hermione Granger; played by actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, respectively. These three actors made their start with “Harry Potter,” and all became well-known actors who went on to star in other movies. During the reunion, they got to meet again and remember some of the fun times they had while on set. They recalled how they would always play hand games on the set until their hands were red and swollen. Radcliffe, Grint and Watson had a very sibling-like vibe to them, leading watchers to wish they had a friendship as strong as the actors.

“I thought it was nice to see them all together again. It was also nice to learn about how they put together the movie. I cried a lot during the special!” Junior Olivia Herrnberger says. 

During the reunion, it quickly became evident that certain characters were missing. Whether they had tragically passed away, or just didn’t come to the reunion, their presence was missed. Around the middle of the reunion, they paid their respects to those who passed away and retold stories about them. For instance, Watson talked about how kind the late Alan Rickman was to her and how he always valued her opinion and made her feel heard. There were many other touching stories as the actors went on to list everyone who had passed, such as famous actor Richard Harris. It was a very sweet moment where fans really saw that these actors were people too. 

What might have been the most popular part of this reunion was when Watson recounted how she developed a huge crush on Tom Felton, who portrayed Draco Malfoy, during the filming. She recalled that the first time she met him, they were asked to draw what they thought God looked like. Felton drew a girl with a skateboard and a backwards cap. Nothing ever happened between the two of them romantically; however, they have a very strong friendship between them. 

Felton talked about how he always felt protective of Watson and looked at her as a younger sister. They would share jokes on set and always had fun. Watson would go to the set and look at the call board – which told the actors which actors were on set on a particular day – to see if Felton (number 7) was called that day. Apparently, if she saw his number on the board, it was a good day.

Another  interesting piece of information from the special was that it took a long time to find the perfect actor to play Harry Potter. By the time the first “Harry Potter” movie came out, the books had already grown into a cultural phenomenon and there was immense pressure to find a perfect actor to play Harry. According to Chris Columbus, the director of the first two movies in the “Harry Potter” franchise, “the search for Harry was insane.” 

Luckily, Columbus found Daniel Radcliffe – after seeing him in the 1999 version of David Copperfield. 

“Immediately, a lightbulb went off in my head, and I said – this is Harry Potter. This is the kid we’ve been looking for for months,” Columbus explained in the special.

In addition to finding the actor for Harry, the team behind the first “Harry Potter” film also had to find a cast of child actors who would stay with the franchise for eight movies. This was not an easy task, due to the fact that many children have short attention spans and would rather focus on having fun than working. 

It all turned out for the best though, when the team settled on actors for Ron and Hermione. The Golden Trio seemed to have a natural chemistry from the moment they stepped onto the set. They had fun together and genuinely seemed to be good friends. Both Grint and Watson “fit” their characters well, with Watson even mentioning how she always felt like her personality was similar to Herminone’s.

“I didn’t really have a favorite part, but I did like how they broke up the special and made it about all the different movies,” Herrnberger said. 

The “Harry Potter” special is currently streaming on HBO Max. Fans – new and old – can watch it and become immersed in the Wizarding World once more!