I think it's safe to say that most Harry Potter fans would love the series even more than they already do if they knew some behind-the-scenes stories. The best-selling franchise has been read in almost 70 countries and the movies have touched tens of millions of people. For those Potterheads missing Hogwarts and the whole cast, here are 30 awesome BTS stories for you. Enjoy!
3/30. Alan Rickman (Snape) and Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) pranked Daniel Radcliffe by placing a fart machine in his sleeping bag during the scene where all the Gryffindors sleep in the great hall. They held the remote and in between their lines they would press it. Eventually, all the kids started sitting up to interrupt the scene to say it wasnt me!
4/30. James and Oliver Phelps were pretty much perfectly cast. The Weasley twins used to swap roles on set without the director knowing, Fred did Georges scenes and vice versa, but once they got caught they had to re-film almost half of their scenes.
5/30. Daniel Radcliffe was really rough with his wand. He would fiddle and play with it so much that it would break and its paint would chip. So the design team actually had to make close to 80 wands for him over the course of the series. He also went through more than 150 pairs of prop glasses.
Continue for more outrageous behind-the-scenes stories!
6/30. While filming a scene for one of the first movies, young Rupert Grint drew what he described as a rather unpretty picture of Alan Rickman (Snape). He was worried he would get in trouble, but Alan Rickman actually got him to sign it after filming the scene and kept it as a prized possession.
7/30. Jason Isaacs, who played villain Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter, was caught attempting to steal his characters wand from the set. Malfoy on film, Malfoy in real life.
8/30. Alfonso Cuarn, who directed the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, asked the three main leads to write an autobiographical essay about their character, which had to be written in the first person, and needed to span from their birth to their discovery of the magical world. Of course, Emma Watson wrote a 16 page essay about her character, whilst Daniel Radcliffe also handed in a one page essay. Rupert Grint, however, refused to hand in an essay. When asked why not, he stated: Im Ron; Ron wouldnt do it, and so Alfonso replied, Okay, you do understand your character.
9/30. Helena Bonham-Carter, who played the unmerciful Bellatrix Lestrange, accidentally ruptured Matthew Lewiss eardrum during the filming of the fifth instalment, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," when she stuck a prop wand in his ear during filming.
10/30. Most people were astounded by Matthew Lewiss transformation from hapless geek Neville, to handsome man once Harry Potter was over. What many fans dont know is that Matt actually wore a fat suit and fake teeth to make his character appear unattractive.
Continue for more outrageous behind-the-scenes stories!
11/30. A pile of gold coins were placed on set on the very first day of filming for "Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone" (or Sorcerers Stone for our overseas cousins). However, almost all the gold coins were stolen by the end of the day, as people had taken them as Harry Potter memorabilia.
12/30. As most Harry Potter fans will know, J.K. Rowling told Alan Rickman about Snapes story arc before he made his onscreen debut as the character. What many people do not know is that due to this knowledge, the actor would often argue with the directors about certain scenes and acting directions because he knew something they did not.
13/30. The director, Alfonso Cuarn, has a very thick Spanish accent. When he described the dementors as turing the rain around the Hogwarts Express to "ice," the visual effects team heard it as "eyes." They even drew eyes falling from the sky on their storyboards before Cuarn corrected them. Cuarn's contract also forbade him from cursing in front of the kids while on set.
14/30. During one take of Hermione's entrance to the Yule Ball, Emma Watson actually fell down and tripped on her fancy dress.
15/30. Alan Rickman forbade Rupert Grint (Ron) and Matthew Lewis (Neville) from being anywhere near his new BMW, as they had spilled their milkshakes in his old car during "The Goblet of Fire."
Continue for more outrageous behind-the-scenes stories!
16/30. When Gary Oldman (who played Sirius Black) first met Daniel Radcliffe, he bought him a bass guitar, as he knew he had an intense passion for music.
17/30. Rupert Grint revealed that Dan said he could set fire to me and I wouldn't react. It actually happened. He was standing too close to a candle and his T-shirt went up in flames. Grint said I just started laughing.
18/30. While filming the "Prisoner of Azkaban," the pockets of Tom Feltons Hogwarts robes had to be sewn shut to stop him sneaking food on set.
19/30. The producers tried to give Daniel Radcliffe green eyes and Hermione buck teeth like in the books, but failed. Sadly, Daniel had a terrible allergic reaction to his green contact lenses and had to stop wearing them, while Emma Watson couldn't speak clearly wearing her false buck teeth.
20/30. Rupert Grint has an actual severe case of arachnophobia. So a lot of his reactions in the 2nd movie when he was around the spiders and Aragog were totally genuine.
Continue for more outrageous behind-the-scenes stories!
21/30. An outbreak of lice occurred among the children cast members during the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It was so bad that filming actually had to be temporarily delayed.
22/30. Emma Watson would regularly bring her pet hamster Millie to set. When Millie sadly died soon after the start of shooting, the set department created a coffin lined with velvet for Millie.
23/30. When the Triwizard Tournament contestants enter the maze for the final challenge, some actors who were playing the girls from Beauxbaton were dancing the Macarena in the stands as a joke. But it was left in the final version of the film.
24/30. The filming of the scene in which there are "Seven Harrys" was so incredibly complicated that Daniel Radcliffe counted over 90 takes for a single shot.
25/30. The radishes hanging from Luna Lovegood's ears were actually made by Evanna Lynch, the actress who portrayed her.
Continue for more outrageous behind-the-scenes stories!
26/30. The prop department had to make 40 versions of Slytherin's locket for Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint to destroy them for just one scene.
27/30. Someone who worked in the art department used to bring their dog to work and keep it under the desk. When the animators saw him, they based Dobbys ears on the dog.
28/30. During the filming of the kissing scene between the horcrux versions of Harry and Hermione in the final film, Rupert Grint was kicked off of the set for laughing too much.
29/30. The crew bought baby ostriches to sit in the baskets at Hagrids hut, but by the time they came they were too big to fit there. They kept them in the zoo that they had at the studios instead.
30/30. While the rest of the cast got three weeks of dancing practice, Daniel was only able to get in four days because he had a much heavier filming schedule. For this reason, they mainly used shots of Harry dancing from the waist up to avoid showing his stumbling feet.
SHARE these behind-the-scenes stories with a Potterhead you know!
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.