There’s nothing that gets a fanbase going like a reunion. Judging by the reaction whenever Jimmy Fallon does his ’90s Nostalgia thing, it almost seems like people enjoy the reconciliation more than the actual project, whether it be a TV show, band, or, in this case, a movie. Specifically, the Harry Potter film series, which earned more than $7.7 billion worldwide at the box office, a number that will dramatically increase when Warner Bros. inevitably re-releases them in 3D.
In honor of Daniel Radcliffe’s birthday (he turned 26), let’s look at the ways the Harry Potter cast has reunited, or at least referenced each other, since the films wrapped in 2011.
1. Daniel Radcliffe had a great response to a question about going from a boy wizard to MAN HUNK. The AP asked, “You’re kind of becoming a bit of a sex symbol, which to some of your fans is kind of weird, because we’ve seen you growing up on screen…How do you feel about it?”
“Around the time of What If, the rom com, coming out, a lot of people were saying, ‘You’re really an unconventional romantic lead.’ And eventually I got bored of hearing that and I kind of picked someone up on it. I was like, ‘What about me is unconventional, exactly? Like, tell me.’ And she said, ‘Well, I think it’s probably the fact that, you know, we associated you with playing Harry, the young boy, for so long.’ My immediate response was, ‘Well, the male population has had no problem sexualizing Emma Watson immediately.’”
2. While Rupert Grint (Ron) was performing on Broadway in It’s Only a Play, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) posed outside as an autograph-seeking superfan in disguise, donning an unconvincing wig. This was retribution for Grint “showing up on the red carpet of his Rise of the Planet of the Apes premiere in LA, wearing a T-shirt reading, I ♥ Tom Felton.”
3. Speaking of Felton, he spoke to “the world’s most committed fans” for his BBC Three documentary, Tom Felton Meets the Superfans. He wanted to know why, for instance, a middle-aged woman has waited for him at practically every public event he’s attended, and what it’s like to be the center of such non-stop attention. Felton spoke to not only J.K. Rowling, but Grint and Radcliffe, who said, “If you’re going to be obsessed with something, being obsessed with a series of books or films is pretty good. Some people are obsessed with heroin.”
4. In 2014, Radcliffe and Grint both won trophies at the WhatsOnStage Awards, the former for Best Actor in a Play and the latter, Best Newcomer.
Radcliffe’s hair also won Best Homeless Caveman Look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBsZMpiJ4Q4
5. When Universal Studios added Diagon Alley to the the Wizarding World of Harry Potter last year (which is fantastic, and you should for sure go), a good chunk of the cast showed up. Pictured below is: Oliver and James Phelps (Fred and George), Matthew Lewis (Neville), Domhnall Gleeson (Bill), Evanna Lynch (Luna), Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix), Warwick Davis (Filius), Tom Felton (Malfoy), and Bonnie Wright (Ginny).
6. The cast hasn’t worked together much since Deathly Hallows – Part 2, but Watson will reunite with one of her professors, Remus Lupin (played by David Thewlis), in the upcoming thriller Regression. Emma Thompson (Sybill Trelawney) will also be in Beauty and the Beast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATTjUtqdJfU
7. Well played, Neville.
8. WEASLEY FAMILY REUNION (and, um, Draco)
