It's been 20 years since the premiere of the first film in the Harry Potter series, and the cast is surprised.
"It doesn't feel like we've earned a reunion yet", said the actor during Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts. He and his co-stars are sitting in the common room of the house and marveling at how long it has been since they made the movies.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 was the eighth movie in the beloved film series that only ended a decade ago. The cast of Harry Potter got together for the 20th anniversary of the movie.
The reunion special includes interviews with many of the actors from the movie. J.K. Rowling is not involved in the interview footage. Several cast members have distanced themselves from her.
Interviews and anecdotes packaged with behind-the-scenes footage, clips from the films, and a score from Charlie Mole make a different kind of emotional impact.
There's a lot to love, but here are our top five favorite moments from Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.
1. The song of Tom and Emma.
They love each other. Credit: Max.
Emma and Tom declared their love for each other at the halfway point of the special. In separate talking heads, the actors who played Harry Potter and his friends speak glowingly of each other and of their bond. It's a bond that has never been romantic, but it clearly means a lot to them.
It's a wonderful moment, underscored by the similarities between the two friends and brothers. The increased years between them and how few scenes they shared together made her bond with him stand out. It's not like the star-crossed romance of Draco/Hermione, but it is more beautiful.
He told her that she didn't know what a boom mic was when they first met. It is precious.
2. The prank was from the ashes.
Chris Columbus is interviewing Daniel Radcliffe. The two haven't worked together in a long time. Credit: Max.
In a conversation set in the office of Albus Dumbledore, actor Richard Harris was pranked by Daniel Radcliffe and Chris Columbus. Harris, who played Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, shared a scene with Radcliffe and an animadosaurus. He thought the model was a real bird. Columbus harnessed that fancy for the performance after the young Radcliffe didn't dare correct him. Harris died after the second film and he believed it was a real animal.
3. On-set shenanigans.
The credit is courtesy of HBO Max.
If you work with the same people for ten years, you will have some inside jokes. Many of the actors who were children when the films started recall what it was like to be on a blockbuster movie set as a child. They played a game called "slaps," in which you try to slap your opponent's hands to see if they can react.
They remember the Great Hall's floating candles falling from the ceiling because the flames were burning through the strings that held them up. The trio recalled a funeral service for the hamster that was killed on the set of Goblet of Fire. The director broke his ribs during a scene rehearsal.
You get the sense that the cast could talk about their experience for hours, even in a feature-length special. Hopefully, the footage is still being shared with us.
4. A kiss.
For a decade, the two actors have spoken freely about their kiss in Deathly Hallows - Part 2. They revisit it again in this special. Yates broke the news that it would be filmed later in the week in a clip from the set.
"What?" She leaned in as if she had heard something. "This week?"
They recount the horror from their chairs. He said that he was being an absolute dick about it. Ron/Hermione fans will love the playful energy, additional takes, and bloopers, even though it's still one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
5. The ones that were chosen.
There is a bond of lifetimes. Credit: Max.
Return to Hogwarts reflects on young fame and the situation in which child actors were thrown, in its more serious moments. As they grew older, they were compelled to pursue acting and learn from the stars around them. There was a sense of loneliness to the path they ended up on.
When their lives and their characters blurred almost indistinguishably, their names didn't feel like theirs. I knew how to play Ron and I only knew how to do it.
As the only female of her age group in the main cast, she felt isolated. Rumors swirled that she was leaving the series before the final films. Three of them speak candidly about what they couldn't say in their early teens. How did it feel? Something could have made it better. How did it affect you? They don't express any regret.
"We were very strong for each other, and that's what we did this time," he said.
The camaraderie of the Harry Potter cast and crew is something Return to Hogwarts is able to show us. The battle of good and evil seems to pale in comparison to the chemistry and fondness of the films.
The 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter books will be celebrated on January 1.
