Highlights
- Harry Potter movies have successfully solidified the franchise in mainstream pop culture.
- Improvised scenes showcase the creativity and cleverness of the actors.
- The actors’ embodiment of their characters adds depth and authenticity to the films.
The Harry Potter universe has been prominent and popular since the early 90s, making its way into other forms of pop culture, such as movies, video games, and soon a TV series that is planned to be released sometime in 2025 or 2026. The Harry Potter film series, specifically, has successfully solidified the entire franchise in the mainstream, making it one of the most popular cinemas to date.
Although not everything from the Harry Potter books can be depicted in the movies, some modifications that made their way into the film are a plus point not to be missed. These improvised scenes are the result of the characters’ embodiment of their characters, showing their creativity and cleverness as actors.
7 Rubber Duck
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley)
Other than being a good father, Arthur Weasley’s character is often filled with dad jokes. Welcoming Harry Potter into his family comes naturally for him, as he accepts any of his children’s friends as his own.
When he first met Harry Potter in the Burrow, one of the first questions was something that Mark Williams–the actor who played Arthur Weasley in the movie series–improvised fittingly for his character as a muggle enthusiast. He asked, “What, exactly, is the function of a rubber duck?” a brilliant question for Harry, who was accustomed to the muggle world before his life at Hogwarts.
6 Voldemort’s Hug
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
- Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort)
Lord Voldemort, who doesn’t know this vile and unforgiving character? Ralph Fiennes, who played the Dark Wizard, seems to understand his assignment very well, as he embodies the character like no other. Including in the scene where he hugged Draco Malfoy after he made a big speech about killing Harry Potter.
This scene is the epitome of an uncomfortable showcase of an emotionally unavailable psychotic character, as he seems to not even know how to hug someone properly. The reaction of Tom Felton–the actor who played Draco Malfoy–is equally fitting, as he was seen baffled and awkward by the senseless hug.
5 Dobby Being Kicked
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy)
Jason Isaacs’s brilliance as an actor has been proven again and again in a lot of movies, especially with his portrayal of Lucius Malfoy. As an arrogant pure-blood maniac, Lucius Malfoy looks down on those whom he deems lowly creatures, including Dobby, the house-elf.
Jason Isaacs portrays these traits by kicking the empty air while stepping down the stairs, an action that was first thought as an accidental mistake on his part. Apparently, he was kicking Dobby down the stairs (that can be added later post-production), an idea that he voiced to the director, who initially thought he had tripped.
4 Draco’s Death Glare
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)
Although he was just 14 years old during the making of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Tom Felton can prove to everyone what a talented actor he is. Playing the character of the school bully, Draco Malfoy, Tom has successfully embodied the character by showcasing his improvisation skills. During the final sequence where Hagrid is coming back from Azkaban, the students and teachers are cheering on him.
Crabbe, who was supposed to be Draco’s sidekick, was seen to be carried away, standing up to cheer on Hagrid. Tom Felton quickly grabbed Crabbe’s necktie with a sour face, demanding him to sit down, an action that is brilliantly accurate to Draco Malfoy’s character.
3 Goyle’s Glasses
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)
This particular scene improvisation is brilliantly done by Draco’s young actor, although the real reason why he did it was quite funny. In the sequence, Harry and Ron drink Polyjuice Potions to take the disguises of Crabbe and Goyle. Harry, who happens to wear glasses, still wears his after transforming into Goyle.
Draco, who saw the glasses, is baffled by this, as Goyle doesn’t usually wear them. When Goyle–aka Harry–answered that the glasses are for reading, Tom improvised this iconic line, “I didn’t know you could read.” The real reason is that Tom forgot his line, but the staff liked it so much they decided to keep it in the final cut.
2 Holy Cricket!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
- Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)
Another brilliant actor since she was just a little kid, Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione Granger in the entire movie series, is just the perfect Hermione. She successfully embodies the studious and bossy character while maintaining the lovable factor that made her very well-liked by the fandom.
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Emma was tasked by Chris Columbus, the director of the movie, to come up with an exclamation line, pointing out her shock at seeing the legendary Harry Potter. Emma then came out with “Holy cricket, you’re Harry Potter!” an iconic line coming from an 11-year-old inexperienced actress.
1 Harry’s Determination Against Evil
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Daniel Radcliff (Harry Potter)
Daniel Radcliff is Harry Potter, and Harry Potter is Daniel Radcliff. Almost everyone agrees with this statement, as he has been portraying this iconic character since he was 11 years old. In the first movie, he was still getting used to his role as the main character of the series. However, by the second movie, his improvement as an actor is undeniably amazing to watch.
In the scene, Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) made a snarky–also improvised–comment on Harry, “Let us hope that Mr. Potter will always be around to save the day.” To which Daniel Radcliffe, as Harry Potter, replied, “Don’t worry. I will be.” A great improvised line coming from a 12-year-old actor who’s facing a much older and experienced actor.
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