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Harry Potter reunion!!

Nothing could be more exciting than waiting for the Harry Potter reunion to hit the screens. But the moments leading up to the reunion are actually pretty tense. Like Emma Watson revealing that she was on the brink of leaving the franchise for good. Can you imagine the franchise without Emma Watson as Hermione? Certainly, not!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower actress just shared what it was like to work on the sets of Harry Potter as the only girl of her age, especially when Rupert and Daniel Radcliffe had each other for company. Looking back to their time on the sets of the cultural masterpiece that Harry Potter is, Rupert Grint says, “You were considering pulling out,” in a small clip from the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, which is to premiere on HBO Max. “I’ve never really spoken to you about that,” he added. 

Emma explained how the enormity of the franchise intimidated her for a moment, and she tried quitting. She revealed that she was probably going to leave after shooting for the first four films in the franchise up until Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. She admitted, “I think I was scared. I don’t know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point where you were like, ‘This is kind of forever now.'”

Of course, it was not just Emma Watson who was scared by the enormous scale of the film. The stars of the franchise were just children when they signed up for their iconic roles, but as they and the popularity of the franchise increased, several other factors would also have come into play. Actor Daniel Radcliffe, who gets to play the very loved character of Harry Potter, shared that it was difficult to be a child star considering all the responsibilities that came with being so famous and successful. 

Rupert Grint and Emma Watson played on-screen partners in Harry Potter; Credits: TV Insider

He said, “We never really spoke about it. I guess we were just going through it at our own pace.” The actor added that the stars did not get to talk about it affecting all of them as he conceded, “We were kind of in the moment at the time. It just didn’t really occur to us that we were all probably kind of having similar feelings.”

Additionally, being the only girl in the Golden Trio in her growing years made her feel "lonely," and “The fame thing had finally hit home in a big way.”

Tom Felton, who played the character of the Slytherin Draco Malfoy, appreciated Emma Watson for her perseverance and dedication to her character. He said, “People definitely forget what she took on and how gracefully she did it. Dan and Rupert, they had each other. I had my cronies, whereas Emma was not only younger, she was by herself.” Rupert Grint also admitted that he thought about quitting the role at one point in time and thought “what life would be like if I called it a day” once he had become famous. 

However, Emma Watson decided it was worth staying and playing Hermione to the end and that "no one had to convince" her to stay on the franchise. “The fans genuinely wanted you to succeed, and we all genuinely have each other’s backs. How great is that?” she added.

Not only did she continue to be beyond magical as she embodied the character of Hermione, but also channeled the character's loving and kind spirit as she helped Evanna Lynch, the actress who played Luna Lovegood, feel more welcome on the sets, just as Hermione did. Luna told Us Weekly, “Emma was always so nice to me and made an effort to get to know me and make me feel at home, which was a huge deal coming from her.” She added, “And because I was such a big Harry Potter fan, I was very nervous around those three and intimidated by them.”

Apparently, Luna herself was mesmerized by the magical trio and revealed, “I was so nervous. So, I just remember her being really kind and making a lot of effort to make me feel at home.” 

Most notably, all the characters practically grew up on the sets of Harry Potter and spent a lot of time from their life as characters from the show. Daniel Radcliffe had his first kiss on the sets of Harry Potter. He revealed about the franchise and Leavesden Studio in England, "Every part of my life is connected to Potter and to Leavesden." He said, "My first kiss is connected to someone here. My first girlfriends were here." The lady in question is Rosie Coker, a production assistant on the sets of the franchise. 

Nevile Longbottom actor Matthew Lewis also shared his own experience from the film series. He said the character meant a lot to him, "Not least because I played him, obviously, but just what he stood for, really…the goodness in him." He added, "The fact that through all of life's challenges, whether he was bullied at school or the things that happened in his childhood to his parents, he never veered from the path. He always stayed true to his ideals, to what he believed in, and what was the right thing to do."

The golden trio from Harry Potter talked about their various memories from the films; Credits: Variety

Talking about how people in the real world could learn from the character, he added, "That's kind of hard, I think. People do get rocked by a lot, and Neville got rocked by a lot, and he never let it shift his morals, his ethics." He concluded, "And he worked tirelessly to fight the good fight. And that's the incredible strength of character. He's a beacon of light in the story, I think, and an inspiration for us all."