The wands are out and the rebellion is televised! With the fifth Harry Potter installment, Order of the Phoenix, hitting theaters, the iconic trio—Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint—is sitting down to share what life is really like inside the world’s most famous magical franchise.
From awkward first kisses to intense method acting with Hollywood legends, the young stars are proving that growing up at Hogwarts is anything but ordinary.
The Kiss Everyone is Talking About
For fans, Harry Potter’s first onscreen kiss with Cho Chang is the moment of the decade. For Daniel Radcliffe? It was just another day at the office.
“The kiss was more of a big deal for everyone else, but to me it was like doing any other scene. Really,” Radcliffe tells People, jokingly adding that his lack of nerves was thanks to his upcoming stage debut in Equus. “I knew I’d be naked on stage in six months… if this kiss was a worry, I knew that being naked with a bunch of blinding horses would be an even greater worry!”
A Shocking Moment with Gary Oldman
While the kiss was a breeze, working with Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) took a much more emotional turn. Radcliffe recalled a “bizarre” moment while filming the movie’s high-stakes climax.
“He grabbed me and shook me violently for thirty seconds while screaming at me,” Radcliffe says of Oldman’s intense preparation for a scene. “I suddenly regressed and I just started to cry. It was this really weird thing, but he obviously knew it would work.”
Growing Up in the Limelight
For Emma Watson, the “magic” of the movies sometimes ran into the reality of puberty. The actress recalled the struggle of filming while losing her baby teeth.
“I remember the second one, I was still losing teeth,” Watson laughs. “One scene I had a full set, then I would turn around and be missing one!”
Despite the physical changes, the trio remains deeply grounded. While they prepare to have their handprints immortalized at the Chinese Theater, they admit they still feel like “normal” fans. Watson even confessed to being “terrified” of what costar (and Potter super-fan) Evanna Lynch, who plays Luna Lovegood, would think of the final film. “As long as she likes it, we’re good,” Watson says.
The “Punk Rock” Potter
As for Harry’s moody transformation in this film? Radcliffe credits a surprising musical inspiration: Radiohead.
“I think it was me listening to Radiohead that affected my character in this film,” Radcliffe says, specifically naming the album OK Computer as Harry’s unofficial soundtrack. “Which tells you all you need to know about his character.”
With the seventh and final book, The Deathly Hallows, just weeks away from release, the stakes have never been higher. While rumors swirl that Hermione might not make it to the end, Watson is holding out hope.
“I’ve always just been convinced that Hermione’s going to make it,” she says. “I have all these ideas in my head about what was going to happen!”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix hits theaters July .
Would you like me to look up the latest updates on where the “Golden Trio” is today or find more behind-the-scenes secrets from the Harry Potter sets?
