Being launched into fame at an early age can be a bit overwhelming, so it’s no surprise that one Harry Potter star contemplated wrapping themselves in an invisibility cloak and quitting the franchise for good!
In a new clip for the upcoming Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special, set to hit HBO Max on January 1, the cast opened up about the influence the films had on their lives. While the idea of exiting the franchise occurred to just about all of the main cast members at one point or another, one actor very seriously considered not reprising their role: Emma Watson, believe it or not!
Related: Emma Remembers Exact Moment She ‘Fell In Love’ With Harry Potter Co-Star Tom Felton
In the clip from ET Canada, Rupert Grint discusses the drawbacks of fame with the Hermoine Granger portrayer, explaining:
“You were considering pulling out, I’ve never really spoken to you about that.”
Watson shared:
“Yeah, 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. The fame thing had finally hit home in a big way.”
Crazy!
At another point during the sit-down, Grint confessed there were moments “all the way through” the franchise where he found himself “contemplating what life would be like if I called it a day.”
Even Daniel Radcliffe revealed he shared similar concerns, but went on to note that it was never something the cast talked about. He explained:
“We never really spoke about it. I guess we were just going through it at our own pace, 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.”
For Emma, though, those feelings boiled over into a conversation with producers about potentially hanging up her robes before the franchise was done filming.
Filmmaker David Yates, who directed the last four films in the franchise, revealed that one thing series producer David Hayman “and the studio spoke to me about was, Emma is not sure she wants to come back to do another Potter.” As for why Watson almost left, Tom Felton explained the actress often faced unique pressures in the spotlight because she played the sole female lead in the franchise. He added:
“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.”
Thankfully, Emma ultimately decided that “no one had to convince” her to finish out the eight films in the series, as the support of her co-stars and fans gave her the push she needed to play Hermione to the end. She mused:
“The fans genuinely wanted you to succeed, and we all genuinely have each other’s backs. How great is that?”
AH-Mazing!
Prepare for much more Hogwarts tea to be spilled when Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special airs on HBO Max on Saturday.
[Image via WENN]
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