10 Harry Potter Movie Moments That Were Unscripted
These Harry Potter movie improvisations range from off-the-cuff lines to unexpected actions
Unless you live under a rock, you've heard of the Harry Potter franchise. For eight films, this iconic series enchanted audiences around the world with its magic. It brought J.K. Rowling's bestselling books to life, and for the most part, it followed their stories like a blueprint. But there are several moments throughout Harry Potter's eight films that weren't scripted at all. These improvisations range from off-the-cuff lines to unexpected actions. And with an ensemble cast this talented, is that even a surprise? Here are ten moments from the Harry Potter franchise that you probably didn't realize were unplanned and unscripted but still made movie magic.
10 PHOTOS
10. Arthur Weasley and the Rubber Duck - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has a lot of improvised moments on this list. Ron's dad, Arthur Weasley (Mark Williams), is fascinated by Muggles (non-magic people) and is always asking Harry silly questions about them. During their first meeting in this film, Arthur looks at Harry very seriously and asks him, "What is the purpose of a rubber duck?" It's a ridiculous and comical line, and it was totally improvised. Apparently, Williams would ask about a different item with each take, keeping the scene fresh and humorous. In the end, though, it was the rubber duck that the filmmakers chose to put into the movie.
9. The Lovegoods’ Dance Moves – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One invites audiences to a wizard wedding between Bill Weasley (Domhnall Gleeson) and Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy). As the story goes, a choreographer helped orchestrate the dance moves for the actors and actresses in this scene but had trouble coming up with a routine that fit the eccentric Lovegoods. So Evanna Lynch and Rhys Ifans, who respectively play lovable oddballs Luna and her father Xenophillius, did their own thing, an appropriate strategy for the Lovegoods. Together, the two actors came up with the ridiculous Wrackspurt dance, which involves spinning around while clawing at the air like a cat.
8. Lucius Kicking Dobby – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
This may be hard for some of you to take but…Dobby the house elf isn’t real. Since Dobby is a CGI character, the Harry Potter actors had to speak and interact with nothing during their scenes with him. The crew behind Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was confused when Jason Isaacs, who plays Lucius Malfoy, started kicking at thin air during his scene with Dobby. Isaacs clarified later that he was kicking at Dobby. Director Chris Columbus loved this and decided to incorporate the moment into the film’s post-production. Lucius' kicks made the audience sympathize even more with Dobby, who became one of the most popular and beloved supporting characters in the franchise.
7. Bellatrix Tortures Hermione - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (2010)
The Harry Potter franchise gets darker and darker with each movie. One of its darkest moments occurs in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One when the wickedly psychotic Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) tortures Hermione to find the location of Voldemort's missing Horcrux. It's a scene that feels more at home in a horror movie than in a fantastical kids' film.
Apparently, Watson did extensive research about torture survivors before filming. Director David Yates gave both actresses free rein in this scene, letting the camera roll for several minutes without cutting or providing direction, capturing all the intensity and pain of the actresses. Also, it was Carter and Watson's idea for Bellatrix to carve "mud blood" into Hermione's arm, which is one horrific detail that wasn't in the books.
6. Voldemort and Draco's Awkward Hug - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two (2011)
At the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two, Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) chooses to side with the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). To express his gratitude, or maybe just to demonstrate his firm hold on Malfoy, Voldemort gives Draco the most uninviting and awkward of all time. According to Felton, they had filmed this shot dozens of times, but Fiennes only embraced him once. It caught Felton off guard; his uncomfortable, unsettled reaction in this shot is genuine. In the end, it's this improvisation that makes the final cut of the movie.
5. Hermione Shakes Ron's Hand - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
There's a funny interaction that comes at the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. After Harry saves the day and she's no longer Petrified, Hermione (Emma Watson) goes rushing to see her friends. She excitedly throws her arms around Harry and squeezes him. But when she sees Ron, her reaction is a bit more...subdued. Hermione sticks her hand out instead, and the two of them oddly shake hands.
Apparently, Watson was supposed to hug both boys but felt awkward doing so in front of the crowd, so the discomfort radiating from this encounter is genuine. It's a great bit of improvisation that comically foreshadows Hermione and Ron's romance down the road -- though some fans think there were also moments throughout the franchise that hinted at Harry and Hermione winding up together. Author J.K. Rowling said afterward that she regrets pairing up Hermione and Ron and felt like Harry would've been a better match for the talented know-it-all.
4. Sharing a Laugh - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry tells Ron and Hermione about his emotional first kiss with longtime crush, Cho Chang (Katie Leung), though it wasn't emotional in a good way. Harry and Ron are confused as to why Cho would be visibly upset during their first snogging. Fortunately, they have Hermione, as always, to enlighten them with a rant about all the complicated things that Cho might be feeling. Ron looks at her, stupefied.
"One person couldn't feel all that, they'd explode," he says. Hermione then hits him back with one of her classic lines, "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon." The trio then laughs -- but they weren't supposed to. Hermione's analogy made all three actors spontaneously burst out laughing, especially Emma Watson. You can tell that it's a blooper when you rewatch the scene. But unlike most bloopers, this one made the final cut. It's an endearing moment of three friends genuinely sharing laughter.
3. “I didn’t know you could read.” – Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
One of the funniest lines in the Harry Potter franchise is improvised. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Ron (Rupert Grint) use Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Draco Malfoy’s dim-witted lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle, to find out if Draco opened the Chamber of Secrets and unleashed the monster within. Harry, now disguised as Goyle, forgets to remove his glasses, which Malfoy immediately notices. “Why are you wearing glasses?” he asks. “Uh, reading,” Harry/Goyle lies as he fumbles to remove his glasses. “Ready? I didn’t know you could read,” says Draco, who sounds both surprised and impressed. It’s a laugh-out-loud moment that was improvised on the spot by Tom Felton.
2. "Holy crickets, you're Harry Potter!" - Hermione from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
As the first movie in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone introduced audiences to the world of Harry Potter -- and also introduced many of the franchise's most iconic characters to each other. On his very first train ride to Hogwarts, Harry meets his future best friends Ron and Hermione. Most people in the wizarding world are able to instantly identify Harry by the famous lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. As soon as she spots the scar, Hermione blurts out a funny but strange phrase: "Holy crickets, you're Harry Potter!" Emma Watson, who plays Hermione, added the "Holy crickets" bit. The film's director, Chris Columbus, loved the ad-lib and kept it in the final cut. It's since become one of Hermione's most iconic lines in the movies.
1. Lucius and Harry Exchanging Ad-Libbed Lines - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
At the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry (Radcliffe) saves the day and foils Lucius Malfoy’s sinister plans. Enraged, Lucius (Isaacs) glares at Harry and snarls, “Let us hope that Mr. Potter will always be around to save the day.” This line was ad-libbed by Isaacs. But what makes this scene even cooler is that 12-year-old Radcliffe then ad-libs his own response to Isaacs: “Don’t worry. I will be.” It’s the most iconic interaction between these two characters and establishes their relationship for the rest of the series -- and also establishes Lucius as one of the movie's most villainous characters.
Keywords: Harry Potter | Movie improvisations | Movies | Unexpected actions | Movie scenes