Several stars of the Harry Potter franchise revealed their on-set crushes during the “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” special, which premiered Saturday on HBO Max.
Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, said she “fell in love” with co-star Tom Felton, while Daniel Radcliffe, who starred as Harry Potter, admitted that he wrote a love letter to actress Helena Bonham Carter.
“I walked into the room where we were having tutoring. The assignment that had been given was to draw what you thought God had looked like and Tom had drawn a girl with a backward cap on on a skateboard,” Watson said during the special. “And I just don’t know how to say it, I just fell in love with him … I think the truth of it was Tom was the one that I could often be more vulnerable with.”
Felton said he viewed Watson as more of a little sister than as a romantic interest. “I became very protective of her, yeah, I’ve always had a soft spot for her. And that continues to the day,” he said. “There’s always been something where it’s like … kinship.”
Bonham Carter, who portrayed Bellatrix Lestrange, found a letter the young actor had sent her during filming of the series, and asked him to read it out loud during the special. “I do love you and I wish I’d just been born 10 years earlier so I might’ve been in with a chance,” Radcliffe wrote, adding that he “always ended up holding [her] coffee.”
HOLLYWOOD – JULY 9: (L-R) Actor Rupert Grint, actor Daniel Radcliffe and actress Emma Watson attend the Harry Potter cast “Hand, Foot and Wand-Print” ceremony held at Grauman’s Chinese Theater July 9, 2007 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
The series, based on the books by J.K. Rowling, grossed over $9 billion in the worldwide box office, sparking spin-offs such as “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” (RELATED: REVIEW: ‘Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts’ Is An Incredible Walk Down Memory Lane)
In the special, Watson also revealed how she had thought of leaving the series, citing “The Order of the Phoenix,” the fifth in the franchise, as the “tipping point.”
“This is kinda forever, now,” she said, “The fame thing had finally hit home in a big way.”
Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, and Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom, reported that crushes and teenage flings were common on set.
“There were crushes and people went out with each other and broke up. Just like you did at school,” Lewis said according to Us Weekly.
Grint commented that “Goblet of Fire” was “a very interesting film” to work on due to the “hormones flying around.”
Grint added that all the cast members developed a strong bond during the filming of the series. “Even though we don’t see each other all the time, yeah, It’s a strong bond that we will always have, and we will always be part of each other’s lives.”