- In 2001, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, who played made their film debuts in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
- The trio developed an enduring bond over the following ten years.
- “It’s been such an extraordinary experience to work with, essentially, the same group of people for 10 years,” Radcliffe told Larry King
A Hogwarts pupil is a Hogwarts student forever. The cast of the enormously popular Harry Potter movies had a unique experience. In 2001, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, who played Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, respectively, in J.K. Rowling’s novels, made their film debuts in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
The trio developed an enduring bond over the following ten years.
“It’s been such an extraordinary experience to work with, essentially, the same group of people for 10 years,” Radcliffe told Larry King in 2011 ahead of the last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2. “You develop such close bonds with so many people that it — it feels odd that — though those bonds will still exist into the future, it feels very, very strange to not be going back to work with them next year.”
The group, along with many of the movies’ other stars, including Matthew Lewis, Tom Felton and Bonnie Wright, have stayed in touch since filming wrapped and have supported each other’s projects.
Rowling, for her part, has also kept the fans’ love for Harry Potter alive. In 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, she launched “Harry Potter at Home,” a website to help parents keep their children at home entertained.
“We’re casting a Banishing Charm on boredom!” the homepage for the site, which launched in April 2020, read. “For over twenty years now, Hogwarts has been an escape for all – for readers and fans, young and old. During the strange times we now find ourselves in, we want to welcome you back to Hogwarts, where you will find a friendly retreat for you, your family and those you are caring for.
The following month, she announced via the site that members of the Harry Potter world — and celebrity fans — would each take a turn reading one of the chapters from the first book and the videos would live online. Radcliffe, Stephen Fry, David Beckham, Dakota Fanning, Claudia Kim, Noma Dumezweni and Eddie Redmayne were just some of the stars who participated.
“Each will be reading different sections of this iconic book, with its themes of family, friendship, courage and overcoming adversity, to families around the world,” the press release shared.
Scroll through the photos below to see the cast of Harry Potter reuniting through the years.
December 2014
Three years after the final film, Lewis shared a mini reunion at an event, posing for a photo with Felton and Wright.
March 2015
“Kim K stood me up. Outnumbered by 3 Weasleys,” Felton shared via Instagram at the time, posing with Grint, Wright and James Phelps.
July 2016
Wright reunited with her onscreen love, Radcliffe, backstage at his play Privacy in 2016. “Reunion! Congrats Dan on another stellar performance,” she captioned the pic. “Google is terrifying and I’m now scared to use my phone. Can say no more. Go see Privacy!”
January 2017
Jason Isaacs, who portrayed Lucius Malfoy in the movies, posed with Lewis, Felton and Warwick Davis in 2017.
March 2017
In March, Wright supported her onscreen brother, Grint, at the premiere of his TV show, Snatch.
April 2018
“School mates,” Felton captioned a still with Watson and Lewis. He then added the hashtag “#hogwartsalumni.”
Felton attempted to give Lewis a Slytherin backpack later in a cute pic. “See how close he was to converting,” he captioned the Instagram photo. “#Gryffindork.”
October 2018
Despite being onscreen rivals, Felton supported Radcliffe by seeing him on stage in The Lifespan of A Fact in 2018. “Go see it. He’s fantastic,” he shared via Instagram next to a pic of the pair backstage.
October 2018
During Evanna Lynch’s stint on Dancing With the Stars on season 27, she enlisted her former costar Scarlett Byrne to perform an upbeat salsa trio with her and professional partner Keo Motsepe. The former Hogwarts wizards brought their onscreen magic to the ballroom, dancing to Little Mix’s aptly titled “Black Magic.”
November 2018
Watson leaned in for a beach selfie with Felton to promote his YouTube show, Origin. “Congrats dear friend. #TFToleratingmysubparskatingskillssince1999,” she wrote.
January 2019
Lynch shared a snap via Instagram when she met up with Byrne and Katie Leung in London. She captioned the photo, “Sistas 💙💚💛.”
Credit: Courtesy Tom Felton/Instagram
June 2019
While at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, Felton posed for a snap with his “lads,” including Grint, James and Oliver Phelps.
July 2019
“Sexy and scary! You smashed this. All the love to you Jo. Happy Birthday,” Watson captioned a photo of herself at a costume party with Rowling and costar Lynch.
August 2019
The following month, Felton shared that he and Watson were in South Africa and he was teaching her to play guitar.
November 2019
A group of the former castmates met up at Rhode Island Comic Con, including Lynch, Wright and James and Oliver Phelps.
December 2019
Another reunion took place in London before the holidays in 2019. “Seasons greetings from my school mates,” Felton captioned a photo with Lewis, Wright, Lynch and Watson.
December 2019
Five days before Christmas, Felton and Grint visited a children’s hospital together to celebrate with Harry Potter fans.
December 2019
The Little Women actress shared a black-and-white shot from the cast’s holiday reunion. Lynch, Wright, Felton and Lewis attended the formal gathering.
March 2020
During the coronavirus pandemic, Isaacs shared a mini cast reunion with Felton via IGTV on behalf of the British Red Cross with the caption, “Malfoy Family Reunion.”
May 2020
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Wright, James and Oliver Phelps joined together in a virtual Weasley family reunion via Zoom.
April 2021
Felton met up with James for a round of golf. He even captioned the selfie, “Even a life long Slytherin, will (occasionally) let a Weasley win #🐍>🦁.”
June 2021
“When Draco sat next to Scorpius. Completely by chance!” Felton captioned an Instagram photo in June 2021 alongside Bertie Gilbert, who played his movie son, Scorpius Malfoy, in 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. “Was such a lovely coincidence before sitting down to watch @intheheightsmovie 🙌🏼 🐍 x.”
[embedpost slug=”why-emma-watson-almost-left-the-harry-potter-movies/”]
