How the 'Harry Potter' reunion both disappointed and delighted fans
Potterheads young and old spent the first day of the year reminiscing about the beloved Harry Potter franchise with its all-star cast, as Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts was broadcast on Saturday.
In the nearly two-hour-long HBO special, fans were presented with an emotional and nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) sat down to talk about growing up on set, while major British actors such as Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) and Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) also made an appearance, sharing never-before-heard anecdotes from their years working on the franchise.
There was an overwhelmingly positive response to the special, which has been compared to the recent Friends reunion, but there were aspects of it that weren't as well-received.
An eagle-eyed fan spotted a big editing mistake in the reunion and shared it on social media, naturally causing it to go viral.
At one point, a childhood photograph of what producers believed was Emma Watson flashed on screen, yet one Twitter user rightly pointed out that it was, in fact, a young Emma Roberts (We're the Millers).
It was a photo of Roberts in Minnie Mouse ears that the Holidate actress had previously shared on her Instagram account.
The producers were quick to put their hands up and admit fault. "Well spotted Harry Potter fans!" they said. "You brought an editing mistake of a mislabelled photograph to our attention. New version up shortly."
Their love for one another couldn't have been clearer than in the moment they first see each other in the reunion. Watson runs towards Felton for a big hug, both grinning like Cheshire cats.
For years, Watson and Felton are rumoured to have dated, but they both deny it in the special. Watson admits to a crush on her co-star, and they both say they have always “loved each other” but draw the line there.
“Emma and I have always loved each other, really,” Felton says. “I think I was in the hair and make-up chair and someone said something along the lines of, ‘She has a crush on you.’”
Fans gushed on social media about the hug. "Middle-school me who read all the 'What's Going On Behind the Scenes of the Harry Potter Movies' stories is losing her mind at Emma Watson and Tom Felton at the 0:19 mark," wrote Ella Brockway.
This point is actually quite divisive, as while fans appreciate JK Rowling's genius in creating the world of Harry Potter, many were put off by the author's controversial comments on transgender people last summer.
While new interviews with cast members and directors of the film series were shot specially for the episode, archival footage was used of Rowling, as the caption "filmed in 2019" appeared on the screen. She features for less than 30 seconds of the one-hour-and-45-minute show.
