Working in the wildly successful Potter films would give them their identity, bring them unimaginable fame, and prove to be their acting school as well. They journeyed from childhood to adulthood in each other’s company, becoming close pals during the eventful journey.
This writer was in his early 30s when Harry Potter had hit the big screen for the first time. Before that happened, one had been persuaded to read Harry Potter by a friend’s child. After one did, it was easy to understand why people the world over – and not just children – had fallen in love with the vividly portrayed world of magicians, good and bad.
One realised that author J K Rowling was capable of crafting an endless series of gripping subplots as her characters journeyed through their lives in an alternate universe that had wands, Quidditch, magical spells, Voldemort and much more. The impact, in short, was magical.
The film under review has its share of funny moments. We get to know that Richard Harris, who played the Hogwarts principal Albus Dumbledore in the first two films, had mistaken the animatronic bird Phoenix for a real one. Helena Bonham Carter, who played the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, takes out her carefully preserved false teeth that she would wear when she played the character.