Top 10 Harry Potter Scenes That Caused Tension During Production

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” (2011)
The long-awaited kiss between Ron and Hermione was executed differently in the movies than in the books. Nevertheless, it was a cathartic triumph for Romione[a] fans, eager to see their ship finally set sail. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so much for Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. Having grown up together, Watson and Grint viewed each other more as siblings than anything else. Watson particularly could not take it seriously, and they had to do four takes before it finally gelled. Her kiss with Daniel Radcliffe during the locket scene was even more awkward, as Watson had to film it topless and with silver paint. RIP, Golden Trio.

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005)
A dolled-up Hermione descending gracefully down the Great Hall staircase for the Yule Ball is a lovely moment. It’s a character turn for Hermione, especially if you have the book’s context in mind. It sounds simple enough to shoot, right? Not quite. According to Watson, the experience was nowhere near easy or enjoyable. Director Mike Newell [b]bombarded her with instructions on how to walk down, saying she was walking too fast and her arms were swinging too much. Watson even fell down the stairs at one point! Fortunately, Newell did get his perfect take in the end, which turned out splendidly.

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002)
The casting for this franchise was even more perfect than most know. Rupert Grint is very much like Ron in many ways. One trait he shares with his redheaded character is that they are both afraid of spiders. Yes, even the rubbery kinds. This made filming the scene where he and Harry meet Hagrid’s former pet Acromantula[c], Aragog, in the Forbidden Forest even more challenging. While most of the spiders were created via CGI, a massive animatronic puppet was constructed for Aragog. Poor Grint didn’t have to work too hard to portray his character’s terror. Especially when a spider actually grabs hold of his neck.

“Harry Potter” franchise (2001-11)
One of the most alluring scenes in the franchise always involves those grand feasts in the Great Hall. It helps that the Great Hall is a practical set with candles and everything, beautifully shot in the first film. In real life, however, it was not so luxurious. While the actors were initially encouraged to eat the food during the production of “Philosopher’s Stone”, the long time between takes meant the plates were left there for days on end. It grew so bad the actors could smell the rot from other locations. Suffice to say, they switched to artificial and treated food in subsequent films.

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005)
Cedric’s death at Voldemort’s hand was devastating behind the scenes as well, though for an entirely different reason. Actor Robert Pattinson had to endure being jolted around by wires. These wires would launch him backward to the ground as the Avada Kedavra spell hit him. One was even tied around his groin area! It was a terribly uncomfortable experience Pattinson had to undergo numerous times before Mike Newell was satisfied. The scene was executed well, though, marking the first major death of the series. Godspeed, Pattinson. Cedric deserved better, and so did you.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007)
As if we needed yet another reason to hate this scene. Umbridge’s sadistic torture of Harry in the guise of discipline includes Harry writing lines in special ink… his blood. Umbridge is the most universally loathed “Harry Potter” character for very good reason. But if it’s hard for us to watch, it was even harder for Imelda Staunton[d] to perform. This talented actress admitted that particular scene left her “feeling pretty bad for a couple days”. You know you’re foul when your own actor can’t stomach playing you.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007)
Is there any magical location cooler than the Room of Requirement? Harry first used the Come-and-Go Room as a room to teach defensive magic to his peers. Unfortunately, the set built for this consequential location was very uncomfortable to be in for the actors involved. James and Oliver Phelps, who played Fred and George, revealed it grew hot quickly, and Ginny’s actress, Bonnie Wright, described it as claustrophobic with so many people in the scene. The many fireplaces in the room did not help matters either. If nothing else, at least Umbridge’s Bombarda Maxima aired things out a bit.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” (2011)
It’s a thrilling scene indeed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape Gringotts Bank on the back of a dragon. Was it the terrifying heights the actors disliked? Surprisingly, it was the jump into the lake that was problematic. Not only did they have to plunge into the lake many times, the water was genuinely cold. In the sequence, the three also had to change clothes right after, which made them colder. Emma Watson described it as the absolute worst experience she had filming the series. Poor Rupert Grint apparently even thought his heart stopped beating at one point! No acting was involved, clearly, in delivering the characters’ teeth-rattling lines.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” (2010)
Now, this scene had to be tricky to execute. In order to spirit Harry away to safety, the plan was to disguise Order members as Harry via Polyjuice Potion to confuse Death Eaters. This scene alone took a whopping 95 takes to complete! Literally everything about this scene was tricky to pull off. They had to film each actor as they physically transformed into Harry, which required 30 backup cameras. Radcliffe had to study how the other actors portrayed their characters in order to convincingly play them turning into his character. Not only that, but he couldn’t move around a lot or else he would be stepping into a shot with another version of himself. It was executed brilliantly, but it was definitely very challenging to shoot.



Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Screenwriter Steve Kloves Wanted Harry to Duel Snape – Thankfully, Rowling Convinced Him Otherwise

Poor Gary Oldman Had to Lie on the Cold Ground for a Week!

Daniel Radcliffe Spent Six Weeks Underwater

Those Broomsticks Really Were Uncomfortable to Ride On

It Was a Real Drop & Daniel Radcliffe Genuinely Feared for His Life

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” (2010)
Torture scenes are often also torturous for the actors involved. In “Deathly Hallows – Part 1,” Harry, Ron, and Hermione are captured and taken to Malfoy Manor. Upon seeing Gryffindor’s Sword and believing the trio had stolen it from her Gringotts vault, Bellatrix takes things out on Hermione. It’s a hard scene to watch, but even harder on the actors. Watson did her research on real-life torture victims and delivered a chilling performance that managed to disturb even her fellow actors. Poor Helena Bonham Carter also felt guilty about accidentally injuring Neville actor Matthew Lewis in “Order of the Phoenix”. While her character was threatening him, she actually perforated his eardrum, causing internal bleeding. Lewis, not wanting to make Bonham Carter feel bad, never told her.




If you could play any character in “Harry Potter”, who would it be? Let us know in the comments!

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[c]A-cro-MAN-chew-luh
[d]Ih-MELL-duh STAWN-t'n