Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton recently recalled teasing Emma Watson on the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone set. Originally based on author JK Rowling’s wildly popular fantasy books, Harry Potter movie franchise consists of eight movies and spawned three Fantastic Beasts spin-off movies. The franchise has collected more than $7.7 billion at the box office, making it the fourth highest-grossing film series ever.
Because the original books are centered around kids in a school, much of the cast was made up of young actors with little to no credit. At age 12, Felton landed his first film role playing the character Draco, a spoiled, conniving bully who represented the Slytherin House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He starred for the series’ protagonists, the prophesied Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), his faithful friend Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and the ruthlessly honest know-it-all Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).
In Felton’s new memoirs, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Chaos of Growing Up as a Wizard (through Insider), the actor recalled once teasing Watson on the set of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. He admitted that there was a rift between the kids at the time, divided according to their character’s homes at Hogwarts. Felton claimed the groups kept their distance, but “were in no way unfriendly to each otherHowever, when 9-year-old Watson performed a dance for the cast, Felton and his friends laughed at her during the presentation. Read what the actor wrote below:
“I think we thought we were a little cooler. We would spend our free time together listening to rap music – Wu-Tang, Biggie, 2Pac – so when Josh and I heard 9-year-old Emma had a little dance show in her dressing room she wanted to present to us over lunch, we were predictably dismissive.”
“We chuckled our way into Emma’s show, and the chuckles grew louder as she danced. We were just bad boys, largely out of clumsiness and because we thought pissing was cool, but Emma was visibly upset by our thoughtless response. a bit of an asshole, and rightly so.”
“I apologized and Emma accepted my apology. Everyone went on. It was just a stupid teenage act of thoughtlessness, the kind of thing that happens every day. So why does that moment stick in my memory? Why is it so painful for me to remember ?”
Despite teasing, the Harry Potter cast was actually very close
Although Felton and Watson made it up, the actor admits he still feels guilty about the incident and is “ashamed of the memoryof his behavior. He acknowledges that Watson was already under more pressure than anyone else in the main cast because she was the only girl surrounded by guys and their “boys humorHowever, as the film series exploded in popularity, the main cast became close friends and kept in touch after the Harry Potter movies closed.
Despite Felton’s childish ribbing, Watson later admitted that she was in love with her costar during the time they worked on the first two. Harry Potter movies. While those feelings have abated, she has stated that the two have remained quite close since then, often hanging out to catch up after their time away from work. Watson also previously discussed her relationship with her two main costars and stated that they still talk often. Though they used to share a WhatsApp group chat — an app they now detest — the group still keeps in touch, regularly sharing photos, and keeping each other updated on their lives. With the time of Felton and Watson with Harry Potter Over, the costars can now enjoy their time together, free from the pressures of the huge franchise.
Source: Insider
