International Harry Potter Day 2023: Did You Know These Facts?
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International Harry Potter Day 2023: Did You Know These Facts?

On this occasion, here are some unknown facts about Harry Potter!

International Harry Potter Day 2023: Did You Know These Facts?

Whether you are a muggle, witch or wizard, this is for all the Potterheads. Every year on May 2, International Harry Potter Day is commemorated worldwide with activities related to the wizarding world. The Harry Potter films were undoubtedly an intrinsic part of our childhood. The franchise, apart from taking us on a magical journey in the wizard world, also taught us lessons about friendships and relationships.

On this occasion, here are some unknown facts about Harry Potter!

Radcliffe's first film was not Harry Potter

While Watson and Grint made their film debuts in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, however, it was Radcliffe's second. Before Harry Potter, in the espionage thriller 'The Tailor of Panama', Radcliffe made his film debut as Mark Pendel, the son of Geoffrey Rush's character Harold Pendel.

Only two of the three protagonists auditioned

Daniel Radcliffe was the only one of the three main characters directly chosen by the director. Radcliffe's portrayal of young David Copperfield in the BBC TV miniseries of the same name in 1999 wowed Columbus. On the other hand, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson both had to audition for their role.

That bus was real, folks!

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), the triple-decker bus was a real bus. In the films, it appears to be zooming past vehicles but that was just camera work. In reality, the bus travelled at an average speed, while the other vehicles travelled at a slower pace. The entire video was then sped up.

While inventing Dementors, Rowling drew from her past experiences with depression

When she was in her twenties, Rowling battled depression. According to Oprah Winfrey in an interview, dementors are based on despair's  'hollowed-out feeling'. "I understand sadness. Sadness is the ability to cry and feel. But it's the cold lack of feeling that makes you feel hollowed out. Dementors are what they are," she explains.

No magic in the first film of Harry

The 'boy who lived,' or Harry, didn't cast a single spell in the first Harry Potter film. This could be because he was unaware of his connection to the magical world. It wasn't until Hagrid met Harry in the muggle world that he realized he was a wizard.

Later, while trying to buy a wand for himself at Ollivander's, Harry waves his wand until a wand with a phoenix feather core 'chooses' him.

JK Rowling gave characters names that reflect their personality

Rowling's world-building is well-known among fans, and the whimsical names she gave her characters are no exception. She revealed on  Pottermore that she came up with names for 40 Hogwarts students in Harry's year, including every member of the Golden Trio, early in the creative process.

Harry Potter was the name of his great-grandfather

According to Pottermore, Harry Potter shares a name with his great-grandfather. Although there is no mention of this ancestor, who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s, in the books. His timeline would coincide with the events of 'Fantastic Beasts'.

The books were translated into 80 languages

The "Harry Potter" books have sold over 500 million copies worldwide. They've been translated into 80 languages.