Harry Potter star admits to almost quitting franchise

London, UK - The long-awaited reunion special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts has arrived, and a few bombshells were revealed during the magical event.

Daniel Radcliffe (r.) and Emma Watson (l.), who played Harry Potter and Hermione Granger respectively in the Harry Potter series, talk about their experience in the HBO Max reunion special.
Daniel Radcliffe (r.) and Emma Watson (l.), who played Harry Potter and Hermione Granger respectively in the Harry Potter series, talk about their experience in the HBO Max reunion special.  © IMAGO/Picturelux

After two decades, the beloved Harry Potter gang reunited to take viewers back to where the magic began.

The reunion – which is now streaming on HBO Max – did fall a bit short on delivering the awe and nostalgia previous specials like Friends and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air delivered.

Still, it was a treat for true fans of the series.

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Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint were joined by a few of their fellow costars as they reminisced over their years-long journey as the iconic characters who spent their pre-teen years and young adulthood fighting against an evil wizard.

Though the core three and their cast mates spent most of the special reminiscing on the golden days of filming, it turns out not everyone's experience was the same.

Emma, who blossomed into a versatile actor, was apparently at one point unsure about returning to the franchise.

The admission was confirmed by The Perks of Being a Wallflower star's longtime colleagues throughout the special.

David Yates, the director of fifth film, Order of the Phoenix, shared, "When I started, one thing that the producer and the studio spoke to me about was Emma is not sure she wants to come back and do another Potter."

During the HBO Max special, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in all eight films, revealed she almost left the series.
During the HBO Max special, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in all eight films, revealed she almost left the series.  © IMAGO/Cover-Images

Why Emma almost walked out of Harry Potter franchise

Emma Watson shared that she felt "lonely" while filming the Harry Potter films, leading to her almost leaving the iconic franchise.
Emma Watson shared that she felt "lonely" while filming the Harry Potter films, leading to her almost leaving the iconic franchise.  © IMAGO/Picturelux

Though further clarification on what transpired during these time period wasn't given, Emma, who portrayed Hermione Granger, did dish that she felt "lonely."

"I did find a diary entry that was kind of like, hmmm, I could see that, at times, I was lonely," the British star admitted.

While speaking with Rupert, who played Ron Weasley, she continued, "I think I was scared. I don’t know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point when you were like, 'This is kind of forever now.'"

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Another admission Ms. Watson made was that she did "fall in love" with one of her costars, and to HP fans' delight it was none other than Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy.

"I just don’t know how to say it, I just fell in love with him!" she said in the special.

The 31-year-old continued, "I used to come in every day and look for his number on the call sheet. It was number 7. And if his number was on the call sheet, it was an extra exciting day."

Though Tom, who's been best known for his role as Draco Malfoy, didn't share the same sentiments as Emma, the admission was enough to send HP fans into a frenzy.

Cover photo: IMAGO/Picturelux

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