The Harry Potter movies certainly had a lot of emotional moments. We’re talking heartbreaking Wizarding World deaths or when things didn’t go according to plan in the fight against Voldemort. In real life, the cast of Harry Potter did have a lot of funny moments on the set that are worth looking back on. A behind-the-scenes video revealed the time when Rupert Grint even fooled Daniel Radcliffe while dressed as a Death Eater on set. I’ve got to say, watching it is totally priceless!
If you recall, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (which went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, so I know a lot of you have seen it) sees Ron and Hermione disguise themselves while Harry hides under his Invisibility Cloak to break into Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Hermione drinks Polyjuice Potion to look like Bellatrix Lestrange and Ron disguises himself as a Death Eater. Harry revealed in a deleted scene he wouldn’t have recognized him if he didn’t know Ron, and now fans can see the moment play out in real life via a BTS Instagram video where Daniel Radcliffe also lacks recognition.
As you can see, Rupert Grint went full-out in disguise wearing (what he believes was) Gary Oldman’s old wig when he played Sirius Black, as well as donning a full beard and darkened eyebrows. As the British actor is known for his ginger hair, he said he walked past plenty of people on set who had no idea it was him. Even Daniel Radcliffe couldn’t identify his Harry Potter chum, and he’d known him for a decade at that point.
The cast and crew of Harry Potter have worked together for so many years, and there are a lot more fun, feel-good moments out there. For example, there was a time when Alan Rickman and Michael Gambon pranked Daniel Radcliffe with a farting machine to make everyone think he was flatulent! There were also some adorable videos of the young cast just being kids, including Tom Felton messing around on the Prisoner of Azkaban set with a giant yo-yo and a throwback video of Felton and Emma Watson playing a hand game during a set break. Cute moments like this show how the Harry Potter set was like a second home to these child actors.
I love seeing Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe’s interactions with each other. As we saw in BTS videos and during the Harry Potter 10th anniversary reunion, you can see the deep friendship the two shared playing young wizards. It still feels fresh to fans, and Grint has previously said he loved his bond with Radcliffe and Emma Watson. With a new Harry Potter TV series coming into play, it looks like a brand new cast of young British actors will know what it’s like to step into big shoes like the OG trio once did.
If Rupert Grint were able to fool Daniel Radcliffe with his clever Death Eater disguise, we clearly need to give hair and makeup a round of applause. The Wizarding World may have a Polyjuice Potion to cleverly mix up magical folk, but Hollywood’s got their own brand of magic that can transform actors so well even their co-stars don’t recognize them, and they don’t get enough random lauds.
You can watch the memorable Deathly Hallows: Part 2 scene and the rest of the Harry Potter films with your Peacock subscription or your Max subscription. And don’t forget to add the upcoming adapted TV series to your watchlist in 2026!