The cast of the ‘Harry Potter’ films remains one of the most beloved ensembles in cinema history. Over the course of a decade, we watched the young actors grow up. While veteran stars like Alan Rickman and Michael Gambon became their mentors, as well as some very expert pranksters.
As it turns out, the two legendary actors once teamed up to pull an embarrassing prank on Daniel Radcliffe. And it happened right in front of a girl he really liked.
Rickman and Gambon Set Up The Most Perfect Prank On ‘Harry Potter’ Set
During a Reddit AMA in 2014, Daniel Radcliffe was asked whether he had ever pulled any pranks on the ‘Harry Potter’ set. His answer was surprisingly hilarious. Radcliffe never got the chance because the older cast members had already claimed that title.
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According to him, the prank happened while filming ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’. In this sequence, the students were all gathered in the Great Hall in their sleeping bags after the Dementor attacks and Sirius Black’s escape from Azkaban.
The scene began with the camera positioned far away. It slowly came forward until it was just inches from Harry’s face. It was a long dramatic shot that required everyone to remain perfectly still. That’s when Rickman saw his opportunity.
“Alan Rickman decided he would plant one of those fart machines in my, uh, sleeping bag, and they waited until like—the camera had come in for this huge dramatic developing shot, and then unleashed this tremendous noise in the great hall,” Radcliffe revealed.
Fans can actually spot the prank unfolding in the behind-the-scenes footage included in the ‘Harry Potter’ Blu-ray box set.
How Rickman and Gambon Made Sure Daniel Radcliffe Never Forgets The Prank
The story is hilarious on its own, but one crucial detail makes it even more hilarious. Radcliffe revealed how the first thing that crossed his mind was straight-up panic.
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“I immediately thought: ‘This is one of the other kids f****** around, and we were going to get in trouble.’” Radcliffe revealed, “But as it turns out, it was one of the members of Britain’s acting royalty. I think I laughed a lot, was probably a bit embarrassed, but it was really, really funny.”
But one detail that Radcliffe left out from his story was filled in by director Alfonso Cuarón, which makes it even worse and even more hilarious. He revealed that right before filming, Radcliffe had made a special request. He wanted to be placed next to a “particular girl that he fancied” during the Great Hall sleepover scene.
We can totally imagine his embarrassment when the perfectly timed fart machine went off!
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