It has been years since the franchise ended, but one memory from the ‘Harry Potter‘ set still haunts Tom Felton to this day. Over time, we have heard countless behind-the-scenes stories from the legendary Hogwarts set.
Looking back, Felton admits he was particularly mean to his co-star Emma Watson. But what may have seemed like a childish mistake at the time has now become the actor’s most painful memory to revisit. Read on to know all about it.
Tom Felton Remembers Making Fun Of Emma Watson’s Dance Moves
In his memoir, ‘Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard,’ Tom Felton admits he still feels ashamed for making fun of co-star Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the franchise, during their childhood.
Felton recalled that he was 12 years old at the time, whereas Watson was just nine. One day on set, he and fellow actor Josh Herdman, who portrayed Gregory Goyle, heard that Watson had put together a dance performance in her dressing room and had invited them to watch.
“We sniggered our way down to Emma’s show, and the sniggers grew louder as she danced,” Felton wrote, per Business Insider. “We were just being sh–ty boys, largely out of awkwardness and because we thought taking the piss was cool, but Emma was visibly upset by our thoughtless reaction.”
“I did feel like a bit of a di–, and rightly so,” he added. Felton later apologized to Watson, who accepted it. He later described that incident as “a stupid, teenage act of thoughtlessness, the sort of thing that happens every day.” Despite his apologetic attitude, the memory hasn’t left him.
Felton Believes Watson Was Under Immense Pressure During ‘Harry Potter’
The incident has stayed with Felton after so many years because, over time, he came to understand the tremendous pressure Watson was under from such a young age.
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“I’ve grown to understand with the passing of the years that of all of us, Emma had the most to deal with, the most difficult situation to negotiate, and from the earliest age,” Felton wrote. “And the pressures she experienced went further than just having to deal with stupid boys.”
In his memoir, the British actor took the moment to reflect on the double standards young female actors face in the industry. He noted that Watson was “treated like an adult from the day she was cast” and faced a level of scrutiny that her male co-stars never did.
In his view, that realization makes the memory even harder for him to revisit. “The last thing she needed, in an environment that should have been—and normally was—safe and friendly and familial, was Josh and me laughing at her dance.”
The Gryffindors vs. Slytherins Rift Was Very Much Real
Additionally, Felton reminisced on the early dynamics on the ‘Harry Potter’ set, especially a divide between the young actors playing students from Gryffindors and Slytherins. “There was a definite Gryffindor/Slytherin divide in the early days,” Felton wrote.
“Two cliques that kept their distance from each other, largely because we didn’t spend that much time working together.” The Gryffindor group consisted of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Watson.
Meanwhile, Felton spent most of his time with fellow Slytherin actors Jamie Waylett and Josh Herdman. Although the groups were never hostile toward one another, Felton admitted they thought they were “a bit cooler.”
They spent their downtime listening to artists like Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., and 2Pac. Felton believes this immature attitude contributed to their “predictably dismissive” attitude toward Watson’s dance performance.
Fortunately, those childish differences didn’t last. Over time, Felton and Watson developed a very close friendship, that is still alive and kicking. “I’m glad that our friendship did not founder on the rocks of my insensitivity, but became something deeper. A touchstone for both of our lives,” Felton wrote.
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