Fans of ‘The Devil Wears Prada‘ still quote the scene where Andrea Sachs is ordered to track down an unpublished ‘Harry Potter‘ book for Miranda Priestly’s daughters. It is one of the film’s funniest and most memorable moments.
But when Daniel Radcliffe and the rest of the ‘Harry Potter‘ cast saw it, their reaction was not all positive. In fact, Radcliffe says the entire group had the same thought when that scene played out on screen: “Good luck!”
Daniel Radcliffe Reveals ‘Harry Potter’ Cast Reaction To Iconic ‘Devil Wears Prada’ Moment
Daniel Radcliffe recently revisited the striking ‘The Devil Wears Prada‘ moment during an appearance on Bustle’s One Nightstand podcast. He immediately recalled how the ‘Harry Potter‘ cast reacted when they saw that particular scene.
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At the time, the actors on the ‘Harry Potter‘ set were already used to the intense secrecy surrounding the books. Even though they were the faces of the global franchise, they were not given early access to upcoming installments while filming the movies.
So when the film suggested that someone could casually track down an unpublished ‘Harry Potter‘ manuscript, the cast could only laugh at the idea. From their perspective, the task Miranda Priestly gave Andrea Sachs was completely impossible, and all they could wish was luck upon the poor woman.
J.K. Rowling’s Books Were Too Closely Guarded For That Quote To Be Real
According to Radcliffe, since the ‘Harry Potter‘ books became a global phenomenon, the publisher Bloomsbury took extreme measures to keep the storylines secret before release day. Even the actors bringing the characters to life on screen rarely knew what would happen next. Radcliffe recalled that he, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and the rest of the younger cast never received advance details about future plot points.
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Radcliffe also spoke about how even Rowling kept major plot twists closely guarded and rarely shared manuscripts in advance. As Radcliffe put it, “Rowling wasn’t playing favourites.”
The only real exception was Alan Rickman. He was the only actor who had been told anything ahead of time about his character’s real motivations. Rowling had shared a crucial piece of backstory with him early on to convince him that Severus Snape wasn’t a pure bad guy. She had to reveal how the character had secretly been in love with Lily Potter. It explained why Snape hated James Potter and often directed that bitterness toward Harry.
While the iconic scene continues to delight fans of ‘The Devil Wears Prada‘ even today, those who worked inside the ‘Harry Potter’ universe know it would never have happened.
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