Based on memorable moments in HBO’s 20th Anniversary reunion special, the fantasy franchise meant a lot to the Harry Potter cast. However, for some of the actors who had smaller parts in the Harry Potter movies, there seems to be a different story. Emma Thompson, who had a minor role in the series as Professor Trelawney, gets real with what filming was actually like for her.
Compared to Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, whose childhoods were spent in Harry Potter, perhaps those who had small-yet-memorable roles were easily able to go back to being Muggles. Thompson isn't the first person to be ho-hum about the series, either. Miriam Margolyes, who played Professor Sprout, said Harry Potter “wasn’t important” to her, as she only had a few minutes of screen time.
During a recent talk at the Locarno Film Festival (via THR), Emma Thompson got real about her time playing Professor Trelawney and what her short time in the franchise meant to her:
This is not really an important part of my creative endeavor…. I’m really sorry. I don’t mean to be rude to those of you who like Harry Potter, but you know, I really came in, did a bit with glasses and hair, and then left, having been quite well paid. I’m very grateful to them.
I believe Emma Thompson when she says she’s not trying to be “rude.” Since her Hogwarts professor character was primarily featured in Prisoner of Azkaban, with brief screen time in Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows: Part 2, it makes sense that her connection to the franchise isn’t a particularly personal one. It actually gives me echoes of Harry Melling, who played Dudley Dursley. His experience filming Potter was also a blip in which he filmed short scenes, then went back to school.
Even though Professor Trelawney didn’t have a big role in the Harry Potter series, you can’t fail to recognize her importance. The underrated Divinations instructor deserved more credit in the book series for her single coolest thing: delivering the prophecy to Dumbledore that doomed the Potters. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, the slightly aloof professor also unknowingly told Harry in a trance that the one who betrayed his parents would return, even though Harry originally assumed she meant Sirius Black and not Peter Pettigrew.
Not only was Professor Trelawney such a memorable character, but so was the actress who played her. Emma Thompson, who’s given transformative performances in the Nanny McPhee movies and Sense and Sensibility, was completely unrecognizable as the Hogwarts teacher. The way she portrayed her character’s unpredictability and eccentricities with such humor made the minor character totally unforgettable -- at least to me, apparently.
Emma Thompson’s time in Harry Potter may not have been “an important part” of her career, but she said she did feel “grateful” for the experience. While it’s too early to know yet who will be the next actress to take on Professor Trelawney for the Harry Potter TV series, I’ll never forget that Thompson will always be the first one who brought the beloved character to life.
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