Harry Potter’s Emma Watson Responds To Photo Mistake In HBO Max's Reunion Special

Emma Watson in Harry Potter HBO Max special
(Image credit: HBO Max)

Harry Potter fans welcomed 2022 with the HBO Max special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, which saw actors and behind-the-scenes talent from the popular fantasy franchise reunite to celebrate 20 years since the film series launched with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. However, some viewers soon discovered an error, as it turned out that a picture of Emma Watson from her pre-Potter childhood years was actually of fellow actress Emma Roberts. Now the Hermione Granger performer has responded to the mixup.

Taking to her Instagram account, Emma Watson shared the photo that caused such a ruckus among the Harry Potter fanbase, and judging by the caption, she seems to be taking this in good spirits. Take a look!

I’m sure many would disagree she was not that cute in her younger years, but regardless, it doesn’t appear that Emma Watson is bothered by the mixup, also throwing in “#emmasistersforever.” Fortunately, the producers behind Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts promised they’d fix this aspect of the special, and sure enough, an actual photo of Watson has replaced the one of Emma Roberts, whose notable credits include Unfabulous, American Horror Story and Scream Queens. Roberts shared that picture of herself back in 2012 with the caption “Minnie mouse ears!”

HBO Max also corrected the names of Oliver and James Phelps, who played twins Fred and George Weasley, being accidentally swapped. It just goes to show how even on a high-profile project like Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, sometimes a few mistakes can slip through the cracks. Still, if Emma Watson and Emma Roberts ever cross paths in real life, at least this is a fun way for them to bond.

With a little over a decade since the Harry Potter film series wrapped up with The Deathly Hallows — Part 2, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts saw Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and plenty of other familiar faces recollect on their time working on these movies. Among the highlights from the special were Radcliffe talking about his crush on co-star Helena Bonham Carter and its lovely tribute to the late Alan Rickman. Naturally not every major player from these movies attended the festivities, including Cedric Diggory actor Robert Pattinson, but there was still plenty for Harry Potter fans to enjoy in this nearly two-hour HBO Max exclusive offering.

Emma Watson’s last role was Meg March in Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Little Women, and there’s been no word on what we’ll see her act in next. As for the Wizarding World, it’s being kept afloat these days on the big screen with the Fantastic Beasts prequel movies. The next installment, The Secrets of Dumbledore, will work its magic in theaters on April 15.

Adam Holmes
Senior Content Producer

Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.