Harry Potter is celebrating its 20th anniversary on the big screen with an HBO Max special, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.
Reuniting most of the British ensemble of actors, the reunion sheds more light on why one of the main stars wanted to leave the series.
Read More: Hogwarts Legacy: Everything You Need To Know
Harry Potter Main Star Wanted To Quit The Franchise
The reunion includes an interview with Emma Watson, who was looking to leave the Wizarding World at around the time the Order of Pheonix came out.
Watson explained that the reason behind the situation was the popularity associated with the franchise, as she felt a "tipping point" might've been reached.
I think I was scared. I don't know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point where you were like, This is kind of forever now. It was around the time of Order of the Phoenix when things started getting spicy for all of us.
But the Beauty and the Beast actor decided to retcon the decision, with the fans convincing her to continue her role as Hermoine.
The fame thing had finally hit home – in a big way. No-one had to convince me to see it through. The fans genuinely wanted me to succeed, and they all genuinely have each other's backs. How great is that?
Rupert Grint also shared similar trepidation, though the stars never spoke about it directly with each other.
I also had sort of similar feelings to Emma, contemplating what life would be like if I called it a day. We never really spoke about it. I guess we were just going through it at our own pace, we were kind of in the moment at the time. It just didn't really occur to us that we were all probably kind of having similar feelings.
The franchise elevated the trio of actors to becoming some of the biggest influences in the world at one point and this fame can be daunting for some. Plenty of stars have discussed the 'superstar' status stature that these franchises attach to actors, from Twilight to The Lord of the Rings. Many have gone far enough to question carrying on, much like Watson and Grint did.
The Harry Potter saga of films is probably an era of Hollywood we'll never get back. But you can relive the magic on New Year's Day, where the special will be available to stream on HBO Max (US) and NOW (UK).
Do you think the Harry Potter movies would have been the same without Emma Watson? Let us know in the comments.
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