Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts has become a source of conversation and tears for fans. It was not only the perfect opportunity to remember the best moments of the film saga, but also to celebrate its significance. The special is a friendly tour through the franchise, which featured their main faces. Also, it is a loving celebration of the importance that the characters and the story have on several generations of readers and moviegoers.
But the show also had some low points. Most are related to obvious absences and, also, to the omission of sensitive information. It is clear that the show tried to move away from any scandal and controversy in favor of enhancing the good memories. But the blanks puzzled more than one fan.
What happened to Michael Gambon, second actor to play Dumbledore? Why didn’t anyone talk about Maggie Smith (McGonagall) and Julie Walters (Molly Weasley)? We tell you four mistakes he made, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts and that could have left the experience incomplete.
Not honoring one of the great Harry Potter characters
Several of the most notorious absences were from the adult cast of the saga, which included actors of the stature of Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith and Julie Walters. And although the special had the invaluable presence of Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter, there were questions about the absence of the rest of the interpreters.
In particular, that of Michael Gambon, second actor to play Dumbledore. In fact, the absence was most noticeable when the program placed special emphasis on honoring Richard Harris, the first face of the character.
Gambon, currently retired, suffers from memory problems and retired from show business in 2015. According to announced to The Sunday Times that year, the problem was serious enough to be insurmountable. “There was a girl behind the curtain and I had a hearing aid in my ear so that she could read the lines to me. And after an hour I thought this can’t work. You can’t be in the theater, free on stage screaming and running, with someone reading the lines to you”, He explained.
Forget the health of one of your great female faces
The same happened with actress Julie Walters, who in fiction she played Molly Weasley. The actress was one of the notorious absences from the special and it was due to a specific reason: a harsh breast cancer diagnosis. And although it is evident, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is focused on celebrating the saga, it could also send support to its actress.
Walters he has been very vocal throughout the year due to his medical record. Also, she is one of the most beloved actresses in the world of British acting. It would not have been too much, a tribute to his great work. Also, it would have been nice a show of affection for all their effort over almost a decade and a little more work.
Hide the uncomfortable circumstance that surrounded David Thewlis
The actor who played the beloved Professor Lupine in the film saga, starred in a puzzling media mishap. One that, in addition, was the reason for his absence from the program. It was a joke on social networks that ended in a public mishap and also in his “expulsion” from events related to Harry Potter.
The same star recounted the incident in a post on his official Instagram on January 3 of this year. In it, he wrote, “Many of you have been wondering why I was not present at the recent HP cast meeting. Last year (…) I published what I thought was a funny image (…); a Lupine action figure attached to comically large feet. It seems I did this on a delicate anniversary, upsetting many. This led to a huge number of fans (and some members of the cast) to sign a petition demanding that any future celebrations be banned from me. “
The special could be the occasion, to end the problem. But apparently the producers decided to remove another controversial point from the Hogwarts story as well.
Harry Potter’s confused twin
And in what might seem like a private joke, the funniest mistake of the reunion, was starred (of course) by the Weasley twins. Actors James and Oliver Phelps, who play the brothers in the series, were confused on screen! The error included that their names were exchanged on camera and also, on the label that labeled them on the show.
The bug was discovered by multiple Twitter users, which did not take long to publicize the situation.