Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard

Felton shocks Rupert Grint, the actor who plays the role of Ron Weasley, with Limp Bizkit rap lyrics on the bus on the way to a shoot. Grint struggles with “corpsing,” which is British theatrical slang for breaking character by laughing, thereby ruining a scene. To prevent such disruptions on set, director Chris Columbus sets up a “red card” system in which laughing actors must pay a fine; Grint ends up owing thousands of dollars. Felton reflects that, like himself, Grint spends a lot of his earnings on irrelevant whims, like llamas and an ice cream truck. On one occasion, Felton calls Grint at the last minute to ask if he will accompany him to an event at a children’s hospital; Grint immediately obliges.

Felton finds all the actors who portray the Weasley family to be wonderfully warm and kind. Mark Williams plays Mr. Weasley, Julie Waters plays Mrs. Weasley, and James and Ollie Phelps play identical twins Fred and George. On one occasion, the Phelps brothers exploit their celebrity status to suggest that an illustrious golf course, the Celtic Manor in Wales, should be cleared for them to play a game of golf for a “behind the scenes” feature with Grint and Felton.