A 25-Year-Old Clip of the ‘Harry Potter’ Cast Answering One Question Is Going Viral
If you grew up alongside Harry, Ron and Hermione — reading the books under your covers, counting down to each film release — you might want to sit down for this one.
A clip from the very first Harry Potter press conference is going viral, and it’s the kind of thing that’ll hit you right in the childhood.
The date was Aug. 23, 2000. Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint were just 11 years old. Emma Watson was just 10. That was more than 25 years ago.
Let that sink in.
‘Harry Potter’ Cast Was Wide-Eyed and Unprepared
It was at this London event that the trio were officially introduced to the world as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley — a full year before Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone hit theaters on Nov. 16, 2001.
During the documentary Creating the World of Harry Potter, Radcliffe confirmed that it was the first time the trio had properly met.
Watson recalled being “terrified” and “so nervous” that she thought she would be sick. Radcliffe described Grint as the “really chatty one” in those days, while describing himself as “very quiet.”
These were not polished celebrities with media training. These were kids — and their answers proved it.
The Paycheck Question That Went Viral Online
At one point during the press conference, the trio were asked what they would spend their first paycheck on.
Their answers were striking, especially considering they had no idea how much their lives were about to change over the next 25 years and beyond.
Watson, already the most composed 10-year-old you’ve ever seen, delivered this gem: “I’m afraid I’m really going to bore you all,” she said, “but I’m going to stick it in a bank until I’m 21.”
When asked if he would be a “saver,” Radcliffe — who was struggling to make eye contact with the press — said, “probably.”
“Um, I… No, I don’t have any idea,” Radcliffe added.
Then there was Grint, who provided the most Harry Potter-esque answer of the three.
“Well, speaking as a Wizard, uhm, we’re going to get paid muggle money and I don’t really understand it,” he said into the mic.
Honestly? Already in character at 11.
Radcliffe was also asked if he bore any resemblance to his Harry Potter character. His answer is almost painfully endearing.
“I think I’m a tiny, tiny bit like Harry… because… I’d like to have an owl,” he said before someone else joked that “he can’t fly on a broomstick yet.”
Grint saw a lot of resemblance between him and his character. “I think I’m a scary bit like my character,” Grint said. “I live in a family of seven, I’ve got a red-headed sister and I live in a burrow.”
Where the ‘Harry Potter’ Money Ended Up
About that paycheck question — here’s where the passage of time really hits. Radcliffe reportedly made around $96 million from the Harry Potter franchise, but says he barely touches it.
“I don’t really do anything with my money,” he told The Telegraph in 2016. “I’m very grateful for it, because having money means you don’t have to worry about it, which is very lovely freedom to have. It also gives me immense freedom career-wise.”
In 2012, he told Parade that he almost feels guilty for how much he made off Harry Potter.
“I got paid so well for doing the Harry Potter films, it’s ridiculous. If somebody asked me, ‘Did you think you deserve that money?’ No, of course I didn’t,” he told the outlet.
Parade estimates Radcliffe’s net worth at $110 million, with Watson at $85 million and Grint at $50 million. Not bad for three kids who didn’t understand muggle money.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
