12 Fascinating Things About Harry Potter's Supporting Characters

If you were a kid growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Harry Potter was almost certainly a part of your life in some way, in novels or films. Harry Potter rapidly became a worldwide sensation. It was the latest craze! The world at that time went crazy about "Harry Potter".
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling has been enormously successful. And, after finishing the main series' last book in 2007, she's continued to write about it. The series has spin-offs, Movies, and plays, many of which disclose additional information about Harry, Ron, Hermione, and other characters from the original book. Some of her works, such as Fantastic Beasts, were adapted into films.
Harry Potter ended years ago (though the story continues with Fantastic Beasts), yet we're still talking about it now. We know pretty much all there is to know about Harry, Ron, Hermoine, and the other main characters, but we're still learning little tidbits about our favorite side characters like Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom, and Cho Chang. It's only right that these underappreciated Hogwarts heroes get their due, especially given these little-known truths.
It's a lot to keep track of. But for Harry Potter aficionados, it's all interesting. Everyone still watches Harry Potter to this day. However, not everyone observes these special particulars.
Scroll down and join us on our adventure!!! And don't forget to prepare some popcorn and coke too!

#1 Pansy Parkinson was portrayed by five different actresses.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

Pansy Parkinson, a fellow witch at Hogwarts, was performed by five different actresses during the series. Scarlett Hefner, who portrayed Parkinson from Half-Blood Prince through Deathly Hallows: Part 2, is the most well-known actress. The remainder is as follows:
Katherine Nicholson - Films 1 & 2.
Genevieve Gaunt  - Film 3.
Charlotte Ritchie - Film 4, but was originally listed only as "Student."
Lauren Shotton - Film 5, though still uncredited.
Scarlett Hefner - Films 6 through 8.

#2 Henry Cavill was almost cast for the role of Cedric Diggory.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

Cedric Diggory's time at Hogwarts may have been brief, but he played a notable character. Diggory was played in the Goblet of Fire by the soon-to-be Twilight Saga star Robert Pattinson, but if things had gone differently, it might have been Man of Steel's Henry Cavill in the part instead of Pattinson. Cavill would not be the first actor to lose a part to Pattinson; he was also the leading candidate to portray Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga before Pattinson was selected. Surprisingly, Pattinson has claimed that he would prefer to portray Diggory than Cullen.

#3 Helena Bonham Carter was cast as Bellatrix Lestrange because Helen McCrory was pregnant.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

It's difficult to envision anybody else playing Bellatrix Lestrange, but Helena Bonham Carter was never the first option. Helen McCrory, the star of Peaky Blinders, was originally cast in the part but had to leave out owing to her pregnancy (supposedly the film's insurance wouldn't cover her), so Carter took her place. Fortunately, McCrory was brought back to the Potter universe later on, as Bellatrix Lestrange's younger sister, Narcissa Malfoy.

#4 Robert Knox, who played Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was tragically stabbed to death before the film's premiere.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

Marcus Belby is a Hogwarts house Ravenclaw student who first appears in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, although it is also his final appearance in the saga. Robert Knox, who played Belby, was brutally stabbed to death outside a London club only days after production concluded. He was only 18 at the time. To remember the late actor, some of his co-stars donned white ribbons during the film's premiere.

#5 Maggie Smith was battling breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy while filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

Even though she was diagnosed with breast cancer before the sixth film, Dame Maggie Smith, who played Professor Minerva McGonagall, appeared in practically every section of the franchise. Smith was through chemotherapy during filming Half-Blood Prince, but she persevered, subsequently starring in Deathly Hallows: Part 2, even though she suffered shingles but continued to work. She has subsequently recovered completely.

#6 To prepare for his role as Argus Filch, David Bradley locked himself in a cabin.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

To prepare for his role as Argus Filch, the school's cheerless and spiteful caretaker, actor David Bradley reportedly leased an isolated home in the Irish countryside and lived alone with his cat for a whole month before filming began on the first film. Bradley's diligent preparation seemed to pay off, as he effectively inhabited the cranky persona. Bradley went on to play Game of Thrones similarly despised Walder Frey.

#7 Jason Isaac came up with the idea for Lucius Malfoy's signature long hair.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

The long hair of Lucius Malfoy, the wicked Hogwarts Governor, was requested by Jason Isaacs, the actor who was cast in the role. Isaacs tried out for the role of Gilderoy Lockhart but was persuaded to try out for Malfoy by director Chris Columbus. When he was cast, he recommended the long hair to distinguish the role from his son, Draco. The hair proved to be an issue for Isaacs, who had to keep his head inclined back to prevent the hair from falling in front of his face, unwittingly producing Lucius' distinct features.

#8 Harry Melling lost so much weight that the role of Dudley was nearly recast.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

Dudley Dursley was Harry Potter's fat, bad-tempered cousin whom we all despised. Dudley was played by Harry Melling throughout the whole franchise, however, the role was almost recast at one time owing to Harry Melling's significant weight reduction. Melling was eventually cast in the part, and the effects crew fitted him with a fat suit and facial prosthetics that took over 6 months to complete. The majority of his appearances with the fat prosthetics were removed, probably because of how the prosthetics appeared on camera.

#9 Evanna Lynch beat over 15,000 other candidates, including Saoirse Ronan and Juno Temple, to play Luna Lovegood.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

Luna Lovegood is a fan favorite among Harry Potter fans, but Evanna Lynch didn't get there easily as the cheerful Ravenclaw student. Before Evanna was cast, 15,000 other girls auditioned for the job, including performers like Saoirse Ronan and Juno Temple. Producer David Barron viewed her audition video and was immediately convinced, halting the audition process.

#10 Evanna Lynch's feet went viral after her barefoot scene in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

One of Luna Lovegood's most memorable sequences occurs in Order of the Phoenix, when Harry discovers her barefoot in the forest feeding the Thestral. It's a memorable scene, but it also appears to have prompted Luna Lovegood actor Evanna Lynch's feet to become popular on the foot fetish website "wikifeet," which was an unanticipated effect from what was meant to be an innocent scene.

#11 Katie Leung nearly skipped the audition for the role of Cho Chang to go shopping.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

Katie Leung competed against over 3000 other actresses for the role of Cho Chang, a fellow Hogwarts student, and Harry's prior love interest, but Katie nearly missed her audition. Her father persuaded her to go to the audition, which was immediately next to the shopping area she wanted to visit. Katie nearly went shopping instead because the line was so long, but she unwillingly remained and ended up getting the job.

#12 Despite having little dialogue, Gregory Goyle appeared in all eight films.

Source: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Warner Bros. Pictures

Gregory Goyle, a fellow Slytherin at Hogwarts played by Josh Herdman, is one of only fourteen characters to appear in all seven Harry Potter films. Despite maturing throughout the series, Goyle had little speech and was killed off in Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in favor of Crabbe, who was written out of the film after actor Jamie Waylett was jailed on drug charges.