Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix is the 5th book in the series, and the 5th movie in the series as well. It follows Harry on his 5th year at Hogwarts as he learns to be more comfortable around girls, and becomes more aware of the impending evil threatening the safety of everyone he loves.
Here are 42 magical facts about Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix Facts
42. Casting
Evanna Lynch beat 15,000 girls for the role of Luna, she was 9th in line of 29 finalists, and when it came to viewing the audition videos, one of the producers, David Barron, stopped viewing after Evanna's audition and said, "She is Luna.” We couldn’t agree more, David.
41. Heroes
Daniel Radcliffe came up with a suggestion of respect to a teacher that Harry most certainly looked up to, he would wear certain types of clothes that resembled the outfit worn by Professor Lupin in his lessons from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, during his teachings. The director liked the suggestion that it became the basis for his look during those scenes in The Room of Requirement.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Warner Bros. Pictures
40. Breasts
Helena Bonham Carter who played Bellatrix Lestrange, wore chicken fillets to make her breasts look bigger.
39. To The Rescue
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when Ron, Fred and George are rescuing Harry from the Dursley's, Ron says, "Rescuing you, of course", in this film, Moody says the same thing to Harry. Here’s a thought, stop getting into trouble and you won’t need rescuing, guys!
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Warner Bros. Pictures
38. Frenemies
Even though they play enemies in the film, Emma Thompson and Imelda Staunton are very good friends, they have appeared in many films together and they live opposite of each other. Despite this, we believed they hated each other, and that’s what we call good acting.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
37. Pretty In Pink
Tonks hair was suppose to be pink like in the book, but the filmmakers decided to keep her hair purple because they felt that the color pink was more associated with Umbridge. We think her hair looks great either way.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
36. Book Was…
Even though this is the longest book in the seven book series, this is the 2nd shortest movie in the Harry Potter film Series. Something must have been lost in translation.
35. Fictitious
The character Nigel was created for the movie; he does not appear in the books, however, he combines elements with Colin Creevey and Dennis Creevey. Though Colin makes an appearance in the films, Dennis doesn’t. We guess you could say Nigel is the new Dennis.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
34. Grandfathered
The portrait in Dumbledore's office is Phineas Nigellus Black, he is great-grandfather of Sirius Black, Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. He's also great-great-grandfather to Draco Malfoy and Tonks. Phineas was a busy man.
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33. Stars In The Family
Several members of the Black family are named after astronomical objects. You can see the names when Harry and Sirius are in the family tree room. Sirius, Regulus, Andromeda, Arcturus, Bellatrix, and Cygnus.
32. Tangled
The film reveals several characters to be in Sirius Black's family, most notably his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange who is sisters with Narcissa Malfoy, Narcissa is Draco Malfoy's mother. One connection that is not mentioned in this film is that Tonks is family as well, she's first cousin once removed, as her mother, Andromeda is sister to Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. Andromeda's name can be seen on the tapestry in the family tree room but her portrait has been burned off because her family disowned her from marrying a muggle-born wizard. Tonks name is also on the tapestry, but it doesn't show it, so one has to really look for it.
31. Too Bad
Rupert Grint was disappointed that the Quidditch subplot was removed from the film, as he was really looking forward to it. Maybe that’s why the book was so long, and the movie was so short.
30. Adlib
In the scene where Harry, Ron, and Hermione are discussing Harry’s kiss with Cho, the three begin to crack up near the end of the scene. This was all real laughter from the three actors. The director thought it was good for the scene and kept rolling. The best acting is no acting.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
29. Ridin’ Dirty
During filming, Alan Rickman banned Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) from being within 5 meters of his new BMW, because during the making of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, they spilled a milkshake in his car. This just makes a lot of sense.
28. Deep Roots
J.K. Rowling provided over 70 names for the Black family tree tapestry, complete with details of relations between each and every member, whose were to be scorched and so on. It’s really fun to see a universe fleshed out in such detail.
27. Written In
According to the original script, the character of Kreacher was not intended to be in this film at all. But after J.K. Rowling read the script, she more or less insisted on him needing to be there to avoid some serious problems with future installments of the series. Though Kreacher has no noticeable impact on the plot or story as it’s presented in the film, a couple of scenes with him were added at the last minute based on this request. Hard to argue with the person who created the world about the importance of a character.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Warner Bros. Pictures
26. Sisters
Helen McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange, but due to pregnancy she had to be replaced by Helena Bonham Carter. McCrory was later cast as Narcissa Malfoy, who is Bellatrix’s sister, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
25. Stylish
Since this film would include wand dueling at an elite level, a specific “wand choreographer” (Paul Harris, who is actually a professional dance choreographer) was brought in to design the style and technique of this highly unorthodox way of fighting. The result consists of five basic spell-casting moves, which each of the actors were then allowed to adapt slightly to fit their own character. So, for instance, Lucius Malfoy would have a very formal and somewhat ‘stiff’ fighting style, while Sirius Black uses a snappy and more spontaneous ‘street fight’ style.
24. Missing
Dumbledore’s line “Don’t fight him, Harry, you can’t win” was featured prominently in just about every trailer and TV-spot, yet it is nowhere in the final version of the film, nor in the DVD’s extended scenes. This isn’t the first, or last time a line or scene has appeared in a trailer but not the final cut of the film.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
23. Don’t Go!
Emma Watson was seriously thinking whether or not to keep acting in the film franchise after this installment, but decided to stay after considering that it would be uncomfortable to watch the films being made with someone else as Hermione. We couldn’t have said it any better Emma.
22. Password?!
Though not seen in the movie, the code to enter the Ministry of Magic from the street is 62442, which spells out the word MAGIC. Not very magical now, is it?
21. Room For Improvement
When they discover the Room of Requirement, Ron asks if it could become a bathroom if the user really needed it. This is a reference to the novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In it, the Room of Requirement is mentioned for the first time, having become a lavatory for Dumbledore. When you gotta go, you gotta go.
20. What Was That?
During filming of the stand-off scene in the Ministry of Magic, Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) suffered a perforated eardrum after accidentally moving his head while Helena Bonham Carter had her wand in his ear “..as a sort of Q-Tip…[to] sort of torture [his ear]” Carter said. Lewis was deaf in that ear for a few days afterward, though he laughed about the incident in interviews. We’ve heard you need to bleed for your art, but this is ridiculous.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
19. Imagination
The Department of Mysteries was the first completely computer-generated set used in the series. Building the set practically was too expensive since an estimated 15000 crystal balls would have been needed, and it would have taken a lot of time to clean and set them up again between takes.That means the actors had to walk around green screened sets and pretend like they were there.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
18. School Days
J.K. Rowling had been a schoolteacher before writing the Potter books, and this film features some references to the British educational system. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, students at age 16 were given Ordinary Level (O-Level) exams in all their major subjects, for which they can receive their General Certificate of Education. This corresponds to the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) exams given at Hogwarts. Students who planned to go on to university stayed on two more years to take their Advanced (A-Level) Exams, which roughly correspond to N.E.W.T. (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test) Exams.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
17. Bigger!
The set used for Igor Karkaroff’s trial scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was doubled in size for Harry’s trial in this film, while still protecting its symmetry. Pretty impressive if you ask us.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Warner Bros. Pictures
16. Handicapable
Since Alastor Moody (Brendan Gleeson) has a prosthetic leg, he could not balance properly on broomstick, being unable to use the stirrups. Instead, his broom has posts at the front where he rests his legs, a seat which allows him to lean backwards, and a control stick for his hands. The arrangement is very similar to automobiles made for double-amputees, which have hand controls instead of pedals.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Warner Bros. Pictures
15. Art Imitates Life
Author J.K. Rowling revealed that the character of Dolores Umbridge was based on a real person whom she “disliked intensely on sight”, and whom “returned [her] antipathy with interest”, even though she honestly could not explain why they hated each other so much. Maybe it was all that pink?
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Warner Bros. Pictures
14. Movie Magic
Over 30,000 individually placed tiles were used to create the Ministry of Magic sets. As real ceramic tiles would have been far too expensive to produce, they were instead made out of heavily-painted cardboard.
13. Can’t Do It!
In the original outline for the novel, the character of Arthur Weasley was to be killed off by Voldemort to entice Harry to the Department of Mysteries. J.K. Rowling couldn’t go through with killing off such a beloved character, so Weasley was allowed to survive, albeit gravely injured. Interestingly, Arthur Weasley was again considered to be killed off in the final novel (later adapted as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2), but Rowling again changed her mind.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Warner Bros. Pictures
12. Inaccurate
Many fans were critical of the scene where Harry sees Voldemort at the train station dressed in a Muggle suit, saying it was out of character for Voldemort to do such a thing. Director David Yates and producer David Heyman both defended the scene, though each had different takes on it. Yates explained that it was Voldemort’s way of taunting Harry, that Voldemort could appear in plain sight in a crowd of Muggles who would not realize how dangerous he is. Heyman, on the other hand, said that it’s a figment of Harry’s imagination, symbolizing Voldemort taking control of Harry’s mind.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
11. Brothers
When Dumbledore’s Army first meets at the Hog’s Head Inn, there is a bartender accompanied by a goat, played by Jim McManus, and credited as “Barman.” This character is later identified as Aberforth Dumbledore, the Professor’s younger brother. This character returns in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and is played by Ciarán Hinds. Some people change over time.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Warner Bros. Pictures
10. Life Imitates Art
Matthew Lewis signed up to a load of Harry Potter fan sites before filming Order of the Phoenix started so that he could try to understand the mentality of being totally obsessed with something. He thought it would help him understand Neville's obsession with herbology. We’re thinking this strategy definitely paid off.
Getty Images
9. Ritzy
Jason Isaacs, who plays Lucius Malfoy, referred to his wig as his "Paris Hilton wig". We didn’t even know it was a wig until now.
8. Movie Magic Part II
The Ministry of Magic took 22 weeks to build, but appears in the film for less than 10 minutes. It was rigged to explode, so cast members weren't allowed to have their mobile phones on them when they filmed there, in case their phones triggered the explosion. Hazard pay, anyone?
Shutterstock
7. Cheaper From Scratch
12 Grimmauld Place, the ancestral home of Sirius Black was built from scratch, because it was cheaper than hiring an actual house. London real estate prices are so high, not even hollywood blockbusters can’t afford them!
6. Hot
The film's final scene was shot in a room filled with fireplaces and mirrors. Everyone who worked there complained about it being super hot. We hope it was worth it for the cast when they saw the final cut of the scene.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
5. Onions
Radcliffe's face when Sirius Black dies was the first thing in any of the Harry Potter films that made Emma Watson cry. You’re not alone on that Emma.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
4. Movie Magic Part III
In the scene in which Hermione casts a spell that sends Ron flying backwards, Rupert Grint wore a harness. They made him fly backwards by attaching it to a heavy man who climbed a ladder. So glamorous!
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Warner Bros. Pictures
3. Busy
Daniel Radcliffe took time out of filming to take part in a stage production of Equus. Alan Rickman, who Radcliffe had previously found intimidating, cut his holiday short to go and see Radcliffe on stage. Aww, Snape!
2. Scared To Death
JK Rowling also went to see the play. But on the night she came, someone in the audience threw an owl at Radcliffe. That night, after the play Radcliffe asked Rowling whether Harry eventually dies. She replied "You get a death scene."
1. Kissing Harry
Katie Leung (who played Cho Chang) was nervous about kissing Daniel Radcliffe on screen that she had sleepless nights over it. On the planned day for the shooting of the scene, Daniel came down with an illness and filming had to be postponed while he recovered. What a tease!
Reflecting on the kiss with Daniel, she said her one regret is her haircut!
Radcliffe also commented on the kiss in an interview and said, “People imagine, when you watch these sex scenes or kissing scenes, they always look sexy and romantic and passionate, and it isn't. It's actually quite clinical. You're standing there like that, and her head's right there, and they say, ‘Can you move to the right, no, the left, and tilt your head a bit,’ and it becomes like walking up the stairs or doing any other action.”
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