The Harry Potter franchise has been entertaining the public for decades, and is showing no signs of slowing down. But while the property is expanded through theme parks, video games, and Broadway plays, the eight-film movie franchise continues to be a beloved part of pop culture. The cast grew up before our eyes, including Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton. And the 35 year-old Wizarding World icon recently opened up about keeping up with the cast, and loving where Daniel Radcliffe’s career’s gone, saying “I’ve gone soft.”
Tom Felton and Daniel Radcliffe might have played enemies throughout the Harry Potter movies, but they actually got along quite well, and continue to during their adulthood. The generations of fans were delighted to see the cast back together for the reunion special Return to Hogwarts, showing what a close bond they seem to have. Felton recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he spoke to his current relationship with Radcliffe, sharing:
We’re all close friends. I suppose in a nutshell. I’m trying to go back in my memory of when I last saw them all. I played golf with the Phelps twins a few weeks ago, and don’t ask who won, because it didn’t end well for me. As it never does; they’re very good. I saw Daniel [Radcliffe] recently. Yeah we see each other a lot. I’m a huge admirer of how different we all are as characters.
How sweet is that? Clearly Tom Felton is keeping in touch with his various Harry Potter co-stars, including Daniel Radcliffe. I have to wonder what sort of hi-jinx went down when he recently played gold fifth the Phelps twins, who famously played Fred and George Weasley. Hopefully he’ll share more about that outing soon.
Tom Felton’s comments to Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz is sure to hit plenty of Potterheads in the feels. Because while we got to see the cast reunite on camera, it’s even more sweet knowing that they continue to hang out in real life. And that includes Daniel Radcliffe, who usually keeps super busy with projects in movies, TV, and the stage. Later in that same interview, Felton spoke to Radcliffe’s booming career, sharing:
I’m a huge admirer of Daniel, just for who he is but also for his work. Like all of his theater work. His choice in films. The stuff he actually puts his name too. I’m always excited to see what he’s doing next. It’s a cool thing to be one of his biggest… who would have thought Draco Malfoy saying I’m one of Potter’s biggest cheerleaders? I’ve gone soft.
How sweet is that? Draco and Harry might not have found common ground until the epilogue of the Harry Potter franchise, but it seems that the same cannot be said for the two actors who brought them to life. Namely because they get along so well, with Tom Felton being a bonafide fan of Daniel Radcliffe. Indeed, Felton is one of the Wizarding World’s biggest cheerleaders.
Eventually Tom Felton spoke about the process of filming HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, which premiered on New Year’s Day 2022. There were plenty of heartwarming moments captured, and the Slytherin for life shared what it was like assembling in this way. As he put it,
When we did the 20-year anniversary, we did this class sort of British five-minute awkward reunion thing of going, ‘Hey. All right.’ Then it was straight into what it had always been like, completely effortless…
This is a feeling that many of us can relate to, even if we’ve never been on a movie set. There’s that universal experience of reuniting with an old friend/relative, and immediately picking up where you left off. It sounds like that’s what it was like for the Harry Potter cast.
Movie-wise, the Wizarding World’s future is somewhat of a mystery right now. It’s unclear if the final two Fantastic Beasts flicks will be produced, or if the franchise will return to more Harry-centric stories. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. We’ll just have to wait and see if Tom Felton and company reprise their roles, maybe in a Cursed Child movie adaptation. Fingers (and wands) crossed.