‘Harry Potter’: The Cast Got Wand Training From a Ballet Choreographer
“Training for the ballet, Potter?” While Draco Malfoy’s mocking line was said as an insult, it actually held some truth for the Harry Potter cast. The actors cast in the eight films invested a lot of time and energy into playing their characters believably. However, since the overwhelming majority of them were portraying witches and wizards, receiving wand training was of the utmost importance.
Wands are a vital tool in the ‘Harry Potter’ movies
Potterheads know all too well that a wand is arguably the most important accessory in the Wizarding World. They provide protection and act as a type of conduit for magical abilities. Because of their importance, the Harry Potter cast underwent hours of wand training. Interestingly enough, the type of wand training shifted over time as the films got darker.
Rupert Grint and the cast received wand training from a ballet choreographer
In an interview with Collider, Rupert Grint (who portrays Ron Weasley) revealed how his wand training shifted in the final two Harry Potter films. “This one is a lot tougher because we’re out there fending for ourselves, and there’s a lot of fighting,” he shared. “The training with the wands, in particular, before we used to have this ballet choreographer come in for training to teach us all these fancy flicks. Now the wand fighting is much more sword-like and aggressive. It’s been really cool.”
Of course, the main cast members weren’t the only ones who got training. Helena Bonham Carter (who played Bellatrix Lestrange) and the other Death Eaters went to wand school for three weeks. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the actor talked about how intense the training for the Harry Potter movies was.
Helena Bonham Carter and the Death Eaters were serious about wand school
“We took it very very seriously,” Bonham Carter shared. “I actually got a wand blister on the finger. They kind of had different names for all the different moves, Latin ones. It was sort of based on fencing. You also always have to have an intention behind the spell. You just feel totally emasculated on set when you’re waving a bit a wood around and nothing’s coming from it. It’s very difficult to remember that you’ve actually got the intention to kill behind it. It’s not all fun and laughs; it’s actually quite hard work.”
Unlike many others in the Harry Potter cast, Bonham Carter’s hard work once paid off in a huge way. Fans will recall that in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Bellatrix sets fire to Hagrid’s hut. Interestingly enough, those responsible for setting the fire took their cue from the actor’s wand work. So that particular moment really did feel like magic to Bonham Carter.
“I actually pointed my wand and it blew up!” Bonham Carter exclaimed. “The power! The power was just like Angry Birds, but big [as] life.” Wand school may have been tedious for the cast, but it certainly added something special to the Harry Potter movies.
