Join MuggleNet on Instagram Live for Exclusive Interviews with the Crew and Other Notable People Within the Wizarding World Community

by · April 7, 2020

If you have been looking for something to watch during quarantine, check out MuggleNet’s Instagram for some exciting interviews! MuggleNet staff members have been and will be interviewing cast and crew from Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts as well as some other prominent people from the Wizarding World throughout the month of April. There have been several interviews with behind-the-scenes magic-makers, who told some exciting stories and tidbits about the films that any fan would love to hear. We also have a few interviews with some interesting people within the Harry Potter community.

The first of the crew interviews was with Alan Gilmore, the art director for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as well as an overseer of the design of different attractions at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. He was also an assistant art director for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. To describe his job, Gilmore said that he was responsible for designing everything a person sees surrounding the actors in a film. This includes what the actors stand in front of, underneath, behind, or on top of and each item that is used either by an actor or simply to enhance the ambience of a scene. As the art director, Gilmore describes his job as a piece of an orchestra – each member of the art department brings their own unique piece to the whole of creating the sets in a film. When asked what some of his favorite sets to work on were, Gilmore mentioned the Quidditch World Cup set, the hospital wing when Harry has to regrow his bones, and the bathroom entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Considering Gilmore worked directly with the Harry Potter films, it is interesting that he actually prefers the books over the films. He said that he loves reading the details and seeing the depth of the story that the books bring.

MuggleNet also interviewed the Potter Collector, Peter Kenneth, who owns a collection of over 1,700 Harry Potter books, including rare editions, one-of-a-kind books, and editions in every language available. The Potter Collector has a YouTube channel where he shows off his magnificent collection, unboxes unique items, and generally shows his love of Harry Potter. Kenneth is currently working toward being noted by Guinness World Records for his massive collection. While the majority of his collection resides in his personal library, he has 50 or 60 books hidden in what he refers to as “Gringotts Vaults,” since they are so rare and valuable that he chooses to keep them protected. Some of Kenneth’s favorite book covers from among his library include the first three books in the series from the Catalan translation, the Italian translations, and the Japanese translations. Aside from books, he also loves collecting merchandise, especially artwork by the illustrators of the books. While his collection seems complete in the eyes of most, Kenneth still has a few items left on his wish list, including the dust jacket for the original uncorrected proofs of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Kenneth is a proud Slytherin, and his favorite Dark character is the enchanting Gellert Grindelwald.

The most recent of the crew interviews was with the magnificent Pierre Bohanna, who has worked on designing props for the entirety of the Harry Potter series and the Fantastic Beasts series, as well as Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. He is most known for his spectacular and completely magical wand designs that are unique to each character in every film. When talking about the Harry Potter films, Bohanna talked about how difficult it is to dive deep into a story with only about two and a half hours of film to use. Bohanna is currently working with the third Fantastic Beasts film. He said that the day they were shut down due to the pandemic was the very day they would have officially started filming. Bohanna believes that, because of the pandemic, it is likely the release date of the film will be pushed back again. Moving into a lighter subject, fans asked Bohanna about some of his favorite wands. He first mentions Professor Slughorn’s wand because of its unique materials. He also loved the wand designed for Grindelwald in the scene where he is escaping through a window in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Bohanna also fell in love with the original wand created for Dumbledore for Crimes of Grindelwald. This wand was not used, however, because it too closely resembled the Elder Wand, so a second wand was designed instead.

If you want to catch the upcoming interviews, check out this exciting lineup! Each interview will be held live on MuggleNet’s Instagram account and will later be posted to MuggleNet’s IGTV for those who missed the livestream or would like to watch them again.

  • Tuesday, April 7, 2 p.m. ET: James Payton (Frank Longbottom)
  • Wednesday, April 8, 1 p.m. ET: Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood), Christian Coulson (Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets)
  • Thursday, April 9, 3 p.m. ET: Jon Campling (Death Eater in Deathly Hallows – Part 1)
  • Friday, April 10, 3 p.m. ET: Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley)

Upcoming interviews will also include James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin/Hamilton), Matthew Fitt (translator for Scots edition), Stanislav Yanevski (Viktor Krum), Georgina Leonidas (Katie Bell), and Jany Temime (costume designer).