Rowling in the years
Ten magical facts about boy wizard to celebrate 25th anniversary
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were just 12, 11 and 13 when they stepped foot on the set at Leavesden Film Studios in Hertfordshire for the first time. They went on to star in all eight films, with each building successful careers after filming wrapped in 2010. Daniel, 32, is worth £95million.
It’s been 25 magical years since the bestselling novel Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, first published in 1997, sparked a cult following.
JK Rowling, who conjured up the world of Hogwarts at age 25, fought to have her novel accepted by publishers before it became a billion-pound franchise.
She carried a baby in tow as she toiled away in Edinburgh cafes and amassed pages and pages of long-hand notes before sending off her manuscript to literary agents.
It was rejected by 12 publishing houses before Bloomsbury eventually took it on.
Despite the slow start, the book gained traction and soon letters from besotted fans began flooding in.
The acclaimed author once said:
“Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success.”
The seven Harry
Potter books can now be read in 80 languages and each has its own film adaptation – launching the careers of stars
Daniel Radcliffe,
Emma Watson and
Rupert Grint and turning Rowling into a multi-millionaire.
Here are 10 amazing facts about the boy wizard series which has spellbound a generation.
Rowling insisted on Harry Potter remaining expressly British. She wouldn’t allow actors of any other nationalities to be cast in leading roles – even turning down American star Robin Williams when he offered to play either
Lupin or Hagrid.
The books are twice as popular in Australia as in the US. One in 10
Americans has bought one, while one in five Australians has. Harry Potter Worlds – huge theme parks – have been built in Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Beijing.
A Hogwarts acceptance letter from the first film sold for £7000 in 2016, while a linen overcoat owned by Harry Potter’s uncle Sirius Black, worn by Gary Oldman in the third film, sold for £13,000 in 2007. A pair of Harry Potter’s famous round glasses sold for £15,224 in 2015.
Rowling
Potter and Harry birthday. share a blow out They both on July 31. candles ore Dumbled Plus,
Rowling and like sherbet lemons.
There could have been an official Harry Potter musical. Rowling has turned down a lot of proposed Potter ideas – including, she told Oprah Winfrey, a musical that Michael
Jackson wanted to do. The Th boy wizard did get his BBroadway moment, mom though, tho via Harry
Po Potter And
Th The Cursed
Child. Ch It debuted on the West We End in 2016 before making mak its way to Broadway two yeyears later.
Rowling is one of the richest authors in the world with a net worth of £850million.
Her books have raked in about £6.2billion in the last 25 years – with more than 500million sold worldwide.
More profits came when the books were adapted for the screen, with eight films making another £6.2billion.
The school train, the Hogwarts Express, is traditionally reserved for students. Only four adults were ever seen travelling on the train: the Honeydukes Express lady, the conductor, Remus Lupin and Horace Slughorn. In the movies the steam is filmed on the track from Fort William to Mallaig.