‘Harry Potter’ Solid’s First Press Convention Is Going Viral
25 years ago, three kids sat in front of a room full of cameras and journalists with no idea they were about to become some of the most famous people on the planet.
One said she’d put her money in a bank. Another didn’t understand “muggle money.” The third barely made eye contact.
A clip from that moment is now going viral, and it’s the kind of time capsule that hits different when you know what came next.
The Day the World Met Harry, Hermione and Ron
The date was Aug. 23, 2000. Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint were just 11 years old. Emma Watson was just 10.
It was at this London event that the trio were officially introduced to the world as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley — more than a year before Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone hit theaters on Nov. 16, 2001.
During the documentary Creating the World of Harry Potter, Radcliffe confirmed it was the first time the trio had properly met.
Watson recalled being “terrified” and “so nervous” that she thought she would be sick as she walked into the room. Radcliffe described Grint as the “really chatty one” in those days, while describing himself as “very quiet.”
What Did ‘Harry Potter’ Cast Do With Their First Paycheck?
At one point during the press conference, the trio were asked what they would spend their first paycheck on. Their answers were priceless, especially when looking back at it 25 years later.
“I’m afraid I’m really going to bore you all,” Watson said, “but I’m going to stick it in a bank until I’m 21.”
When asked if he would be a “saver,” Radcliffe — who was struggling to make eye contact with the press — said, “probably.”
“Um, I… No, I don’t have any idea,” Radcliffe added.
Then Grint delivered the most Harry Potter-esque answer of the three.
“Well, speaking as a Wizard, uhm, we’re going to get paid muggle money and I don’t really understand it,” he said into the mic.
Radcliffe was also asked if he bore any resemblance to his Harry Potter character.
“I think I’m a tiny, tiny bit like Harry… because… I’d like to have an owl,” he said before someone else joked that “he can’t fly on a broomstick yet.”
Grint saw a lot of resemblance between himself and his character.
“I think I’m a scary bit like my character,” Grint said. “I live in a family of seven, I’ve got a red-headed sister and I live in a burrow.”
What Happened to That Paycheck
Radcliffe has been open about his wealth since becoming an adult. He reportedly made around $96 million from the Harry Potter franchise, but says he barely touches it.
“I don’t really do anything with my money,” he told The Telegraph in 2016. “I’m very grateful for it, because having money means you don’t have to worry about it, which is very lovely freedom to have. It also gives me immense freedom career-wise.”
In 2012, he told Parade that he almost feels guilty for how much he made off Harry Potter.
“I got paid so well for doing the Harry Potter films, it’s ridiculous. If somebody asked me, ‘Did you think you deserve that money?’ No, of course I didn’t,” he told the outlet.
Parade estimates Radcliffe’s net worth at $110 million, with Watson at $85 million and Grint at $50 million. They’ve come a long way from that first paycheck!