“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is the fifth installment in the hit franchise based on J.K. Rowling’s hit books. Having opened in theaters July 11, 2007, the movie marks a turning point in the series. Harry and his friends are starting to grow up, and Voldemort comes back, fully, bringing a new level of evil with him. We meet new characters and creatures, and lose some favorites. Click through for behind-the-scenes facts about the film as we mark its 10-year anniversary.
When filming the big explosion scene in the Ministry of Magic at the end of the movie, none of the cast and crew were allowed to have their cell phones turned on because it might have accidentally set off the blast early.
Thank god Daniel Radcliffe is a good kisser, said actress Katie Leung, who admitted she was very nervous about performing the kiss between Cho and Harry. Radcliffe said he was nervous, too, and that “it made it a lot easier,” in a behind-the scenes interview. He also described the onscreen smooch as really “fun.”
Leung said they dimmed the lights, and she didn’t know if that was so the scene would be “less intimidating, or more romantic.”
Emma Watson said that the large pillars in the Ministry of Magic set where the wizards arrive via Floo Powder reminded her of tube stations in the London Underground. In fact, these stations did serve as inspiration for the set.
Helena Bonham Carter plays the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, but the role was initially went to Helen McCrory, who had to bow out when she got pregnant. McCrory ended up playing Bellatrix’s sister, Narcissa Malfoy in the next installment, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
Production for the film took a nine-week hiatus midway through so that Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson could take school exams. Producer David Barron said this was “absolutely unheard of.”
Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, was seriously considering not returning after the fifth “Harry Potter” movie, but she decided to stay because it would be too weird to watch another actress play Hermione in the rest of the movies.
The Ministry of Magic set is the largest in any “Harry Potter” film: It could fit 50 double decker buses. It took 22 weeks to build, but only appears in the film for less than 10 minutes, according to this “Behind the Magic” special.
Imelda Staunton was the only choice to play Dolores Umbridge, who is described as chubby and toad-like in the books and widely hated both by characters and fans. Staunton and costume designer Jany Temime made Umbridge’s dresses more padded and saturated as the movie goes on. Stephen King called Umbridge the “greatest make believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lector,” according to The Chicago Tribune.
Evanna Lynch, who plays Luna Lovegood, was a huge “Harry Potter” fan and actually wrote a letter to J.K. Rowling. She beat out 15,000 other girls for the role. Producer David Barron said to IGN, “She’s just Luna Lovegood.”
Some crazy family history is revealed in the fifth “Harry Potter” installment. Bellatrix Lestrange is Sirius Black’s cousin. Nymphadora Tonks’ mom is also Black’s cousin and sister to Bellatrix and Narcissa, making Tonks Draco Malfoy’s (Tom Felton) cousin.
J.K. Rowling was going to have Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) kill Arthur Weasley (Mark Williams) in order to get Harry into the Department of Mysteries. But, she decided she couldn’t go through with killing off such a beloved character (though later she seems to be able to kill off one of Arthur’s sons). She said that Arthur might be the only good father in the whole series, and she couldn’t bear to kill him.
Another favorite character — Sirius — does get killed in the Department of Mysteries by Bellatrix.
The “Harry Potter” team decided to build Grimmauld Place, where Sirius Black lives in London, instead of finding a location to film because it was more convenient and economical, according to the “Behind the Magic” segment.
The Prophecy Room was the first all-digital set for any of the “Harry Potter” films. “It’s a complicated set and the prophecies are housed in circular globes and have things happening inside of them. We think we can do a much better job as a digital set,” producer David Barron said to comingsoon.net in 2007.
Emma Watson said that if she were to play one of the adult characters, she’d pick Professor Severus Snap (Alan Rickman). “I think it’d be cool to play the bad guy,” she said in a Moviefone “Unscripted” interview.
Daniel Radcliffe said that filming the fighting scenes in the Room of Requirement “felt like we were in the center of the sun.” In the scene, there are a ton of mirrors and there had to be several fire places as well so that a fireplace could be seen in every mirror.
There’s a scene where Ron gets flung across the room by Hermione. Actor Rupert Grint said to comingsoon.net that in order to do that stunt, he was set up in a harness attached to a “fat bloke,” who then goes up and down a ladder to move him.
Even though Lupin doesn’t die until the seventh part of the series, Rowling decided he would eventually die when writing “The Order of the Phoenix.” “Arthur lived, so Lupin had to die. I’m sorry. I didn’t enjoy doing it,” the author said.
The fifth book is the longest in the series, but the movie version is the shortest of the films. The longest film is “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” which is the second shortest book.
