Suffice to say, that Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe owe much of their current success to the Harry Potter franchise. Apart from the colossal paychecks, the duo’s time in the franchise earned them an almost cult-like following, positioning them among Hollywood’s most sought-after actors.

Despite the overwhelming perks, the duo didn’t exactly revel in every aspect of making the iconic films, going as far as contemplating quitting on more than one occasion. Although most of their struggles were due to the publicity surrounding the franchise, the two also grappled with certain aspects of filming. Here’s the one scene both Radcliffe and Watson agree was particularly grueling.

Daniel Radcliffe And Emma Watson Didn’t Enjoy Every Aspect Of Starring In The Harry Potter Franchise

More than a decade has gone by since Harry Potter’s journey on the big screen came to an end, but fans are no less fascinated with the franchise. Thankfully, the cast has been rather candid about their time on the franchise, giving fans a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the astronomically successful films.

As it turns out, some of the most eye-catching scenes from the films were an absolute nightmare to put together, a fact that became rather apparent when Daniel Radcliffe discussed his experience filming Quidditch sequences at a press conference in 2009.

“Quidditch is right up there with the least fun things I’ve done on Harry Potter, certainly. It is not a pleasant experience, it does hurt quite a lot, and it is not something I would be rushing back to do!” he said. “I had to do it for all of the movies, pretty much, so that’s been my favorite thing about the seventh one. No Quidditch!”

Emma Watson made a bold creative choice while filming Harry Potter kissing scenes with Daniel Radcliffe.

In fact, taking part in the iconic franchise was so grueling, Emma Watson equated it to a masterclass in filmmaking.

“It’s kind of comforting in a way to know that in some senses, nothing will be as hard as that again, and I’m pretty prepared for most things people can throw at me, whether it be animals, water, stunts, CGI (computer-generated imagery), whatever it is,” she shared with Reuters. “It was a very good school in a way and set me up very well for this kind of environment and this kind of pressure.”

Emma Watson And Daniel Radcliffe Had Terrible Experiences Filming This Iconic Underwater Scene In Harry Potter

Setting aside those Quidditch sequences, there’s yet another fan-favorite scene that tops the list of the Harry Potter cast’s on-set nightmares; the epic moment in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 when Harry, Hermione, and Ron take a plunge into a lake after their daring escape from Gringotts bank on the back of a dragon.

 Pictures

Speaking to JoBlo in 2010, Emma Watson revealed that filming the iconic scene wasn’t as spectacular as it ended up appearing on-screen.

“I can tell you the worst right now. It was on [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2], we get dropped by a dragon into the lake and I think it was January or February,” she said. “The lake wasn’t heated, and because we had to get changed as part of the next scene, we couldn’t wear anything underneath. I was lucky. I had my bottom half with some thermals on, but I was like, ‘This must be a joke.’ It was so cold.”

Rupert Grint and Emma Watson had some forgettable experiences on the set of Harry Potter.

According to Watson, the temperatures plummeted so drastically that Rupert Grint almost ended up having a medical emergency.

“I think Rupert thought at one point that his heart had stopped beating,” she recalled.

“I hate being cold more than anything, so that was my most memorable day. I was like, ‘I can’t wait for this to be over!’ We spent pretty much the whole of PART 2 soaking wet, and Leavesden—I’m sure it’ll be beautifully redone when Warners invests all this money in it, but that day, it was not heated.”

Daniel Radcliffe Had To Film Multiple Difficult Underwater Scenes In Harry Potter

Though truly grueling, the iconic scene might have been a bit of a cakewalk for Daniel Radcliffe, who’d already tangled with filming underwater in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when Harry and Dumbledore find themselves in a thrilling confrontation with Inferi in a cave. Speaking to GQ in 2022, Radcliffe delved into all the crazy details that went into bringing the iconic scene to life.

“I was holding myself by [a] rope under the surface of the water, and then, on action, I let go, and they pulled me on the wire,” he said. “So I flew out of the water, and there was like a ring of fire around me, so I was just like bursting out of the surface of the water through a ring of fire.”

The now 34-year-old found himself face-to-face with an even more grueling underwater scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when Harry had to rescue Ron from the depths of a lake during the Triwizard Tournament.

“I had, like, a log book of all the hours that I’d done underwater,” Radcliffe recalled in a 2022 interview with GQ. “Like it was…really cool. I’ve heard that we average like seven seconds of footage a day or something like [that] of usable footage.”

Beyond the endless hours dedicated to nailing the scene, Radcliffe had to undergo six months of intense scuba training, all of which ended up taking a nasty physical toll on him.

“I trained six months for it,” he recalled in a 2005 interview with Entertainment Weekly. “There was talk of someone else doing it and superimposing my face on it. That would have looked like rubbish. I’m glad I did it — despite the two ear infections.”

The actress has been open about her feelings for Tom in the past, but this is the moment she admits to falling in love with him.

Though he’s not exactly hankering for a role that requires him to pull a similar stunt, Radcliffe recognizes how truly unique the experience was.

“Those are one of those things that you go like, ‘I will never do that again,’ and if I do, I’ll be one of the only people who’s done it before,” he shared with GQ. “It was one of those moments that you look back and you go, ‘God, that’s special.’”