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Daniel Radcliffe says Helena Bonham Carter reunion was ‘unexpected’ highlight of Harry Potter special

In the special, Radcliffe revealed his teenage crush on Carter

Tom Murray
Thursday 24 March 2022 07:06 EDT
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Daniel Radcliffe said he and Helena Bonham Carter have been texting since reconnecting at the Harry Potter reunion special, which aired in January.

The titular star of the franchise told People magazine: "Over the last few months, I’ve actually texted with Helena a bit since the reunion. I think when I’m back in London we’re definitely going to try and hang out at some point."

During HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special, Radcliffe revealed he’d had a teenage crush on Carter while shooting the movies.

Carter handed Radcliffe a note he’d given her during filming and forced him to read it aloud.

"Dear HBC”, Radcliffe said, reading the note. "It was a pleasure being your costar and coaster – wow, what a clever pun I made, honestly I’m still kind of pleased with that – in the sense that I always ended up holding your coffee.

"I do love you and I just wish I had been born 10 years earlier, I might have been in with a chance. Lots of love and thanks for being cool."

Carter replied: “Isn’t it nice? I shall always treasure that. That is in my toilet, Dan.”

Helena Bonham Carter and Daniel Radcliffe in HBO’s Harry Potter reunion special
Helena Bonham Carter and Daniel Radcliffe in HBO’s Harry Potter reunion special (Nick Wall / HBO Max)

Radcliffe was around 17 during the filming of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the first film starring Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, at which point she was aged 40.

In the interview with People, Radcliffe said an unexpected highlight of filming the reunion was “getting to have adult conversations with people I’d only known as a child” and “going like, ‘Oh, we could hang out now. This is fun’”.

On Carter, Radcliffe added: “She’s the best. She’s also one of those people who – I feel like there are a lot of people in our industry that will forgive people being terrible human beings if they’re great artists. And I hate that. And I think Helena has no time for it as well.”

Since Potter, Radcliffe has starred in a wide variety of roles including an undercover white supremacist (Imperium) and Rockstar Games president Sam Houser (The Gamechangers).

In his latest turn, Radcliffe plays maniacal billionaire Abigail Fairfax in The Lost City, out Friday (25 March). The film also stars Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum.

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