Over two decades since its first installment hit the big screen, Harry Potter remains one of the most successful franchises of all time, with its current value estimated to be a whopping $25 billion. While the franchise introduced fans to several unforgettable characters, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, are undeniably the most memorable.
The actors behind the iconic characters, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Daniel Radcliffe have amassed an almost cult-like following since starring in the franchise. With friendship being a major theme in the franchise, these fans have been heavily invested in the idea that the golden trio remained the best of friends even after their time on the films lapsed. So, have Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe remained just as close as Hermione and Harry? Read on to find out.
Emma Watson And Daniel Radcliffe Formed A Close Bond While Filming Harry Potter
Working in proximity for over a decade cultivated such a strong bond between Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Daniel Radcliffe that Watson started thinking of her co-stars as siblings. “To be honest, we see so much of each other when we’re working that hanging out together would be overload,” Watson told Interview in 2009. “I love them, but I need to see other friends off set. They’re like my siblings now.”
Grint, Watson, and Radcliffe got along so well that Radcliffe firmly believed they’d remain friends long after the franchise reached its ultimate culmination.
“We have gotten on very, very well. We’ve got other friends as well, I think it’s important to say. We don’t just hang around with each other all the time,” he told Collider in 2010.
“But yeah, no we get on very, very well, and we also have the knowledge that no matter what happens in the rest of our lives, no one will have had this particular experience other than the 3 of us. And I think that is something that will never, never leave us.”
These sentiments were echoed by Watson in her interview with Interview. “We will always be very important to each other,” she said of her relationship with Radcliffe. “But, at the same time, after eight Harry Potter films, we’ll be ready to go and do other things, and be other people, and have time for ourselves.”
Daniel Radcliffe And Emma Watson’s Friendship Had Its Ups And Downs
Despite their profound bond, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter often butted heads over all manner of trivial issues. Similarly, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe’s friendship was not immune to occasional disagreements. In an interview with RadioTimes, Radcliffe disclosed that he and Watson would get into such intense arguments that they’d go without speaking for days.
“We used to argue about everything,” he said. “Religion. Politics. I remember one of the big arguments we had on the fourth film – we didn’t speak to each other for a couple of days – was about… She was arguing about the Latin language, that nobody knows what it sounds like, what a Latin accent should be. And I was like, ‘Yeah, but it’s still spoken a lot in the Catholic Church.'”
According to Radcliffe, things got so heated that he swore off arguing with Watson. “Such a w**** argument, looking back, and it got totally out of hand,” he said. “She was furious; I was livid. I certainly would advise anyone, if you’re going to debate with her, know your s***.”
How Often Do Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson Talk?
Despite having multitudes of adoring fans, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe barely have a social media presence. The twosome has been quite intent on living their lives away from the limelight, presumably to avoid the pitfalls of excessive media and public scrutiny.
However, the fact that the twosome might never make a point of showcasing their friendship on social media, doesn’t imply that they aren’t still in touch. In a January 2022 interview with Vogue, Watson disclosed that she and her co-stars have remained in close contact, despite their mutual aversion to technology.
“[Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe] both hate WhatsApp and their phones in general. Actually, as a three, we really try and stay off electronics so that doesn’t help for a massive amount of back and forth,” she said. “We aren’t on a group chat, but we speak individually. Rupert sends me pictures of [his daughter] Wednesday and I die.”
The actress also disclosed that she and Radcliffe relied on each other for support as they tried to navigate media attention following the release of HBO Max's Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts television special. “Dan and I generally try and calm each other’s nerves,” she said. “We both mainly try and stay out of the limelight, so it’s been nice to have each other’s support, knowing there was going to be another wave of attention coming.”
