Harry Potter enthusiasts have shared a curious childhood belief regarding the Moaning Myrtle character in the films.
The Harry Potter series remains one of the most celebrated franchises, and recently, fans have admitted to a funny misunderstanding from their youth.
Moaning Myrtle, who made her debut in the second movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, may not have appeared frequently, but her spooky and spirited portrayal was memorable. Actress Shirley Henderson, who played Myrtle, was distinct from her co-stars for a surprising reason.
Although the character is a ghost of a former Hogwarts student, Henderson was not a child; she was 37 when she auditioned.
In an interview with the Independent, Henderson explained her journey to securing the part: “When I was first asked for an audition, I didn’t know who Harry Potter was. But my sister, who was staying with me, had read the books. Still, I wasn’t convinced I could play a 14-year-old girl because I was in my 30s at the time.
“I went to the audition dressed as a schoolgirl — white shirt, black skirt, ponytail — thinking, ‘This is ridiculous.’”
Ultimately, she was chosen for the role because the production team believed that with the use of effects, they could convincingly portray her as a ghost.
Nevertheless, discovering that Henderson was cast in the role has been an unexpected revelation for some fans, who as children, humorously mistook the character for lead actor Daniel Radcliffe wearing a wig.
As one Reddit user humorously confessed: “They definitely fooled me. I spent years thinking she’s just Daniel Radcliffe in a wig.”
Another fan joined in by saying: “I also thought she was Daniel Radcliffe in a wig until right now! I had no idea.”
A third added: “I thought that too!! During his Google auto complete interview he was baffled that him being moaning myrtle was a search result, but it seems to be a common misconception lol.”
Interestingly, another person agreed: “Yeah because some of us were pretty young watching the second movie and thought she was Daniel Radcliffe in a wig.”
It seems many missed out on this playground discussion when the films were released, revealing this was a shared misconception. Just another fascinating tidbit to discover!