Have you wondered if the Harry Potter movie characters would look the same as you imagined? Did the silver screen adaptations capture the essence of each character? With A.I.’s help, we look at 35 of the most popular characters to see if Hollywood nailed it, or if they simply cast a Confundus Charm.
Harry Potter
Harry is the main character of the book series, and we’re sure one of the favorites. In her books, J.K. Rowling describes him as having untidy black hair that’s always sticking up and partially covering a lighting-scribed scar on his forehead. And he’s always wearing his trademark round glasses, which are forever breaking.
The Boy Who Lived was portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, who perfectly captured Harry’s character. The only thing that they didn’t share was green eyes. Daniel did, however, wear a wig for some of the movies, as the character was said to have longer hair, and it was easier to don a wig than grow out his hair. Other than that, we’d say Hollywood got this one right.
Draco Malfoy
Other than He Who Shall Not Be Named, Draco is Harry’s main rival. He’s described as a platinum blonde-haired boy with aristocratic features. Draco represents the dark side of Slytherin House and has an air of superiority about him. This is emphasized by the sneering expression that never leaves his face.
Although Tom Felton’s performance perfectly captured Draco’s personality, he had to wear a blonde wig throughout the entire series, as his hair is brown. But if you’re looking at the features of the character, Tom looks quite similar.
Fleur Delacour
When we think about Fleur, we think stunningly beautiful. This part-Veela witch is said to have long, silvery-blond hair that cascades down her back. She also has very delicate features and an allure that captivates those around her.
Clémence Poésy has an ethereal charm about her that brings this character to life like no other actress would’ve done. And despite her natural hair color being darker than Fleur’s, she was the perfect choice, as you can clearly see from the AI image.
Dudley Dursley
Dudley, Harry’s spoiled and over-indulgent cousin, looks very much like a piglet, from his overweight body to his tiny piggy eyes and pig-like features. This character is meant to come across as very privileged and self-absorbed.
The movie and AI versions of him are slightly different, though, and Harry Melling underwent considerable weight loss during filming. This resulted in a much slimmer version of the character.
Minerva McGonagall
Who can forget the stern yet fair Professor of Transfiguration? With her hair pulled tightly into a bun, high cheekbones, and sharp features, she’s a severe-looking witch in the books. She’s described as tall and walking with an air of authority.
Dame Maggie Smith was another actress that had to wear a wig to portray the character chosen for her, but she did so with the style and grace that only Dame Maggie could. You’ll notice, though, that she looks nothing like her AI image.
Ginny Weasley
The freckle-faced little sister of Harry’s best friend is the youngest of the Weasley siblings and also sports the trademark red hair that the whole brood is known for. She starts out as a shy girl and grows into a brave young woman who ends up marrying Harry.
Though Ginny’s eyes are brown in the books, Bonnie Wright has blue eyes, and the producers chose not to change this, perhaps because it contrasts nicely with her natural red hair. As you can see from the AI image, this is another one that Hollywood was right about.
Pansy Parkinson
This poor character isn’t popular or described as a very attractive girl. She’s said to have a pug-like face with a wide mouth, clearly seen in the AI image. Her voice is meant to bring this mean-spirited and snobbish girl to life.
Multiple actresses played the part of Pansy, including Genevieve Gaunt and Scarlett Byrne. None of them were quite as unattractive as this poor girl is described to be.
Cedric Diggory
Cedric won our hearts during the Triwizard Tournament, and this Hufflepuff boy is described as tall and having a friendly smile. The books describe a well-built wizard with a mop of messy brown hair. As one of the most attractive characters in the book series, he had all the girls swooning.
Though Robert Pattinson’s hair color was different, he brought to life the sincerity of the character. He played Cedric as a friendly, humble soul who crept into everyone’s hearts.
Lucius Malfoy
Like his son, Lucius is described as having a sneering expression permanently glued to his face with an arrogant air, as if he is better than everyone else. He’s said to have a very pointed nose and long white-blond hair.
Lucius is meant to portray the corrupt side of the wizarding world and, as a dark wizard, is aligned with Lord Voldemort. Jason Isaacs truly captured the mannerisms of this dark character. And as we can see from the AI image, he looks very similar to the character’s description.
Viktor Krum
This tall, broad-shouldered, and rather imposing character was Harry’s competitor during the Triwazard Tournament. The books describe him as intense and focused on winning the cup for his school. He has unkempt dark hair and a prominent hooked nose.
The only thing Stanislav Ianevski shares with the character from the book is his nationality. As you can see, the book described him as a lanky character, whereas Stanislav was quite stocky.
Cho Chang
Cho was at one time the love interest of both Harry and Cedric, and this inner turmoil is described in the books. J.K. Rowling also makes mention of her long, silky black hair and almond-shaped eyes.
The character is said to represent the complexity of teenage emotions and is vulnerable, with graceful movement and a gentle soul. Katie Leung managed to bring this to life with her performance. She also looks quite similar to the image, and it’s safe to say that Hollywood nailed this one.
Ron Weasley
Like the rest of his family, Ron has fiery red hair and freckles. He’s Harry’s best friend and is loyal to Harry like no other. He’s said to be a lean figure with a great sense of humor. Ron later steals the heart of Hermione, and they are Harry’s closest companions throughout the book.
This clumsy but lovable friend of Harry was portrayed by Rupert Grint, who was suited to the role of Ron, maybe not physically but indeed in spirit. Similar to a lot of the other actors, Rupert wore a wig for parts of filming. They just didn’t give him the freckles that the book version of Ron had.
Petunia Dursley
Harry’s aunt is described as a character that resents the wizarding world, which shows in her treatment of Harry. Physically, she’s described as a thin woman with a horse-like face. She has blond hair, and her lips are permanently pursed disapprovingly.
Fiona Shaw is perhaps the actress furthest away from her AI image, but she perfectly captures the cold and distant demeanor that the character is said to have in the books.
Fred and George Weasley
These two are the older twin brothers of Ron and Ginny and also have the trademark red hair and freckled faces of the Weasleys. They’re playful characters who love to play pranks on the rest of the characters. Said to have mischievous grins, these two bring some much-needed comic relief.
James and Oliver Phelps portrayed the characters, and the two fun-loving actors matched the fun-loving nature of the characters, but that’s unfortunately where it ends. As with Ron, they didn’t have the trademark freckles, and they were a bit lankier than how the book described the twins.
Luna Lovegood
Luna is a unique character with a quirky and unconventional nature. She’s described as a girl with a dreamy expression, dirty blond hair that reaches her waist, and is said to look straggly. With her silvery eyes that almost seem to pop out, she’s one of the more whimsical characters in the book.
This is another one that Hollywood managed to get right. This ethereal character was brought to life by the actress Evanna Lynch, and Lynch truly embraced the role. She also looks quite similar to the image, despite having different colored eyes. She plays Luna as an eccentric character that’s unapologetically herself.
Merope Riddle
A tragic figure in the books, Merope is the mother of Tom Riddle. Merope is a thin, sickly-looking woman with lank hair and a hollow face. This character was never featured in the movies, so it would be impossible for us to pass judgment on Hollywood in this instance.
She was a sad and tragic figure that had a hard life. You can’t help but feel pity for this character when you’re reading the book.
Bill Weasley
Bill was Ron’s older brother and went on to marry Ron’s one-time crush, Fleur. He’s a tall man with the same red hair as his siblings, which he usually wears in a ponytail. Later in the series, he’s involved in a werewolf attack and is described as having a long scar on his face.
Domhnall Gleeson was a perfect match for Bill’s physical appearance and portrayed the character’s confident manner and dedication to the cause of the Order of the Phoenix. The only difference between Dohmnall and the image is that he never wore his hair in a ponytail.
Tom Riddle
In the books, the young Tom would later become known as Lord Voldemort and has a charm that hides his true nature. He’s described as having pale skin, thin lips, and snake-like features – like the dark lord.
His AI image comes very close to what Christian Coulson looks like in the movies. The dark hair and eyes are what cinched it for Hollywood.
Sirius Black
Sirius is Harry’s godfather who spent a long time in Azkaban, which gave him a haunted look. Sirius is described as having long, matted black hair, and gray eyes, and is a handsome man. He’s a significant character in the books and is fiercely protective of Harry.
Gary Oldman matched Sirius’s physical description and came very close to this AI image of the man. And Gary played the rebellious and passionate nature of the character very well.
Charlie Weasley
Charlie the dragon-tamer is said to be quite a muscular and tall man. As with his brothers, this character also has a mop of flaming red hair and a freckled face.
Though the character never appears onscreen in the movies, he’s mentioned throughout. He’s well-known for his love for the magical creatures he works with in Romania.
Argus Filch
Along with his trusty side-kick, Mrs. Norris, the cat, this cantankerous caretaker of Hogwarts roams the halls of the school with a sour expression. He’s described as having thin grey hair and a hunchback.
David Bradley brought this character to life, and we all believed that he really did enjoy the punishment that he doled out to students when they broke any school rules. He looked just as creepy in the movie as in this image.
