Worst Acting Moments in the Harry Potter Movies, According to Reddit

The series went on to achieve international success, smashing box office records time after time.

The movies, though incredibly produced, have a few instances where the acting was not up to par. We have compiled a list of the worst moments, according to Reddit.

Overacting

Helena Bonham Carter has received much praise throughout her acting career. Well-versed with a multitude of titles under her belt, that credit is deserved. In the Harry Potter world, Redditors have a lot to say about her performance in the last four movies. One user remarked that during the Burrow on-fire scene, she was running around in the cornfield singing at the top of her lungs, which was not in the book. Another echoes that though she may have done it atop the astronomy tower in the novel, during the scene in the movie she appeared borderline insane.

Dumbledore’s One Liners

From the time Michael Gambon took over Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore has been called a weak and dainty character by the community. Specifically, users within the Harry Potter threads loathe Michael Gambon’s one-liners such as “being me has its perks” and “Severus, please…”. Fans feel that Michael was trying to gain some footing in the new role, hence the lines that appear out of the left field. Though insignificant to some, they have become a top pet peeve of members of the Reddit.

The Whomping Willow

Emma Watson’s portrayal of Hemione has been under fire on Reddit for moments in the first film spanning to the last. One Redditor narrows in as to why she receives all the hate. In the third film during the whomping willow scene, her excessive grunting and groaning were so dramatic that it distracted the viewer from the rest of the scene. That is why this (and many other) user has a beef with Hemione in the films. The snarky at times and overreactive demeanour is enough to turn them all away. These users have a preference for the book's interpretation of Hermione instead.

Harry goes Jekyll and Hyde

In the Prisoner of Azkaban, a few users have noted an issue they have with the bout of emotional distress Harry experiences after discovering the truth about Sirus Black. They remark that in an instant, he goes from expressing his vulnerability to his friends to an explosion of yelling like a crazy man. It is not as much that he yelled, but rather the night and day difference between the delivery in that scene. Another Redditor said that they couldn’t say what he sounded like in this scene, but it surely wasn’t the sound of a crying teenage boy.

Snape’s Broken Delivery

Alan Rickman elevated the character of Snape to new proportions. One Redditor expressed their disappointment in the security breach scene. The user says when Snape alerts the students that the people behind it will be equally guilty, the broken delivery of the line kills the mood of the scene entirely. Snape is known for a style of speaking that is void of emotion and reminiscent of a psychopath. Even so, the thread agrees that Alan Rickman should have known there is a time and a place.

Tying the Knot

Who would've figured such a simple interaction could cause an uproar? Reddit did. Potterheads across the board say that the scene between Harry and Ginny in which she ties his shoelace infuriates them. Cited as irrelevant to the scene, users feel the non-verbal act looks immensely out of place. Other Redditors have noted that this scene is one of the top examples of how the badass Ginny in the books did not translate well onto the big screen. Instead, the viewer is left with a bland character that produces pointlessly goofy moments such as this.

The Goblet of Fire

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve likely seen the memes pertaining to that line — which wasn’t delivered as “calmly” as in the novel. We are of course referring to Dumbledore calling out Harry for putting his name in the goblet of fire. In the novel, Dumbledore calmly asks Harry if he had indeed done this. In the film’s rendition of the encounter, according to users, he comes charging into the room at full speed and lays into Harry. Aside from the contrast between the book and the movie, Redditors also got a chuckle from watching a grandpa try to “square up” with a teenage boy. The moral of this moment? Delivery matters.

Nobody’s Perfect

Even the best actors produce their fair share of subpar contributions. We have to remember that actors are people at the end of the day and mistakes are natural. We must also bear that in some instances, the novel may do better than the film. At the end of the day, only the author has access to their mind, and even for a big-budget production, it can be daunting to duplicate.