Actor Warwick Davis reminisces about his time on the Harry Potter sets and what went into making him over into Charms Master Professor Flitwick.
In the first movie, he was a little old man with a long, silver beard. But then he quickly transformed into a dapper young gent who looked like an opera conductor. Actor Warwick Davis opens up about his time on set and a few questions he gets asked about Professor Flitwick’s transformation.
Pottermore credits the interview as an excerpt from Harry Potter: The Character Vault by Jody Revenson.
Changing Things Up
In the first movie, Professor Flitwick is the one who teaches our heroes the Wingardium Leviosa spell. Though it kept true to his description from the book, we see a newer, younger Flitwick when he returns in Prisoner of Azkaban. Davis explains producer David Heyman called him up to apologize for not getting him into the final cut. Instead, they wanted him back on set as the Frog Choir conductor, and the operatic-themed costume stuck with the character.
The first white beard ensemble took about four hours to complete. The younger version took about two. “I think a lot of people on the set don’t know what I really look like,” Davis says, “Because I arrive a few hours before everyone else and go home later, after the makeup’s removed.”
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Yule Madness
During the Yule Ball scene from Goblet of Fire, we get to see Hogwarts staff getting into the music too. At one point, Professor Flitwick crowdsurfs through a huge group of students. That idea came straight from Davis’ brain. He thought it would be funny to see Flitwick introduce the rock band and then fly into the crowd. Director Mike Newell loved the idea, even though Davis was actually joking.
Still, they filmed it, making it one of the more lighthearted moments in an increasingly dark series. Davis also let loose a little freeze-frame secret if you rewatch the scene.
“And at one point, if you look very closely, you can actually see my false teeth fly out of my mouth and come back in again!”
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According to IMDb, Davis is on the cast roster for Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, so we’re not done seeing Professor Flitwick on the big screen anytime soon.