Emma Watson’s body double has revealed what it was like to work on the Harry Potter set as Hermione Granger, just days after the cast reunion film celebrating the 20th anniversary.
Felicity Miles, 31, from north London, started drama classes in her local church hall when she was nine years old and was soon cast on the popular wizarding film set.
“My role was basically for when there were shots that were far away or of the back of Hermione’s head, they could use me – or maybe if they just needed Hermione’s hand,” she told Jam Press.
“When you’re under 16, you can only work for four hours a day on set so that allowed them to film as much as possible.
“I wasn’t a stunt double so I didn’t have to do anything dangerous.”
Then aged 10, the budding star was called into the Leavesden Warner Bros studio, Hertfordshire, so that they could camera test her and see how she was with the rest of the cast of Philosopher’s Stone, including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma.
She said: “I met Chris Columbus and David Heyman and they looked at me and Emma together through the camera to see how similar we looked.
“They then switched Emma out and lined me up with Dan and Rupert to see how I looked with them.
“I met with the hair and costume department so they could look at whether they could make my hair the iconic Hermione hair and take some measurements.
“That all went well, so an assistant director came and met me and my mum and they offered me the job right there and then to which I said yes.”
Although she was initially told she would be working for 12 weeks, she ended up being there for four years, working across the first three films.
From acting alongside the stars to going to amazing sets and premiers, Felicity enjoyed every minute.
She said: “It was the most amazing experience, everyone was so lovely.
“Being on set together was so fun. Thinking back, during the first film I feel we must have been a nightmare as we would mess around a lot and play games. It didn’t really feel like a job.
“I didn’t see Emma, Daniel and Rupert as the actors they are today. We were all just kids and really good friends.”
Felicity worked on the set between the ages of 10 to 14, which meant she grew up alongside some of the other cast members.
She added: “It was like one big family. It sounds so cheesy to say, but as the films went on everyone knew more and more they were part of something really special that would be so loved and that sort of bonded us all.
“We would all eat together most days. When on location we would chill in the evenings, go swimming if the hotel had a pool, or watch movies in each other’s rooms.”
One of her favourite memories was when David Heyman, the producer of Harry Potter, once hired out a whole bowling alley one evening for the cast and crew to go and play as a break from filming.
She said: “I guess as Dan, Rupert and Emma got more famous that was the only realistic way for us to socialise and let our hair down.”
Felicity loved working with Emma and as they were the only girls on the set most of the time they built a special bond.
She added: “We loved doing girly stuff together, like dance classes, we loved painting, talking about boys – just the normal teenage stuff.
“I loved being around her and I think she really liked me too. I feel like we spent time together because we were genuinely friends rather than having to because we were the only girls.”
Although working with children could be challenging, Felicity said everyone on the set was passionate about the job and the crew was very patient.
She added: “Most of us had never set foot on a film set before and they would always guide us in scenes and encourage us to be confident and enjoy it. As a child we really did have the best time.
“As I got older it was amazing to see some of the older actors on set, I was always amazed by how one minute they could just be chatting and having a coffee and then next minute on set in character and being a completely different person.”
HBO Max recently thrilled Potterheads by celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone with a reunion special, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, on New Years Day.
In the special, actors, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint join many of the cast and crew to discuss the making of the film.
They look back at past scenes, show unseen bloopers and give an emotional tribute to cast and crew who have passed since the making of the trilogy.
Felicity also watched the reunion and enjoyed having the chance to reminisce about that period.
She said: “I loved it, it brought back so many good memories.
“I also loved hearing them talk about it, and the family feel, as it confirmed my feelings about HP and it isn’t just me who felt like we were in this lovely warm family HP bubble and actually most people felt like that.”
Sadly, Felicity and Emma haven’t kept in touch, but the 31-year-old is friends with a few of the cast on social media.
She said: “I have a fair few on Facebook, so I see some of what they are up to outside of the spotlight which is nice.
“I miss HP, but you couldn’t recreate what we had there and how special it was, so, although I miss it, it’s nice that it is done and I can always look back on it with the fondest memories.
“Getting to be part of the wizarding world was so much fun, and as a child we really did have the best time.”
Felicity is now a journalist and also does a podcast called Behind The Wand, where she speaks to other people who worked on Harry Potter, sharing their experiences and memories.
