“There’s girls around”: Harry Potter Star Matthew Lewis Faced Colin Farrell’s ‘The Penguin’ Fate Since Age 12 Except It Was More Brutal For Him
- Matthew Lewis played Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter movies and had received praises for his work especially in the last installment.
- The actor opens up about him being exposed to the public at a very young age.
- Lewis recalls finding a way to appreciate his fat suit.
Without a doubt, Harry Potter is one of the biggest and most beloved franchises in the world. Based on J.K. Rowling’s novel series of the same name, the fantasy movies started with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001. The movie series starred Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, and more.
To date, viewers go back to binge-watching the movies, calling it the Harry Potter Movie Marathon. The movies have received positive responses and love from critics and the audience. The Harry Potter film series concluded in 2011 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. One actor shared their experience of being a part of one of the biggest franchises at a very young age.
Matthew Lewis recalls his experience of working on Harry Potter movies
Actor Matthew Lewis played the character of Neville Longbottom in eight Harry Potter movies, garnering the most amount of praise for his work in the last installment of the franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. In his conversation with The Telegraph, the actor shared,
It was a pretty daunting experience, to be honest. The film came out while I was flying to Australia. When I landed, there was all the news about box-office records being broken and various bits of press about me—all the headlines about how I’d been ‘transformed.’
The actor said he called up a friend and told them that he does not like how it feels. He recalled that it suddenly felt like he had been exposed as people started to focus on his appearance rather than his work, which made him uncomfortable. He added that people were saying all the nice things, but it was very odd, and he wanted to go back to his hometown and just focus on work.
Lewis mentioned that he was 11 years old when he heard the crowd shouting his name, which scared him. Neville Longbottom had been a significant member of the cast, but it was the last installment’s release that actually exposed him to the public and media attention. But his friends have helped him to keep his feet on the ground.
In his conversation with The New York Times, Matthew Lewis shared that it is painful for him to watch himself on-screen. He added that he finds it difficult when too much of him starts to come through in a character. But he noted that it’s easier when he can play someone completely different, like a police officer in London.
At times, it’s painful how much of me there is in Neville. When I’m watching, I’m like, ‘That’s not Neville, that’s you.’
Director David Yates, who directed the final four movies, revealed that one scene in the final installment was written specifically for Lewis, where Neville blows up the bridge to Hogwarts to slow down Lord Voldemort’s army. The director noted that it captured the charm of Neville and Lewis’ everyman quality. He lastly added that his modesty and honesty are very hard to ignore.
Matthew Lewis gets candid about Neville’s appearance in the Harry Potter movies
The actor was asked about the fact that his character had to wear false bad teeth, sticky-out ears, and a fat suit, which must have had an impact on him as he was very young when he starred in the movies. Lewis shared with The Telegraph,
When I was about 15 or 16, I hated it. I thought this was what the rest of the world thought I was, what I looked like. I was so sick of the fat suit I used to take it off as soon as I came off set, even if it was for 20 minutes.
But the actor noted he started appreciating it as he realized that becoming a character was important. Lewis recalled feeling grateful for the makeup and the fat suit that got him the part in one of the biggest franchises. During a panel at Universal Orlando’s Celebration of Harry Potter, the actor once again acknowledged his fat suit by stating (via People),
Being 15 years old in the middle of puberty, having to wear a fat suit. There’s girls around; I’ve got this fat suit on every day. No one knows I’m wearing this damn thing; they all just think I’m fat. Now, as an actor, I go, ‘Why did you ever even complain about that? You’re the luckiest man alive.
The actor said as Neville grew throughout the books, so did he, and his evolution as Matthew Lewis coincided with Neville. There is a large part of him in that character without a shadow of a doubt.
Lewis’ experience with the fat suit reminds viewers of very recently Colin Farrell’s experience with the fat suit that he wore for his successful series The Penguin. Farrell shared with Deadline that he never wants to put on the fat suit and head on again. He added that when he saw himself transformed, he could only see Oz Cobbs looking back, and it was very powerful.
However, there are rumors about The Penguin getting renewed for a second season for which Farrell is ready to return but added that towards the end of season one, he just wanted to be done.
The whole donning a fat suit was a little more daunting for Lewis because he was very young when he started working on the movies and assumed that people looked at him the way he looked on-screen. It was later that he started to appreciate and embrace his character’s appearance. However, it wouldn’t have been easy for Farrell as well.
Harry Potter movies are available to stream on Peacock. The Penguin is available to stream on HBO Max.
