Sir Michael Gambon took over the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series when Richard Harris died after completing Chamber of Secrets. Sadly, Gambon passed away at the age of 82 last Wednesday, but the best way to honor a person is to think about the happy memories they brought to everyone – like the time the actor pranked Daniel Radcliffe with a farting machine on set.
It’s so funny when you hear about the adults on Harry Potter pulling pranks on each other. On the set of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,co-stars Maggie Smith and Zoë Wanamaker would prank Richard Harris by tying his hair with little bows while he was asleep. Based on this behind-the-scenes footage a fan posted on Instagram, the film franchise’s second Dumbledore took the reins on a new prank inflicted on Daniel Radcliffe during The Prisoner of Azkaban. Take a look at the entertaining footage below.
In the Prisoner of Azkaban scene where the students of Hogwarts had to sleep in the Great Hall following a sighting of accused murderer Sirius Black, Sir Michael Gambon used the opportunity to play a joke on young co-star Daniel Radcliffe. Director Alfonso Cuarón and the cast had a lot of fun telling this story during the behind-the-scenes video:
Alfonso Cuarón: Dan [asked] us to have his sleeping bag next to this particular girl that he fancied.
Daniel Radcliffe: They had put a fart machine into my sleeping bag…
Emma Watson: This hall echoed.
Daniel Radcliffe: …And Michael Gambon had actually been pressing it during the take, I found out.
This is the funniest video I’ve watched in terms of fun Harry Potter set moments. You can tell everyone including Daniel Radcliffe got a real kick out of it. I wonder if that girl Radcliffe “fancied” thought at the time that was really the then-teenage actor farting. Way to leave a good first impression! And I love that Alan Rickman couldn’t help but crack up. We’re used to seeing Snape’s serious, deadpan expressions, so it’s nice to see Rickman in full costume have a laugh at the expense of a young Radcliffe.
It seems that anyone who ever knew Sir Michael Gambon had wonderful things to say about him. Radcliffe and more have paid tribute to Gambon, with the Miracle Workers actor saying, “The world just became considerably less fun” without him. Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy, honored the late actor’s “filthy sense of fun.” Even Fiona Shaw, who played Petunia Dursley, thought of him as a “brilliant, magnificent trickster.” It looks like the talented actor got a rise out of a lot of his co-stars.
Gambon’s sense of humor playing Dumbledore also shined all the way through with the wittiness he brought to the role. If you really feel like having a good cry, fans at Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter honored Gambon by slowly raising their wands at the sky the same way the students of Hogwarts did when Dumbledore died.
Behind-the-scene footage like Sir Michael Gambon’s on-set prank reminds us of what a humorous, fun-loving man he was. While his death is sad, people can help his memory live on through shared memories or by watching the BAFTA Award-winner’s best movies. You can see the Irish-British actor in his memorable role as Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series using your Max subscription and your Peacock subscription.