Harry Potter Star James Phelps Says He Was 'Shell-Shocked' When He Learned His Character's Fate
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James Phelps is opening up about the range of emotions he experienced when he learned about the death of his Harry Potter character, Fred Weasley.
In an interview with Metro, the 34-year-old actor revealed that he was traveling in Japan when he discovered that the character he portrayed in the beloved Harry Potter film series had died in the saga's final novel.
"The book had just come out that day, so I found an English copy," he told the outlet. "I was actually on a bullet train, and I read the part when Fred died – so I’m a bit shell-shocked at this point, because I didn’t realize how attached I got to the character. That caught me by surprise. I was surprised that he died."
He continued, "So I’m kind of all going over these different emotions. At the same time, the ticket officer is coming around asking for tickets. And he just kind of prodded me, saying, 'Ticket, ticket.' All I could do is look at him and I actually said, 'Mate, come on, I’ve just died here, let me have a bit of time to myself!'"
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Warner Bros./Everett Collection James Phelps and Oliver Phelps
Meanwhile, Oliver Phelps — James' twin brother who portrayed George Weasley in the Harry Potter film series — was shocked to learn about his character losing an ear at the beginning of the seventh novel, before he learned of Fred's death and realized his character's fate could have been much worse.
"I’ve spoken to a few other cast members and some people say they went through the same thing and others say they just read it as a story," Oliver told Metro. "And then you’d see the character name and be like, 'Right what’s happening with George right now?'
"And then at the beginning of the story when he gets his ear blown off, I was actually thinking, 'Oh no, this is awful! What’s happened? Oh no!' And then obviously reading what happens to Fred a bit later on, I thought, 'Well, it could have been worse,'" he added.
"So that was kind of how we found out, from reading the books ... and I suppose in one way, at least it wasn’t the first film," he joked.
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The brothers are now teaming up with Lego for their soon-to-be-released Diagon Alley set and a new magical AR experience, where the Weasley twins are front and center.
The twins' Weasley Wizard Wheezes joke shop is featured in the set, alongside other famous Diagon Alley spots, and the characters present the augmented reality video that comes along with it when fans scan a QR code to their phones.
LEGO Oliver Phelps and James Phelps
"Even like, playing Lego as a kid when we were younger and everything like that – it’s one of those things that you can just pick up and go straight back to," Oliver said of the partnership. "And be able to do that with a set from ourselves in the films, it’s just so so cool."
He added, "Especially having the Weasleys Wizard Wheezes and also Fred and George in there as well. It’s like a life ambition met."
