Sir Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman pranked Daniel Radcliffe on Harry Potter set

28 September 2023 , 14:05

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Sir Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman pranked Daniel Radcliffe on Harry Potter set

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has recalled the time that the late Sir Michael Gambon pranked him on set, as stars the world over mourn his recent death.

The legendary TV and film actor, who was best known for his role as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, passed away at the age of 82 earlier this week. But in a recent interview Daniel , 34, who landed the lead role as Harry Potter at the tender age of 12, has recalled a memorable moment while working with him on set. Speaking to GQ's YouTube channel last year, he said that Sir Michael was so fun loving to work with, he would make him laugh up until the moment the director called "action."

Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe recalls a prank that the late Sir Michael Gambon pulled on him on set (Getty Images for The Roku Channe)

He said: "Michael Gambon could do that (mess with him) to a frustrating degree. He learned that he could, when I was a teenager, he could make me laugh very, very easily. Making me laugh right up until the word 'action,' at which point I was pretty much unable to recover and he could just snap into a performance with inherent gravitas and charm. Yeah. He's awesome."

Daniel also recalled a time when both Sir Michael and the late Alan Rickman joined forces to prank him on set and during the process, ruined a complicated shoot to the director's dismay. He added: "God... I should probably (remember) about the one that was pulled on ME, rather than any I pulled. Because it came from a very unexpected place."

He added: "There's - in the 3rd film - there's a shot in the great hall of all the kids sleeping in the great hall, and the camera starts very very wide, and comes in so that it's an inch from my face, a very long developing set, yeah, and Alan Rickman decided he would plant one of those fart machines in my, uh, sleeping bag, and they waited until like -the camera had come in for this huge DRAMATIC developing shot, and then unleashed this tremendous noise in the great hall."

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(Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar)

He continued: "I immediately thought: 'this is one of the other kids f***ing around, and we were going to get in trouble.' But as it turns out, it was one of the members of Britain's acting royalty. I think I laughed a lot, was probably a bit embarrassed, but it was really really funny."

Sir Michael starred as Professor Albus Dumbledore in the JK Rowling series between 2004 and 2008. It was announced today that the much-loved star had died 'peacefully at home' after a battle with pneumonia.

In a statement released by his family, it read: "We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon. Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia. Michael was 82. We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”

Lucretia Munro