Daniel Radcliffe looks back on his time filming Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, calling it one of the "coolest sets" he's ever been on. Based on the fantasy book series by J.K. Rowling, Chamber of Secrets served as the second installment in the Harry Potter film series and was a sequel to 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, with both films being directed by Chris Columbus. The story focuses on Harry's second year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as the heir to Salazar Slytherin opens the Chamber of Secrets, unleashing a deadly monster known as the Basilisk that starts targeting students.
Radcliffe returned to play the titular character, with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson also back as fan-favorites Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively. They were joined by an esteemed supporting cast with recurring actors Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Fiona Shaw, and Richard Harris, with the latter making his final appearance as Albus Dumbledore before his passing. New additions to the cast included Kenneth Branagh as Dr. Gilderoy Lockhart and Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy.
While promoting his latest adventure film The Lost City with Empire in a recent interview, Radcliffe took some time to look back on some of his behind-the-scenes memories from the set of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, ahead of the film's 20th anniversary this year. He recalls filming the "flying car" sequence with his Grint, which lasted for two months, stating that most of his memories are from "being in the Ford Anglia." Radcliffe also remembers the "massive" Chamber of Secrets set, calling it "one of the coolest sets" he's ever set foot in. Check out his quote below:
The first film, we were shooting for 11 months. The second film was just under that, it was 9 or 10. But we did two months of shooting that they didn't count as principal photography, when we were doing the flying car stuff. So my memories of that film are really the flying car sequence – me and Rupert [Grint] being in the Ford Anglia for about two months. The actual Chamber of Secrets set is still one of the coolest sets I've ever been on. It was massive, and it was real, and I got to really climb that thing at the end.
The Chamber of Secrets flying car set-piece takes place early in the film, when Harry and Ron are blocked from entering Platform Nine and Three-Quarters due to Dobby's spell, forcing them to miss their train to Hogwarts. As for the sequences in the Chamber of Secrets itself, they are all in the movie's final act, when Harry has to rescue Ginny Weasley by confronting the Basilisk. While Chamber of Secrets is filled with memorable sequences, the flying car and climactic duel between Harry and the Basilisk certainly stand out, forming some of the most enduring moments in the franchise.
Given the lack of advancement with visual effects during the making of the film, Radcliffe's comments make sense as to why it took close to a year to complete filming. Factoring in the making of Harry Potter creatures like Fawkes, Dobby, the Mandrakes, and Aragog, which had to be created from scratch, it understandably must've taken the crew a considerable amount of effort to bring the fictional world to life. However, this also makes the work of the production designers on the practical sets all the more impressive. It would be safe to say that audiences were pleased with what they were treated to with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and it's heartwarming to know that it's an experience cast members like Radcliffe can look back fondly on.
Source: Empire
