In the magical world of Harry Potter, where enchantments and fantastical creatures abound, there’s one delightful tale that stands out, not for its wizarding wonder, but for its heartwarming human touch. Revolving around the late actor Richard Harris, the anecdote highlights his innocence and charming misconception about his character’s mystical companion, Fawkes the Phoenix.
Bringing the venerable Albus Dumbledore to life in the first two Harry Potter films, Richard Harris came across the truly stunning creature called Fawkes, who was Dumbledore’s pet phoenix. But surprisingly, Harris had no idea that the creature was apparently an animatronic model, much like several other fantastical beasts throughout the franchise.
Richard Harris Believed Fawkes was a Genuine Phoenix
The late actor Richard Harris, renowned for his illustrious acting career and commanding screen presence, had a deeply immersive experience on the set of Harry Potter when he played the role of the wise wizard, Albus Dumbledore. The actor came across the magical elements of J.K. Rowling‘s imagination, and was truly mesmerized by most of it. But among all, Harris was mostly captivated by Dumbledore’s mystical companion, Fawkes.
A conversation between filmmaker Chris Columbus and Daniel Radcliffe who worked with Richard Harris on the first two Harry Potter films, revealed how the late legend was mesmerized by his interactions with the fiery phoenix. During their appearance on Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (via Business Insider), Columbus and Radcliffe noted how Harris believed that Fawkes was indeed a real bird.
So you and I had one of our greatest laughs together with Richard Harris. We had an animatronic version of Fawkes the phoenix, and it was this big red bird that doesn’t exist in real life… Richard came in, and looked at the phoenix, and said, ‘Wow, they train these animals marvelously these days’. Columbus recalled.
Unaware of the technical advances, Richard Harris apparently had no idea that Fawkes was actually a sophisticated animatronic creation. According to behind-the-scenes revelations, the crew had carefully orchestrated the bird’s movements to make it seem like a living, breathing entity, much like several other beasts on the Harry Potter sets, including Buckbeak.
While filming scenes with Fawkes in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Richard Harris was convinced that the phoenix was a genuine magical creature. The animatronic was so expertly managed that it responded precisely to his cues and actions. Harris was thus left enchanted by what he believed was a real, mystic bird.
The Reality of the Creature Became a Magical Secret
What makes this story even more enchanting is the fact that no one on the set corrected Richard Harris’s belief about Fawkes. The animatronic operators, knowing how deeply Harris was affected by the illusion, chose to maintain the magic of the moment. Working closely on the creature and operating each of its movements, the technical team even made the bird follow Harris’ commands.
According to Daniel Radcliffe, animatronic operators were unwilling to “break the spell” for Richard Harris and therefore came up with a unanimous agreement to make it react to Harris’ commands. This unspoken agreement among the cast and crew led the late actor to believe and enjoy his role in the fantasy world as he saw fit.
That, of course, got into a cycle where Richard was like, ‘The bird is responding to me’. We never told him. Radcliffe stated.
No, we never told him. He just thought it was a real bird. Columbus added.
This charming secret remained intact throughout the filming of the second Harry Potter film when Fawkes was first introduced. Perhaps, someday the crew would have told Richard Harris the truth, but unfortunately, before learning about the reality, the legend passed away, leaving the world of Hogwarts and its secrets behind. So it seems that Harris left this world believing that his magical companion was indeed a living, breathing phoenix.
Harry Potter films are currently available to watch on Max.
