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An eagle-eyed 'Harry Potter' fan noticed leads being replaced by random actors in a 'Prisoner of Azkaban' scene

Bryn Gelbart   

An eagle-eyed 'Harry Potter' fan noticed leads being replaced by random actors in a 'Prisoner of Azkaban' scene
  • A TikToker recently pointed out that leads were replaced by random actors in a "Harry Potter" scene.
  • Body doubles for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lupin can be spotted in "Prisoner of Azkaban."
  • This isn't the first time fans have noticed something like this and shared it online.

With each "Harry Potter" rewatch, fans are noticing new details and pointing them out on social media for others to enjoy.

Based on the books by controversial author J.K. Rowling, the fantasy movies hit theaters nearly 20 years ago but a superfan recently spotted a new error in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

In a TikTok that currently has nearly half a million likes, user @ocarroll pointed out a scene in the third film where several main characters are briefly replaced by random actors.

During the boggart scene, Harry is briefly played by someone else

While rewatching the scene in "Prisoner of Azkaban" where Professor Lupin teaches the lesson on boggarts, TikTok user @ocarroll noticed that a random actor takes Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe) place while he's in the background.

When Padma Patil steps up to conquer the boggart, Harry is standing right behind her. But when the shot zooms out, it's clearly not Radcliffe.

The actor appears to be a body double, which is a term for someone who stands as a substitute for a star. Sometimes body doubles are used for action sequences or scenes with nudity, but they're also common when principal characters are in the background of shots.

Ron, Hermione, and Lupin also seem to have been replaced in the same scene

After spotting the Harry goof, the TikTok user went on to point out that in the same scene Ron (Rupert Grint), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) all seem to be briefly played by body doubles.

Both Hermione and Ron's doubles can be spotted in the same wide shot as Harry's. Moments later, when the camera flips around to the front of the classroom, a man who appears to be Thewlis' double is standing near the windows.

Although these errors can be alarming for fans who've seen the movie dozens of times, using body doubles in the background of scenes is a common practice in movies and on TV shows because it can save time and money.

Based on The Screen Actors Guild's union rules, lead actors are required to have a full 12 hours between the time shooting wraps one day and starts the next - known as "turnaround time." Therefore, if a shoot runs over, body doubles can fill in for the stars so it can still wrap on the same day.

Eagle-eyed fans have also noticed a similar phenomenon on 'Friends,' but with a different explanation

"Harry Potter" is not the only popular fandom to recently latch onto these mishaps. Sitcom fans have also noticed similar continuity errors on "Friends."

Multiple fans have found stand-ins for Monica, Joey, and Ross's dad on episodes throughout the show.

Like body doubles, stand-ins are hired to take the place of a lead actor. But stand-ins tend to step in before the shooting starts to ensure that the camera and lighting are set up for the scene.

The HD remastered episodes of "Friends" streaming on HBO Max display in a 16:9 aspect ratio - a much wider format than the 4:3 that the episodes were originally broadcasted in. This widescreen effect means some stand-in actors who were never supposed to be shown on screen can now be seen clearly.

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