FILM · 2009 · UK

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Directed by

David Yates

Runtime

153 min

Studio

Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films

133 archived facts · 8 topics · 1 source · Last reviewed Sep 2026

Dumbledore tries to prepare Harry for the final battle with Voldemort while Death Eaters wreak havoc in both Muggle and Wizard worlds.

Summary: TMDB

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: 12 Facts About the Characters and Cast

1. #021

   Christian Coulson, who played Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), expressed a desire to return as Riddle in this film, but director David Yates felt Coulson was too old for the role, noting that by 2008/2009 he was nearly thirty.

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   1. IMDb — IMDb

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2. #023

   More than 7,000 girls auditioned for the role of Lavender Brown, reading a scene featuring Madam Pomfrey, Hermione and Ron. Ironically, Emma Watson, who had not auditioned at all, suggested Jessie Cave for the part.

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3. #030
   Contains a major spoiler — show

   When Hermione confuses Cormac McLaggen during the tryouts, it may look as though she has stolen a slightly better player for the Quidditch team. The books, however, make clear that Ron is the better choice here: McLaggen will replace Ron after the poisoning, which results in a disastrous match lost because of McLaggen's arrogance.

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4. #065

   Jamie Campbell Bower hoped to take on the role of a young Riddle. Instead, he took on the role of young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010).

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5. #075
   Contains a major spoiler — show

   After Bill Nighy expressed interest in taking part, David Yates confirmed that Nighy would be his first choice for the role of Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour, who replaces Cornelius Fudge several times in the novel. Scrimgeour's character was ultimately cut from this film, but Nighy appeared in the role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010). Similarly, Ron's brother Bill Weasley (named and prominent since the first book) received his werewolf wounds at the end of the book while fighting Fenrir Greyback at Hogwarts, but he and his scars do not appear in the films until Deathly Hallows Part I.

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6. #092

   Bob Hoskins was also considered for the role of Horace Slughorn.

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7. #094
   Contains a major spoiler — show

   (At about thirty seconds) Although Robert Hardy, who played Cornelius Fudge, does not appear in the film, he has an uncredited voice part at the start: right after Helena Bonham Carter's (Bellatrix Lestrange's) line "I killed Sirius Black!" (from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)), Hardy/Fudge's last line from the same film, "He's back!", can be heard. Fudge appears briefly in the first chapter of the novel, where he announces to the British Prime Minister that he has been replaced as Minister of Magic after refusing to accept Voldemort's return.

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8. #096

   David Yates and the producers asked Wally Pfister whether he could serve as cinematographer on this film. Pfister declined the offer because of a scheduling conflict with The Dark Knight (2008), which was shooting at the same time.

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9. #102

   This is the second time Tom Felton and Jim Broadbent worked together. The first was in The Borrowers (1997), as members of a family fifteen centimeters tall: respectively the son, Peagreen Clock, and the father, Pod Clock. Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley) also took the role of the exterminator Jeff.

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10. #105

    Some media reported that Naomi Watts was approached to play Narcissa Malfoy but that she or her management missed the opportunity. According to Watts, she would definitely have been interested, but neither she nor her management was ever officially asked. Helen McCrory was ultimately cast in the role.

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11. #119

    Tom Longley, James Lee Hunt and Andrew Clarke auditioned for the role of Tom Riddle but lost out to Frank Dillane.

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12. #127
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Dumbledore (Sir Michael Gambon) tells Harry "I'm an old man," and Harry replies "You still look the same to me, sir." The original Dumbledore, played by Richard Harris, had a completely different appearance and voice.

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