Harry Potter: Why The “Nude” Harry & Hermione Scene Was Controversial
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 included a very brief “nude” scene that ended up being controversial even before the film came out.
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The Harry Potter film series wasn’t safe from controversies and one of its strangest surrounded the “nude scene” from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 that had parents complaining about it before the film was even released. Harry Potter novels were banned from schools and libraries for supporting magic and witchcraft, which some felt would have a negative influence on impressionable youth. Although this did not stunt the series’s popularity, concerned parents would continue to speak out against Rowling’s content.
J.K. Rowling brought a magical Wizarding World to life for readers around the world in 1997 with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first entry in what would become a series of seven novels. The complete book series was adapted to the big screen not long after, with the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, being split into two films. Of course, a world as rich as Harry Potter’s went through some changes when making the jump to the big screen, but many scenes stayed true to the source material. Among those was the kissing scene between a false manifestation of Harry and Hermione as part of an apparition to torture Ron, courtesy of the piece of Voldemort’s soul kept in Salazar Slytherin’s locket.
In The Deathly Hallows, when Harry opened the Horcrux-locket, the piece of Lord Voldemort’s soul kept in it began to torture Ron by mocking his greatest fears. Apparitions emerged from the locket, among them one of Harry and Hermione questioning his merit as a member of their friend group and telling him they would be better off without him. The pair appeared to be naked as they begin to kiss. Although this scene was a manifestation of Ron’s deepest fears and insecurities, it sparked a wave of controversy among concerned parents.
The locket had always been the most troublesome of Voldemort’s Horcruxes since the trio had to protect it for months before finding a means to destroy it. Though the locket had a negative effect on all three of the protagonists, it was worse for Ron, who was more susceptible to it twisting his emotions. When director David Yates announced that part 1 of The Deathly Hallows would include Harry and Hermione’s “nude” scene, those who have read the books weren’t surprised, but those not familiar with it – specifically parents – did not approve of the notion.
Many parents complained about a Harry Potter film featuring a nude scene, even though many were unaware of the context. Worst of all, the complaints (and even some boycott threats) were based solely on Yates’s comments, occurring before the film was even released. The scene in question was very brief, and the false Harry and Hermione were surrounded by dark mist from the waist down and plenty of other special effects. Most importantly, neither of the actors were actually naked. True, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson (who was wearing a strapless bra) did have to engage in a steamy make-out session, but that is hardly the most offensive thing about the Harry Potter films, which had been growing increasingly darker since Voldemort’s return. The film series featured far more intense scenes than Ron’s Horcrux-induced vision, including multiple deaths, torture, and a scene where Nagini emerged from Bathilda Bagshot and attacked Harry and Hermione.
Ultimately there were no boycotts of the movie, and the controversy was nothing more than the rumblings of angry parents who wouldn’t wait for the film to come out to pass their judgment. The Harry Potter film series, and books as well, have had their fair dose of controversies, but the one concerning The Deathly Hallows “nude” scene is perhaps one of its most ridiculous.
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