Dame Julie Walters is beloved by fans for many of her roles, but none of struck the hearts of fans more than her portrayal of mother Molly Weasley in the “Harry Potter” franchise.
Although the “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts” special included many new reveals, many couldn’t help but notice that the iconic matriarch was missing from the anniversary special.
As it turns out, Walters skipped the special in part because she has semi-retired from acting after being diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer.
Julie Walters Says Cancer Was Caused By Her Acting
In an interview with The Times in late 2020, Walter revealed that she had been diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer. Even though her cancer has gone into remission, she does not plan to go back to acting in order to take care of her health.
“The oncologist said to me, ‘What do you think has caused the cancer?’ And the first thing that came to my mind was acting,” she said. “Acting caused it, because of the way I approach it – I have to be totally in it. It’s very stressful. You’re being judged. It’s a stressful job, and I don’t sleep when I’m working. It’s not good for me.”
Although she has retired from acting, she said that she might be tempted to return to the silver screen for “Mamma Mia 3” after appearing in the sequel, “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.”
Julie Walters Was Missed By Her On-Screen Family
Walters’ presence was missed by her on-screen family, which included husband Arthur Weasley, played by Mark Williams. Twins Fred Weasley (James Phelps) and George Weasley (Oliver Phelps) expressed how much they enjoyed their time with their on-screen family, as did Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley.
“I feel like being a Weasley is the best part of being in Harry Potter,” Wright said during the special. “We had our Hogwarts family, but I felt so special having an actual extra family … Julie Walters, who played my mother, Mrs. Weasley, was just so wonderful and brilliant to me. She really kind of took me under her wing, and she was like the perfect mother figure.”
However, Julie Walters was far from the only cast member who did not appear in the reunion special.
Who Else Was Missing From The Reunion Special?
Although the main cast consisting of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson showed up, there were many that did not.
After Richard Harris passed away, Michael Gambon took over playing Dumbledore at the start of the third film and continued to reprise his role for the rest of the series. Many fans wondered why Gambon didn’t make an appearance and questioned why Dumbledore was barely mentioned throughout the feature-length special.
Maggie Smith, who portrayed Minerva McGonagall throughout the franchise, only appears in archived footage and did not make an appearance during the special, either. Several other professors that did not make an appearance were Professor Horace Slughorn, played by Jim Broadbent, Professor Flitwick, played by Warwick Davis, and Professor Sybill Trelawney, played by Emma Thompson.
Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Alastor Mad-Eye Moody, played by Brendan Gleeson, also did not make an appearance. Neither did his son, Domhnall Gleeson, who played Bill Weasley. And yes, that is the same Domhnall Gleeson that portrayed First Order General Hux in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy!
Robert Pattinson does not appear in the reunion special, although he only appeared in the franchise’s fourth film, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” Although Hufflepuff fans still laud Cedric Diggory, it could be that Pattinson couldn’t attend the special due to commitments to “The Batman,” which is out in theaters on March 4, 2022.
David Thewlis, who played werewolf Remus Lupin starting in the franchise’s third film, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” also did not make an appearance. Kenneth Branagh, who had a brief appearance for “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” also skipped the special, although the “Belfast” director might not want fans to remember that he once played the nefarious Gilderoy Lockhart!
Although some cast members, most notably the late Alan Rickman who portrayed Professor Severus Snape, have passed away in recent years, the special took the time to pay tribute to all of the cast members who are no longer with us.
The “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” special is available for streaming on HBO Max.
