After the Magic: Where the Women of Harry Potter Are Now?

Harry Potter is the second most successful film franchise of all time and fans could not get enough of Harry’s adventures in J.K Rowling’s wonderful books. Fans were opened up to a new world of wizards, witches and magic, and although Harry was the hero, he couldn’t have done it without there many strong women by his side. While all good things must come to an end, including Harry Potter, many of these talented actresses went on to appear in award-winning movies while others took a different route. Nonetheless, they will always be knows as their Potter character in our hearts.

Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall – Then

Despite Professor Dumbledore being the face of Hogwarts, deputy headmistress Professor McGonagall was very much a close second.

As a loyal member of the Order of the Pheonix, Minerva watched over Harry Potter as he was taken to the Dursley’s home, and then throughout his time at Hogwarts. McGonagall was a regular feature and strong character in all but one of the franchise.

Maggie Smith – Now

Maggie Smith’s impressive career has spanned over 66 years, appearing in over 50 films leading her to become one of Britain’s most recognized and respected actresses. Following her role in Harry Potter, Smith went on to appear in successful British period drama, Downton Abbey, for which she was awarded a Golden Globe award, two Emmy awards and a Screen Actors Guild award.

For her incredible achievements in film, Smith was made a Dame by the Queen in 1990 for services to the performing arts.

Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter – Then

We first came across Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire, as the intrusive journalist from The Daily Prophet who specialized in writing false stories and misreported interviews. Rita was even dubbed “enchantingly nasty” by Professor Dumbledore.

At the Triwizard Tournament, Skeeter painted Harry as a depressed orphan and tragic hero who was in love with Hermione Granger. Rita also wrote defaming articles about Hagrid, which led students’ parents to become concerned about his ferocity.

Miranda Richardson – Now

Despite appearing as an intrinsically nasty and deceitful individual in Harry Potter, Richardson was actually quite the opposite in real life, something that was a testament to her acting.

When cameras stopped rolling on the popular franchise, Richardson went on to play Labour politician Barbara Castle in the British film Made in Dagenham, before taking on the role of Queen Ulla in Angelina Jolie Disney movie Maleficent in 2014, but her part was cut in post-production.