Before 2024 ends, we've witnessed something magical and rare: the Weasley Twins (yes, from Harry Potter) just visited the Philippines—and no, we're absolutely not joking around here. British actors and brothers James and Oliver Phelps made a dashing appearance at a mall in Taguig City, on the evening of November 19, 2024.
Their visit was in time for the official launch of the new streaming platform entering the Philippines' digital streaming space called, Max. But of course, aside from celebrating Max's launch with Filipinos, James and Oliver came to quickly chat about 1) their life after Harry Potter, and 2) their new show!
First things first though, as Potterheads, we were thrilled to know a short anecdote from the twins who literally grew up portraying the roles of Fred and George Weasley. In case you might have forgotten, they are the brothers of one of the main characters, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). It's been over a decade since we last saw the Harry Potter universe through its movie franchise, and it was also one of the last few moments we spotted the cast together.
Here goes Oliver Phelps assuring everyone that they have kept in touch with the other Harry Potter cast, who saw as someone they literally grew up with, like a longtime classmate. "Yeah, we kept in touch with quite a few of the guys actually, be it soccer, or to just go to the pub to grab a drink, or just to catch up wherever we are at the same time," the 38-year-old former Harry Potter cast said during the Max Philippines launch event.
He noted that their castmates were not just colleagues they worked with. Instead, they were people with whom they'd spent most of their formative years growing up. "These guys who we filmed with in our formative years is kind of like the same relationship that you guys have with guys you went to school with, or university with."
In a short jest, Oliver mentioned, "So yeah, that's our education really—Hogwarts—quite literally."
What is Harry Potter: The Wizards of Baking?
Before anything else—no, it's not a new series about the wizarding world of Harry Potter. But it is something exciting to watch, you guys. Harry Potter: The Wizards of Baking is a reality TV series that revolves around several bakers competing to be the best (wizard) baker in the show.
"Oliver and I are very lucky we were asked to host the show. It's 18 of the best chefs in the world. These guys are based in America but they're from all over the world. They're sorted into groups of two. So there are nine teams. Every week they are whittled down to the wizards of baking!" James briefly explained.
Fun fact: the new show hosted by the Phelps twins was actually filmed on the exact same filming set used for Harry Potter. James revealed, "We're shooting on the actual sets that we filmed on at least the [ones] in London, so and it's the first time a series has been filmed on those locations, so yeah, a first."
Another fun (!) fact: James and Oliver revealed that it wasn't just them who'll be gracing in the new series. Other Harry Potter stars will be making an appearance, and we're so stoked for it! "Definitely and like you mentioned earlier, we had a couple of other alumni from Potter come and join us as well on some of the episodes, so yeah, we're not the only people from Potter who will appear in the series," James said.
Harry Potter: The Wizards of Baking is exclusively streaming on Max Philippines starting today. Check out Max Philippines' streaming rates here.
